South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister for Strategy and Intelligence Jeong Yeon-doo (on screen) delivers a keynote speech during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, April 27 (location time). Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
South Korea has underscored a phased and flexible approach to North Korea's denuclearization at an event on Pyongyang's nuclear ambition and its challenges to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.
During the event co-hosted with France in New York on Tuesday (U.S. time) on the sidelines of the 11th U.N. NPT Review Conference, Ha Wi-young, director-general for international security of the ministry, stressed the importance of maintaining the goal of North Korea's complete denuclearization.
He also raised the need to pursue flexible strategies in tackling North Korea's nuclear issue, including phased approaches, citing shifting strategic conditions surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea and France have jointly organized North Korea-related events since 2017 on the occasion of the U.N. NPT conferences. This year's gathering was attended by around 70 participants from governments, academia and international organizations.
Kim Sang-jin, South Korea's deputy ambassador to the U.N., noted the advancements in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, while assessing that the dissolving of an experts sanctions panel within the U.N. Security Council and deepening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow have further complicated the situation.
He added South Korea will continue efforts to pursue denuclearization through practical measures and seek to bring North Korea back to dialogue.
Participants at the event reaffirmed that North Korea's continued nuclear activities pose a serious challenge to the global non-proliferation regime and called for flexible and creative measures to uphold the integrity of the NPT, the ministry said.
Source: Korea Times News
