Lee outlines phased North Korea approach

President Lee Jae-myung said Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump told him it was "time to focus on North Korea."

Briefing reporters on his European trip, Lee said North Korea’s nuclear program was the main topic of his longest conversation with Trump on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit. He said Trump appeared frustrated by the lack of workable options to address the standoff, and that he responded by laying out a three-step proposal.

Under Lee’s plan, the first stage would aim to halt North Korea’s production of additional nuclear material, block its export, and freeze development of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. South Korean officials estimate North Korea already holds 50 to 60 nuclear weapons and is producing enough fissile material each year for 10 to 20 more. Lee said talks should begin from those practical constraints rather than focusing solely on complete denuclearization.

He added that denuclearization should remain the long-term goal. The second stage would involve reducing North Korea’s nuclear stockpile, followed by a third stage tied to guarantees of regime stability. At the same time, Lee said it is already too late to physically stop North Korea’s nuclear development. Trump, according to Lee, expressed regret that earlier efforts had failed to prevent North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons.

North Korea has long rejected calls for denuclearization. Trump has previously referred to North Korea as a nuclear power, fueling concerns in Seoul that Washington could move toward accepting its nuclear status in practice. Without a clear U.S. roadmap, any renewed dialogue with Pyongyang risks shifting into arms reduction talks that align more closely with North Korea’s position.

Those concerns are reinforced by Trump’s approach to Iran. Under a ceasefire memorandum with Tehran, sanctions relief came before final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. Lee has argued that sanctions on North Korea have limited impact, but warned that lifting them early could remove one of the few remaining tools for leverage.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared that South Korea is no longer a partner state and has threatened nuclear strikes against the South. While Trump may focus on freezing North Korea’s intercontinental missile program, Lee warned that such an outcome alone would still leave South Korea exposed to the same core security risks. He said any talks between Washington and Pyongyang must not begin from a point that implicitly accepts North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.