Lee urges US-NK dialogue for peace regime at UN speech

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for the swift resumption of dialogue between the United States and North Korea to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

Hailing US President Donald Trump’s push to resume talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a sign of his “resolve” that has created a “hard-won opportunity for change,” Lee said dialogue between Trump and Kim is crucial to achieving peaceful coexistence between the two Koreas.

“I hope the long-suspended dialogue between North Korea and the US can resume without delay,” Lee said in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York.

“We will lay the groundwork for this to develop into dialogue among the parties aimed at formally ending the war on the Korean Peninsula and transitioning to a peace regime,” Lee added, reiterating his role as a “pacemaker” for peace.

Acknowledging that the two Koreas, the US and China have sought for decades to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, Lee said a peace regime could help normalize relations, foster shared growth and promote regional stability.

“In this process, we will begin by halting further advances in North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities, followed by reductions over the medium term, and ultimately move toward a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons,” Lee said.

Lee also called on the United Nations and the UN Security Council to play “a responsible and constructive role.”

Turning to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran conflict, which has had a significant impact on South Korea, Lee urged the international community to work together to ensure freedom of navigation through international straits and prevent key energy and logistics routes from being weaponized.

Introducing the idea of a “partnership of constructive contributors,” Lee said South Korea, which is heavily dependent on energy imports, would help build a framework for cooperation to strengthen the resilience of global energy supply chains.

“The most urgent and realistic path is for countries with the capacity and willingness to provide global public goods to join hands and broaden the scope of cooperation,” Lee said.