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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said North Korea is likely to become less willing to abandon its nuclear weapons following the war triggered by U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Lee made the assessment in an interview with The Economist, discussing North Korea’s nuclear program and South Korea’s security policy.
He said U.S. President Donald Trump’s “unique personality” could prove useful in dealing with Pyongyang, but argued that the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran would probably make North Korea more determined to retain its nuclear arsenal.
Lee also rejected the idea of South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons, describing such a step as unrealistic and undesirable.
Lee addressed discussions over possible cooperation with the U.S. on nuclear-powered submarines.
He said such work would remain limited to operating the atomic reactors needed to power the vessels and would not extend to developing nuclear weapons.
Lee argued that South Korea acquiring its own nuclear arsenal would be neither realistic nor desirable.
His comments came as regional attention remained focused on North Korea’s nuclear status and the prospects for renewed diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had said last year that Washington should abandon its demand for denuclearization as a precondition for restarting long-suspended diplomacy.
Kim called on the U.S. to drop the requirement that North Korea give up its nuclear weapons before talks could resume.
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, also said on Tuesday that North Korea would not reverse its nuclear weapons policy or treat it as a subject for negotiation.
“North Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed state is a line from which there will be no retreat, and this is an obvious reality whether anyone accepts it or not,” she said.
Lee said the conflict involving Iran could reinforce that position by making Pyongyang even less inclined to surrender its nuclear capabilities.
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