South Korea Open to Trump-Kim Nuclear Deal, Says President Lee Jae Myung

Mon Sep 29 2025 00:28:17 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a recent BBC interview, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed willingness to accept a deal between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un to freeze North Korea's nuclear production as a step towards peace. He emphasized that while denuclearization remains a long-term goal, a freeze could serve as a pragmatic interim measure.

President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea has stated he would support a deal involving a freeze on North Korea's nuclear program rather than full denuclearization. Emphasizing the production of 15-20 nuclear weapons a year by North Korea, Lee views a temporary freeze as a realistic step towards peace. As he navigates a politically polarized South Korea and evolving international relations, he seeks to lessen tensions with the North while maintaining strong ties with the US and Japan.

South Korea's president has said he would agree to a deal between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in which North Korea agreed to freeze production of its nuclear weapons, rather than get rid of them.

Lee Jae Myung told the BBC North Korea was producing an additional 15-20 nuclear weapons a year and that a freeze - as 'an interim emergency measure' - would be 'a feasible, realistic alternative' to denuclearisation for now.

North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2022 and vowed to never relinquish its weapons.

So long as we do not give up on the long-term goal of denuclearisation, I believe there are clear benefits to having North Korea stop its nuclear and missile development, Lee Jae Myung said.

The question is whether we persist with fruitless attempts towards the ultimate goal [of denuclearisation] or we set more realistic goals and achieve some of them, Lee added.

President Lee, who entered office in June, wants to establish peaceful relations with North Korea and reduce tensions, which flared under his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached for trying to impose martial law last year.

The South Korean leader has been vocal about wanting President Trump to resume nuclear talks with Kim, which broke down in 2019 during Trump's first term, after the US asked the North to dismantle its nuclear facilities.

In a speech to parliament on Sunday, the North Korean leader suggested he would be willing to negotiate with Trump – but only if the US dropped its demand for the North to denuclearise.

Lee told the BBC that he thought it possible that Trump and Kim could come back together, given they 'seem to have a degree of mutual trust'. This could benefit South Korea and contribute to global peace and security, he added.

The BBC sat down with the South Korean president at his office in Seoul, ahead of his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday.

While South Korea currently holds the presidency of the UN Security Council, Lee did not address whether this body was failing, given China's and Russia’s history of blocking sanctions against the North.

While it's clear the UN is falling short when it comes to creating a truly peaceful world, I still believe it is performing many important functions, Lee said, adding that reforming the Security Council was 'not very realistic'.

Regarding China's role, Lee noted, 'it is impossible to know' if China was supporting North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, but he indicated that he does not believe this is the case.

The increasing closeness between Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang presents challenges for South Korea, which Lee reiterated is in a 'very difficult situation'.

At home, President Lee is working to mend relationships strained by the previous administration's aggressive stance toward the North, taking steps to facilitate dialogue and improve trust.

Lee's approach reflects his understanding that the nuclear negotiation landscape has shifted, and he is positioning himself pragmatically in pursuit of a more peaceful future on the Korean Peninsula.