{"id":27138,"date":"2026-09-22T04:07:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T04:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=27138"},"modified":"2026-09-22T04:07:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T04:07:00","slug":"south-korea-proposes-nuclear-freeze-with-kim-jong-un-in-exchange-for-sanctions-relief-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=27138","title":{"rendered":"South Korea proposes nuclear freeze with Kim Jong Un in exchange for sanctions relief: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134401847,imgsize-112248,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/trump-korea.jpg\" alt=\"South Korea proposes nuclear freeze with Kim Jong Un in exchange for sanctions relief: Report\" title=\"South Korea's Lee urges Trump to seek nuclear freeze deal with North Korea (file photo)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"South Korea's Lee urges Trump to seek nuclear freeze deal with North Korea (file photo)\">South Korea&#8217;s Lee urges Trump to seek nuclear freeze deal with North Korea (file photo)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>South Korean president Lee Jae Myung has urged US president Donald Trump to seek a nuclear freeze deal with North Korea instead of insisting on immediate denuclearisation, arguing that sanctions have failed to stop North Korea from expanding its weapons programmes.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>In an interview with the New York Times, Lee said Washington could offer sanctions relief in exchange for Pyongyang halting further development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile technology.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>\u201cI believe there is significant value in a trade-off between sanctions \u2013\u2013 which are not particularly effective anyway \u2013\u2013 and a stop to the development of additional nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile technology,\u201d Lee told NYT.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/>Lee argued that demanding complete denuclearisation under current circumstances would achieve little, as North Korea has continued to expand its nuclear capabilities while strengthening ties with Russia and China.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>\u201cAiming for denuclearisation under the current circumstances guarantees that nothing will be accomplished,\u201d he said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h3><b>Why Lee wants a nuclear freeze first<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p>Lee\u2019s proposal would make a nuclear freeze the first step, followed by reciprocal incentives and concessions aimed at building trust with Pyongyang. He said the longer-term goal would be to create conditions in which North Korea feels secure enough to eventually reduce and give up its nuclear arsenal.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>The South Korean president believes Trump is uniquely positioned to restart talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, given the two leaders\u2019 previous personal diplomacy. Trump met Kim three times during his first term, including a 2019 meeting at the inter-Korean border, but those talks failed to produce an agreement.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>Lee said the alternative to diplomacy was increasingly risky as North Korea continued to expand its nuclear arsenal.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>\u201cOur estimates suggest that North Korea is now capable of producing, or may already be producing, an additional 10 to 20 nuclear weapons each year,\u201d he said, warning that Pyongyang could eventually be tempted to export nuclear weapons and missiles for money.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h3><b>North Korea has more leverage now<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p>Lee\u2019s push comes as North Korea has moved closer to Russia and China and become less dependent on negotiations with Seoul or Washington.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>Pyongyang has deployed troops and weapons to support Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine, strengthening its relationship with Moscow. North Korea has also deepened ties with Beijing, while its economy has shown signs of growth.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>That has given Kim more room to resist pressure from Washington. North Korea has also continued developing its nuclear and missile capabilities despite Trump\u2019s efforts to revive diplomacy.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>North Korea has also been regularly carrying out military exercises and testing its arsenal of ballistic missiles near South Korean waters, worsening tensions in a region already plagued by military tensions and a long-running standoff between the two Koreas.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>Trump had also recently scaled back a major US-South Korean military exercise, describing such drills as hostile toward Kim. North Korea has nevertheless continued weapons activity, including recent ballistic missile launches.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>Lee is not alone in arguing for a shift towards a phased approach. Stephen E Biegun, who served as the US special representative for North Korea during Trump\u2019s first term, recently said Washington could negotiate a \u201cslowing or freezing\u201d of North Korea\u2019s nuclear arsenal.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/>But North Korea has repeatedly signalled that it does not intend to give up its nuclear arsenal, making any freeze deal potentially difficult to negotiate.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/>Lee nevertheless believes a freeze would be a more realistic starting point than demanding complete denuclearisation at the outset.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/rest-of-world\/south-korea-proposes-nuclear-freeze-with-kim-jong-un-in-exchange-for-sanctions-relief-report\/articleshow\/134401776.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Korea&#8217;s Lee urges Trump to seek nuclear freeze deal with North Korea (file photo) South Korean president Lee Jae Myung has urged US president Donald Trump to seek a nuclear freeze deal with North Korea instead of insisting on immediate denuclearisation, arguing that sanctions have failed to stop North Korea from expanding its weapons [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trump-korea.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"South Korea&#8217;s Lee urges Trump to seek nuclear freeze deal with North Korea (file photo) South Korean president Lee Jae Myung has urged US president Donald Trump to seek a nuclear freeze deal with North Korea instead of insisting on immediate denuclearisation, arguing that sanctions have failed to stop North Korea from expanding its weapons [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 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