South Korea: If there are negotiations with North Korea it should not be a ‘political show’

In the event of talks with North Korea its new president focused South Koreathe conservative Yoon Sok-gel emphasizing that “it should not be just a ‘political show’, but lead to peace”.

In a press conference after all the material he gave for his first hundred days in power, Yun reiterated that his government is willing to offer financial aid in phases to Pyongyang if it agrees to end its nuclear weapons development and to begin its denuclearization process, recalling that he had proposed dialogue with North Korea already in his pre-election campaign.

But “any dialogue between the leaders of South and North Korea, or negotiations between officials, should not be a political show, they should contribute to the restoration of peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia,” he added.

The new president’s comments were apparently an indirect rebuke to his predecessor Moon Jae-in’s and former US president Donald Trump’s summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“I will not haggle over my defense,” says Pyongyang

Negotiations aimed at the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula reached an impasse in 2019. Pyongyang, as reported by the Athens News Agency, has since said it will not bargain for its defense, although it has demanded the lifting of suffocating economic sanctions against it.

South Korean and US officials have said for months that North Korea may be preparing to test a nuclear weapon, its first since 2017, when Mr Kim unilaterally declared a moratorium on them and on tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). ).

Meanwhile, Pyongyang today test-fired two cruise missiles from its western coast, the day after preliminary joint South Korean-US military exercises, which will resume soon. They had been suspended during Mr Moon’s days as part of a confidence-building effort.

Mr. Yun noted at the press conference that Seoul cannot guarantee the security of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea if it gives up its nuclear arsenal, but assured that his government does not want the status quo to change.

Pyongyang’s recent missile tests and reports that it is preparing for another nuclear test have reignited the debate over whether Seoul should also acquire a nuclear arsenal. Mr Yun, who took office in May, has assured that his government is committed to upholding the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), but noted that he is working with the US to strengthen “external deterrence”. that supplies.