Seoul reaffirms goal of denuclearising Korean Peninsula

Seoul, Sep 30 (IANS) South Korea on Tuesday reaffirmed its "consistent" goal of denuclearising the Korean Peninsula after a senior North Korean diplomat vowed to never give up nuclear weapons during an address at the United Nations.

"Denuclearising the Korean Peninsula is the consistent goal of the international community, including South Korea and the United States," the foreign ministry said.

The ministry stressed that the UN has also been calling for North Korea to denuclearise through a series of Security Council resolutions, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Addressing a general debate of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday (local time), North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong reiterated North Korea's position that it will never give up its nuclear programme "under any circumstances."

He said imposing denuclearization is "tantamount to demanding (North Korea) surrender sovereignty and right to existence."

The foreign ministry reaffirmed that the South Korean government has declared its three-point principle of respecting the North Korean regime, not pursuing unification by absorption and not engaging in hostile acts.

The ministry said Seoul will continue its diplomatic efforts to achieve peaceful coexistence and mutual growth through comprehensive dialogue under close coordination with the US.

Earlier on September 18, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Thursday that he will continue to take steps to restore trust with North Korea, despite slim prospects of engagement with the North.

Lee made the remarks in a written address to the Global Korea Forum, delivered by Lim Woong-soon, the second Deputy Director of the National Security Office.

"The government has taken actions to ease military tensions and restore inter-Korean trust from the beginning and will consistently maintain this stance," Lee said. "It is time to end the era of confrontation and hostility."

"Among the existing inter-Korean agreements, we will identify items that can be implemented. We will make efforts to create an environment for talks and cooperation," he said.

Although Pyongyang has rejected his peace overtures, Lee said his government will remain patient and establish a system that can practically support peace and coexistence in line with the changing inter-Korean relations and global geopolitical situation.

--IANS

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