Lee outlines vision for peace at United Nations

President Lee Jae-myung delivered his first keynote address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23 local time. In his speech, Lee stressed the need to build peace on the Korean Peninsula, including the resumption of dialogue between North Korea and the United States. His remarks were seen as outlining a vision for lasting peace on the peninsula amid the possibility of talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit set for next month in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

In his UN speech, Lee laid out his peace initiative for the Korean Peninsula. On Sept. 21, Kim said in a speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly that “there is no reason not to face the United States,” expressing his willingness to meet Trump. The White House responded that “President Trump remains open to dialogue with Chairman Kim to achieve the complete denuclearization of North Korea.” With Trump confirming his attendance at the upcoming APEC summit, Washington and Pyongyang signaled their intent to restart dialogue for the first time in Trump’s second term.

Before his UN address, Lee, meeting with U.S. lawmakers, said, “If it helps resolve the Korean Peninsula issue, we welcome the United States taking the lead as a peacemaker,” adding, “As a pacemaker, we will support these efforts and actively cooperate to resume dialogue between North Korea and the United States.” Reiterating his so-called “pacemaker theory,” first unveiled during his summit with Trump, Lee underscored his support for renewed talks with the United States. U.S. lawmakers responded, “We support President Lee’s efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula. We hope the South Korean government’s efforts bear fruit,” adding, “The U.S. Congress will actively cooperate as well.”

However, at a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan on Sept. 22 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the three countries reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the DPRK. It was the first such meeting since the launch of the Lee administration.

While Kim on Sept. 21 signaled openness to talks with Trump without preconditions on denuclearization, the three governments reaffirmed their denuclearization principle, underscoring a gap in positions. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met in New York and agreed to maintain close coordination on North Korea policy, uphold the principle of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and sustain a strong deterrence stance against Pyongyang, according to South Korea’s Foreign Ministry.


뉴욕=박훈상 igermask@donga.com