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South Korea should not abandon the goal of North Korea’s denuclearization or pursue nuclear weapons of its own, President Lee Jae Myung said Monday, warning that a regional arms race could turn northeast Asia into a nuclear flashpoint.
Lee made the remarks at a news conference marking his first year in office, which began after months of political turmoil triggered by his predecessor’s declaration of martial law.
His comments came as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang for a two-day visit and as nuclear negotiations between North Korea and the United States remained deadlocked.
“We should not give up on the goal of denuclearization because we cannot pursue nuclear armament ourselves,” Lee said.
Lee said South Korea should not seek atomic weapons in response to North Korea’s nuclear program because such a move could encourage others in the region to follow.
“If South Korea were to pursue nuclear armament, do you really think Japan would stand still? Or Taiwan?” he said.
“Everyone would end up going nuclear, and the entire region would turn into a nuclear flashpoint.”
Lee said South Korea’s heavy dependence on exports meant it could not withstand severe international sanctions for pursuing nuclear weapons in violation of international rules.
“We simply cannot afford to become like North Korea,” he said. “We cannot survive under such sanctions.”
On talks with Pyongyang, Lee said Seoul should begin with limited short-term goals, including securing a moratorium on the further production of nuclear materials.
Xi arrived in North Korea after recently hosting U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin separately in Beijing.
China is North Korea’s main trading partner and a key source of diplomatic and economic support for the country, which is subject to multiple international sanctions.
The White House said last month that Xi and Trump “confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea” during their summit in Beijing.
However, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on the eve of Xi’s arrival that North Korea’s nuclear weapons program was “the line of no retreat.”
North Korea’s nuclear negotiations with Washington remain deadlocked as Pyongyang continues to reject international efforts aimed at ending its nuclear weapons program.
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