[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung has arrived in New York, where the United Nations General Assembly is taking place. In an interview with foreign media prior to his overseas trip, President Lee proposed trading sanctions relief for a freeze on North Korea's nuclear weapons development. Attention is focused on whether specific details will be mentioned in his address to the UN General Assembly early tomorrow morning (September 23).

Kang Min-u reports from New York.

[Reporter]

An interview regarding North Korea policy, conducted last week with foreign media by President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting New York to attend the UN General Assembly, has been released.

President Lee said, "Trading sanctions against North Korea, which have had little practical effect, for a halt to North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles is of considerable value."

He also warned that North Korea possesses the capability to produce, or is already producing, 10 to 20 additional nuclear weapons each year, and that a truly dangerous moment would come if North Korea succumbs to the temptation to export them to make money in the future.

He argued that since sanctions aimed at isolating North Korea have become less effective due to shifts in international affairs, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, North Korea should first be brought to the dialogue table to halt nuclear development, followed by a phased approach toward rebuilding trust and arms reduction.

In another interview, he noted that both South Korea and the United States are "willing to engage in dialogue with North Korea without preconditions," raising expectations that sanctions against North Korea or North Korea-U.S. dialogue could be addressed during a possible meeting with U.S. President Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

[Wi Sung-lac / National Security Advisor (Yesterday): "There will be separate contacts in various formats with leaders of major countries, including the United States and Australia."]

Keen interest also surrounds whether the leaders of South Korea and the United States will discuss investments in the U.S. ahead of an official announcement.

President Lee Jae-myung plans to lay out his vision for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula in his upcoming UN General Assembly address, and attention is focused on how the international community, including the United States and North Korea, will respond.

(Video by Jeong Sang-bo | Video Editing by Lee Seung-jin | Graphics by Cho Soo-in)