South Korea Open to Trump-Kim Agreement on Freezing Nuclear Program

Fri Sep 26 2025 14:25:33 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a recent BBC interview, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed willingness to support a deal involving the freezing of North Korea's nuclear weapons production, as a feasible alternative to full denuclearization.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stated that he would accept a deal between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un that would lead to a temporary freeze on North Korea's nuclear weapons production. Lee described this freeze as a necessary step given that North Korea is currently producing 15-20 nuclear weapons annually. He emphasized that while the long-term goal remains denuclearization, establishing realistic interim goals could benefit security and pave the way for peace.

South Korea's president has said he would agree to a deal between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in which North Korea agreed to freeze production of its nuclear weapons, rather than get rid of them.

Lee Jae Myung told the BBC North Korea was producing an additional 15-20 nuclear weapons a year and that a freeze - as an interim emergency measure - would be a feasible, realistic alternative to denuclearisation for now.

North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2022 and vowed to never relinquish its weapons.

So long as we do not give up on the long-term goal of denuclearisation, I believe there are clear benefits to having North Korea stop its nuclear and missile development, Lee said.

The question is whether we persist with fruitless attempts towards the ultimate goal [of denuclearisation] or we set more realistic goals and achieve some of them, Lee added.

President Lee, who entered office in June, wants to establish peaceful relations with North Korea and reduce tensions, which flared under his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached for trying to impose martial law last year.

The South Korean leader has been vocal about wanting President Trump to resume nuclear talks with Kim, which broke down in 2019 during Trump's first term, after the US asked the North to dismantle its nuclear facilities.

In a speech to parliament on Sunday, the North Korean leader suggested he would be willing to negotiate with Trump – but only if the US dropped its demand for the North to denuclearise.

Lee told the BBC that he thought it possible that Trump and Kim could come back together, given they seem to have a degree of mutual trust. This could benefit South Korea and contribute to global peace and security, he added.

The BBC sat down with the South Korean president at his office in Seoul, ahead of his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday.

South Korea currently holds the presidency of the UN Security Council, but Lee would not be drawn on whether the body was failing South Korea, because for years both China and Russia have blocked attempts to impose further sanctions on the North over its nuclear programme.

Earlier this month Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Kim at a military parade in Beijing alongside Russia's Vladimir Putin, raising concerns for South Korean security as Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang grow closer.

Lee acknowledged the difficulties of navigating South Korea's relationships with both the US and China, stating that his approach seeks a balance without making enemies.

Despite North Korea's rejection of Lee's goodwill gestures so far, he remains committed to pursuing peace and dialogue while recognizing the complex geopolitical dynamics at play.