President Lee Jae Myung promotes ”exchanges, normalization of relations, and denuclearization”...promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula

President Lee Jae-myung announced the "END Initiative," focusing on peace on the Korean Peninsula and international cooperation, in his keynote speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 23rd (local time).
The plan calls for the restoration of trust between the two Koreas and the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue at the same time.
The three main principles are: nuclearization and nuclear disarmament. This is seen as a realistic approach, but there remains the fear that this will effectively mean accepting North Korea's nuclear possession before the nuclear issue is resolved.
The government has drawn a line, saying that the three elements of the "End Initiative" are not related to one another in terms of priority or order.
He appeared as the seventh keynote speaker at the meeting and said, "We must end the era of hostility and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula and open a new era of peaceful coexistence and common growth."
Regarding the resolution of the nuclear issue, he stated that "denuclearization in a short period of time is difficult," and called for a gradual process that would lead to the suspension, reduction, and abandonment of the advancement of nuclear and missile capabilities.
He also emphasized the need for practical solutions. He reiterated the need for cooperation with the international community and the mobilization of practical wisdom.
"The 'Initiative' is a comprehensive approach linked to the principles emphasized in past inter-Korean agreements and the 2018 US-North Korea Singapore Joint Statement," he explained.
He said that there is no priority or order to each other, and that the process of exchange, normalization of relations, and denuclearization will be carried out in a structure that mutually promotes each other through inter-Korean dialogue and US-North Korea dialogue.
This is interpreted as meaning that rather than approaching "exchanges," "normalization of relations," and "denuclearization" individually, they will create momentum for peace management on the Korean Peninsula through coordination.
The End Initiative also clarified its strategic vision of opening a new path to resolve the stalemate in inter-Korean relations through exchanges with North Korea.
However, because inter-Korean relations are in a state of extreme conflict and tension, it is necessary to ease tensions through exchanges, change the signal, and then carry out the process of normalizing relations.
The "End Initiative" proposed by President Lee Jae Myung includes a three-stage approach of nuclear suspension, reduction, and denuclearization.
Wei Sung-lok explained, "The End Initiative is a comprehensive approach that covers all aspects of inter-Korean relations, while the three-phase approach is a focused approach specific to denuclearization."
He emphasized that "the two approaches are not at odds with each other, but rather complement each other."