Published : Sept. 12, 2017 - 14:23
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Tuesday it's fortunate that the UN Security Council unanimously adopted new sanctions on North Korea even though the resolution was watered down from its original draft.
Earlier in New York, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2375 to put caps on North Korea's imports of crude and refined petroleum products, which experts say will lead to around a 30 percent reduction in total supplies of oil-related products to the North.
The resolution, however, was much weaker than the US-proposed original draft that included cutting off crude supplies to the North and freezing overseas assets of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It has apparently been revised to win support from veto-holding China and Russia.
"Compared with the original draft proposed by the US, the resolution was toned down, for instance by reducing oil supplies to the North by 30 percent rather than a total suspension and by excluding the North Korean leader from the sanctions," Lee said during a Cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon speaks during a Cabinet meeting on Sept. 12, 2017. (Yonhap)
"However, it's just as well that the international community adopted this sanctions resolution by consensus," he said.
Lee also reiterated that Seoul is not considering bringing US nuclear weapons back into the country.
Since the North's sixth nuclear test, talk of redeploying tactical US nuclear weapons to the South has gained traction, especially following a weekend report citing a White House official saying Washington could consider such a deployment if Seoul makes a request.
"A lot of opinions have been raised, such as nuclear armament or deployment of tactical nuclear weapons. But these are not issues subject to consideration," Lee said. "We are firmly sticking to the principle of denuclearization."
During a parliamentary interpellation session later in the day, Lee also said that the redeployment of US nuclear weapons here would break the principle of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. South Korea's own nuclear armament would spark harsh economic sanctions and touch off a nuclear arms race in the region, he said.
The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae also restated its stance against redeploying tactical nukes to South Korea, stressing it had never considered such a nuclear option.
The prime minister affirmed that the United States and South Korea are committed to maintaining American troop presence in the South.
"This is an issue that cannot be discussed without South Korea's consent. The person who talked about US troop withdrawal from South Korea has been sacked. That attests to the will of both governments," Lee said of the recent firing of Steve Bannon as President Donald Trump's chief strategist.
Bannon's departure came after he said in a media interview that he believes there is no military solution to the problem of North Korea and that he would consider a deal with China to remove American troops from the Korean Peninsula in exchange for China freezing North Korea's nuclear program. (Yonhap)