South Korea has underscored a phased and flexible approach to North Korea’s denuclearization at an event on Pyongyang’s nuclear ambition and its challenges to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty regime, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Wednesday.
During the event co-hosted with France in New York on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 11th UN NPT Review Conference, Ha Wi-young, director-general for international security of the ministry, stressed the importance of maintaining the goal of North Korea’s complete denuclearization.
He also raised the need to pursue flexible strategies in tackling North Korea’s nuclear issue, including phased approaches, citing shifting strategic conditions surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea and France have jointly organized North Korea-related events since 2017 on the occasion of the UN NPT conferences. This year’s gathering was attended by around 70 participants from governments, academia and international organizations.
Kim Sang-jin, South Korea’s deputy ambassador to the UN, noted the advancements in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, while assessing that the dissolving of an experts sanctions panel within the UN Security Council and deepening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow have further complicated the situation.
