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South Korea's unification ministry said Friday its stance on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged, vowing to seek "phased, viable" solutions. The remarks came a day after North Korea reiterated its refusal to give up its nuclear weapons.

"The government has no change in its position to seek phased, viable solutions for denuclearization, which are mutually acceptable based on the reality," Chang Yoon-jeong, deputy spokesperson at the ministry, told a press briefing on June 19.

Coverage Analysis

North Korea's Hardened Stance

The previous night, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, lashed out at a Group of Seven statement reaffirming commitment to the North's denuclearization under U.N. Security Council resolutions. She called Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal its "core interests" and described denuclearization as a "line of no retreat that can never be crossed."

Chang said Kim's statement appeared to be a reiteration of her remarks earlier this month, when she similarly declared the nuclear program central to the nation's interests.

Key Claims

  • Unification ministry's position: The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to seeking phased, viable solutions for denuclearization, emphasizing that they must be "mutually acceptable based on reality."
  • North Korea's rejection: Kim Yo-jong reiterated Pyongyang's stance of not giving up its nuclear weapons, describing the arsenal as its "core interests" and denuclearization as a "line of no retreat that can never be crossed."
  • Minister's call for a new approach: Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, speaking at the Korean Peninsula Symposium, said the focus should shift from denuclearization as a sole precondition to a phased and pragmatic solution. "We must move away from the old notion that a peace regime can only be discussed after the North Korean nuclear issue is resolved," he said. "It is time for a paradigm shift."
  • Phased plan: Chung outlined a three-stage process -- freeze, reduction, and denuclearization -- toward peaceful coexistence)Skip. He noted that past breakthroughs came when countries, including South Korea and the United States, actively engaged Pyongyang in dialogue, citing the 2018 Singapore summit as an example.
  • International support: Chung said China has expressed support for this pragmatic approach.
  • Presidential backing: President Lee Jae-myung also called for a phased approach, first halting Pyongyang's nuclear and missile activities before pursuing the broader goal of denuclearizing the peninsula.

Context

Chung argued that the lack of progress in nuclear diplomacy has allowed North Korea to advance its capabilities. "Whenever peace talks stalled, the North used that time to further develop its nuclear weapons," he said, advocating a "paradigm shift" away from the notion that peace can only be discussed after the nuclear issue is resolved.

He proposed a three-stage process: freeze, reduction, and denuclearization, and said China has expressed support for this pragmatic approach. Chung stressed that the phased approach must begin with dialogue between the United States and North Korea, recalling agreements from the 2018 Singapore summit.