Phased denuclearization plan returns

[Anchor]

The three-step denuclearization plan announced today (Aug. 21) is not entirely new.

There was a similar nuclear freeze approach during the Moon Jae-in administration.

Reporter Yang Min-cheol analyzes why the phased denuclearization is being brought up again at this point.

[Report]

[Moon Jae-in/Then-President/June 28, 2017: "Nuclear freeze is the entrance to dialogue, and the exit of that dialogue is complete nuclear dismantlement..."]

President Lee Jae Myung's three-step denuclearization is similar to former President Moon Jae-in's approach of nuclear freeze as an entry point.

It is being evaluated that this is a realistic approach to bring North Korea to dialogue, as it has advanced its nuclear capabilities since then.

[Park Won-gon/Professor, Department of North Korean Studies, Ewha Womans University: "The reason for the failure of the 2019 North Korea-U.S. talks wasn't phased denuclearization, but rather the adoption of the comprehensive, Libya-style settlement model. North Korea has a very strong aversion to that. That is why a more realistic alternative, the three-step method, is being considered now."]

There are concerns that presenting our solution first at this point, rather than jointly announcing a North Korean nuclear solution through a summit between South Korea and the U.S., could backfire.

[Hong Min/Senior Research Fellow, Korea Institute for National Unification: "North Korea has expressed a very fundamental rejection of denuclearization, so the question remains as to whether it is appropriate for South Korea to independently present a series of models for denuclearization first at this point..."]

Meanwhile, some interpretations highlight a broader regional consensus, citing Japanese media coverage that reflects Japan’s own heightened concerns over the North Korean nuclear threat.

[Cho Sung-ryul/Visiting Professor, Gyeongnam University: "Freezing and reducing alone does not alleviate the threat to South Korea and Japan. This joint stance of south Korea and Japan can be seen as a message to the U.S. that we must not abandon the goal of full denuclearization."]

In response to concerns that phased denuclearization might imply recognition of North Korea as a nuclear state, the government reiterated that the complete denuclearization of North Korea is a common goal of the international community, including South Korea and the U.S.

This is KBS News, Yang Min-cheol.