South Korea's Lee calls for resumption of U.S.-North Korea talks at UN

Trump reaffirms willingness to meet Kim in 30-minute Lee meeting

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly for the swift resumption of suspended U.S.-North Korea dialogue, saying his government would work to turn renewed talks into negotiations formally ending the Korean War.

Addressing the assembly in New York, Lee said U.S. President Donald Trump’s overtures to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had created “a hard-won opportunity for change” after years of diplomatic deadlock. “I hope the long-suspended dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. can resume without delay,” Lee said. “We will lay the groundwork for this to develop into a dialogue among the parties aimed at ending the war on the Korean Peninsula and transitioning to a peace regime.”

Fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war. Lee described South Korea as “a direct party to peace on the Korean Peninsula” and a “pacemaker” that would work to open and sustain dialogue, and called on the U.N. Security Council to play a “responsible and constructive role.”

Lee outlined a more specific proposal in an interview with The New York Times published Monday, calling for the United States to ease sanctions in exchange for North Korea halting the development of additional nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile technology. He argued there was no realistic alternative to such a trade-off, given that sanctions had done little to stop Pyongyang’s weapons development.

In his U.N. address, Lee described the weapons freeze as an initial step, with denuclearization remaining the long-term goal. “In this process, we will begin with a stop to further advances in North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities, followed by their reductions in the medium term, moving toward a Korean Peninsula free from nuclear weapons over the long term,” he said.

Trump did not mention North Korea in his own General Assembly address. But he reaffirmed his willingness to talk with Pyongyang during a roughly 30-minute meeting with Lee later Tuesday, South Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said in a briefing. Wi said the leaders agreed to “open the door to dialogue and to maintain close communication to establish sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

The two leaders also discussed bilateral investment projects and further cooperation on shipbuilding, nuclear submarine fuel and the transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean forces, according to Wi. Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in meeting Kim again and scaled back an annual military exercise with South Korea last month in an effort to create conditions for renewed talks.

Since taking office in June 2025, Lee has sought to ease tensions with Pyongyang. On Tuesday, he outlined three principles for “peaceful coexistence” between the neighbors: respecting each other’s political systems, restoring channels of communication to prevent crises, and pursuing cooperation on issues including public health, disaster response and climate change.

North Korea has consistently rejected Seoul’s overtures. Since Kim declared the two countries “two hostile states” in late 2023, Pyongyang has hardened its border with the South while continuing to develop its weapons program. On Tuesday, state media reported that North Korea tested a new weapon system over the weekend, apparently involving an upgraded hypersonic missile.

Pyongyang has also ruled out giving up its nuclear arsenal. At last year’s General Assembly, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong said demands for denuclearization amounted to asking his country to surrender its “sovereignty and right to existence.” He is scheduled to address this year’s gathering on Monday.