▲ Unification Minister Chung Dong-young delivers a keynote speech during the Korean Peninsula Symposium 2026, co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency, on June 26, 2026. (Yonhap)

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Unification minister calls for moving away from 'denuclearization first' policy for N. Korea

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young called Friday for shifting away from an approach that sticks to denuclearization as the sole solution to the North Korean nuclear issue, saying such a precondition has been one of the reasons for stalled diplomacy with Pyongyang.

Chung made the remarks in a keynote speech at a forum, co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency, pointing out that the lack of progress in nuclear diplomacy has only helped the North bolster its nuclear and weapons capabilities for the past three decades.

"As the past 30 years have shown, whenever peace talks were halted by the denuclearization hurdle, North Korea used that time to further advance its nuclear capabilities," Chung said at the Korean Peninsula Symposium.

"We must move away from the old notion that a peace regime can only be discussed after the North Korean nuclear issue is resolved ... We need to pursue a phased and pragmatic solution. It is time for a paradigm shift," he said.

Recalling major breakthroughs in nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang in the past, Chung stressed the path toward peace opened up when relevant countries, including South Korea and the United States, sought to actively engage Pyongyang for dialogue.

Chung went on to highlight the need for a phased approach -- halting and scaling down the North's nuclear program before denuclearizing -- as a solution to the nuclear issue.

"A step-by-step process toward peaceful coexistence and denuclearization should proceed in three stages -- freeze, reduction and denuclearization," he said. "China, too, has expressed support for this pragmatic approach."

Chung said this phased approach must begin with dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea.

"As agreed in the 2018 Singapore summit between North Korea and the U.S., both sides should immediately resume talks to end mutual hostility and establish a new relationship," he said.

"The resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue will serve as a powerful catalyst for opening four-party talks among the U.S., China and the two Koreas, who are the key stakeholders in achieving lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," Chung added.

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