South Korea's Lee urges US to ease North Korea sanctions for nuclear freeze
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Neutral summary
In an interview with The New York Times published on September 21, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Washington should seek a freeze of North Korea's nuclear program rather than its immediate elimination, offering sanctions relief in return. He described the sanctions as “not particularly effective” and said that pursuing denuclearization under current circumstances would accomplish nothing. Lee, who took office in June 2025, has shifted away from the hardline stance of his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol and offered Pyongyang unconditional dialogue. North Korea, which has enshrined its status as a “nuclear power” in law, has not yet responded. Lee is expected to emphasize the need for a practical, step-by-step denuclearization during this week's UN General Assembly. Several outlets, including Handelsblatt and RFI, characterize the move as Seoul abandoning its previous strategy of complete denuclearization in favor of peaceful coexistence with the North.
How it was framed
Outlets: 15. Countries: 11. Facts in the shared core: 5.
Publication timeline
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The New York Times (outlet profile)
South Korean President Calls for Easing Sanctions on the North. President Trump should demand that North Korea freeze, not eliminate, its nuclear weapons program, President Lee Jae Myung said in an interview.
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The Independent (outlet profile)
South Korea's Lee plans to call for phased denuclearization of North Korea at UN. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung says he’ll underscore the need to seek a practical, step-by-step denuclearization of North Korea dur…
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Yonhap News Agency (English) (outlet profile)
Lee calls for U.S. to lift sanctions against N. Korea in return for halting nuke program: report. NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called o...
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Channel NewsAsia (outlet profile)
South Korea president urges US to ease North Korea sanctions to freeze nuclear programmes: Report
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Clarín (outlet profile)
El presidente surcoreano aboga por congelar el programa nuclear de Corea del Norte. El líder surcoreano sugiere frenar el programa nuclear norcoreano a cambio de alivios en sanciones, en lugar de buscar su eliminación i…
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Times of India (outlet profile)
South Korea proposes nuclear freeze with Kim Jong Un in exchange for sanctions relief
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O Globo (outlet profile)
Presidente sul-coreano propõe alívio de sanções contra Coreia do Norte em troca de congelamento de programa nuclear. Os Estados Unidos deveriam buscar o congelamento, em vez da eliminação imediata, do programa nuclear d…
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Handelsblatt (outlet profile)
Südkorea: Südkoreas Präsident fordert Lockerung von Nordkorea-Sanktionen. Das Nachbarland gibt seine Strategie der vollständigen Denuklearisierung Nordkoreas auf. Stattdessen hofft Südkorea auf eine friedliche Koexisten…
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Politika (outlet profile)
Јужнокорејски председник позвао САД да ублаже санкције Северној Кореји. Сеул нуди Пјонгјангу ублажавање санкција за замрзавање нуклеарног програма
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BFMTV (outlet profile)
Le président sud-coréen veut "trouver un compromis entre les sanctions" contre la Corée du Nord et "l'arrêt" de leur programme nucléaire et de missiles balistiques intercontinentaux. Dans une interview au New York Times…
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The Jerusalem Post (outlet profile)
South Korea's Lee urges US to ease North Korea sanctions to freeze nuclear programs, NYT says. South Korean President Lee said that pursuing North Korean denuclearization under the current circumstances would accomplish…
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RFI (outlet profile)
Séoul change de cap et propose un simple «gel» du programme nucléaire nord-coréen contre un allègement des sanctions. Une petite phrase en apparence, mais une rupture majeure : le président sud-coréen Lee Jae-myung a ap…
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The Hill (outlet profile)
South Korean president says Trump should ease sanctions on North Korea. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung broke from precedent by urging President Trump to ease sanctions on North Korea in an exchange that would put…
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Folha de S.Paulo (outlet profile)
Coreia do Sul muda de posição e propõe aliviar sanções à Coreia do Norte. Rompendo com décadas de política em relação à Coreia do Norte , o presidente da Coreia do Sul , Lee Jae-myung , agora insta os Estados Unidos a a…
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UOL (outlet profile)
Coreia do Sul muda de posição e propõe aliviar sanções à Coreia do Norte
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Yonhap News Agency (English) (outlet profile)
(URGENT) Lee vows to lay groundwork for dialogue to end war on Korean Peninsula, build peace regime. (END)
Factual core
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung advocated freezing North Korea's nuclear program.
- The proposed deal would involve North Korea halting its nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.
- South Korea advocates for fewer sanctions on North Korea.
- Lee Jae-myung made the proposal in an interview with The New York Times published on Monday.
- The proposal marks a break with decades of South Korean policy toward North Korea.