Seoul shifts from denuclearization-first to peace-first on NK, minister says
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks during a press conference at Government Complex Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said the Lee Jae Myung government has effectively abandoned the previous administration’s denuclearization-first policy toward North Korea, reorienting its approach around a peace-first strategy aimed at eventually achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
"In its first year, the Lee Jae Myung administration virtually scrapped the prior administration's stance of 'denuclearization-first' and Complete, Verifiable and Irreversible Dismantlement (CVID), shifting its policy focus to a peace-first policy instead,” Chung told reporters during a press conference marking his first year in the post, which falls on July 25.
Chung said the government has also dropped the term "denuclearization of North Korea" from its official vocabulary, replacing it with the broader goal of a "nuclear-free Korean Peninsula."
"We reestablished the goal to build a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and decided not to use the term 'denuclearization of North Korea,'" he said.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, left, speaks during a press conference marking his first year in the position at Government Complex Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
The minister outlined a strategy centered on first freezing North Korea's nuclear program rather than demanding immediate dismantlement.
"We are fleshing out a peace-driven strategy centered on the immediate freeze of North Korea's nuclear program. As I emphasized when I first took office — getting Pyongyang to stop the program first is paramount. While we are speaking, North Korea is actively building up its nuclear arsenal," Chung said.
He added that the ministry is exploring pragmatic incentives — offering corresponding rewards if North Korea halts its nuclear expansion prior to full denuclearization — though he did not specify what those rewards would be.
He argued that the global consensus has already shifted away from the denuclearization-first framework.
"Even global superpowers like the U.S. and China have virtually scrapped the denuclearization-first approach. Victor Cha — a prominent hawk on North Korea — has declared the denuclearization-first approach a failed strategy," Chung said, adding that the previous administration’s insistence on the approach was “politically motivated for domestic politics” rather than grounded in strategic realism.
"The central concern for the unification ministry and the government is whether we should continue stalling for time day after day (to shift the policy to prioritize peace first)."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, inspects the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the production base of weapon-grade nuclear materials on Sept. 13, 2024, in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap
The remarks came amid North Korea's expanding nuclear capabilities over the last few years. Chung cited data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showing that North Korea has expanded its nuclear arsenal with additional warheads.
"SIPRI estimates that the country has possibly assembled around 60 warheads, and possesses enough fissile material to produce at least 30 more, meaning Pyongyang is likely in possession of 90 warheads at the moment," he said.
The principle of CVID was first proposed in late 2002 by the George W. Bush administration as the core U.S. framework for ending North Korea's nuclear program. The concept was largely accepted in February 2004 by key nations in the Six-Party Talks — including South Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan — with the exception of North Korea, which strongly objected to the term, arguing it was a demand suitable only for a defeated country in war.
However, the term has resurfaced whenever North Korea's denuclearization was discussed. In 2018, during the first Trump administration, a variant of the concept, Permanent, Verifiable, and Irreversible Dismantlement (PVID) was also floated. The term has been reemerging recently in G7 statements since U.S. President Donald Trump took power for the second time in 2025, signaling potential backing for a push under his second administration.
In February this year, the unification ministry announced its peace policy direction, titled “Peaceful Coexistence Policy on the Korean Peninsula,” building on Lee's speech in August 2025.