Trump open to phased approach on North Korea, Lee says

President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that Trump was willing to consider a staged strategy — freezing North Korea's nuclear and missile programs as a first step toward longer-term denuclearization.internazionale+1
The proposal emerged from a 90-minute dinner conversation at the G7 summit in France, where Lee urged Washington to take the lead in reviving diplomacy with Pyongyang.koreaherald+1
Lee said short-term priorities should include halting nuclear material production, weapons transfers abroad, and ICBM development, calling even a freeze "meaningful."koreaherald+1

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump expressed eagerness to rekindle diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un but appeared uncertain about how to proceed, following their 90-minute conversation at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France.internazionale+1

A Phased Approach to Denuclearization

Speaking at a press briefing after returning from the summit, Lee said Trump indicated he was ready "to pay attention" to Korea and seemed willing to resume contact with Kim, according to Reuters. Lee said he proposed a phased strategy rather than demanding immediate denuclearization — an approach Trump agreed to consider.usnews+2

"Without giving up on denuclearisation, I explained that we should go step by step — short term, medium term and long term — rather than immediately," Lee told reporters.internazionale

Lee outlined that the short-term priority should be stopping North Korea from producing additional nuclear material, preventing the transfer of weapons or materials overseas, and halting further development of intercontinental ballistic missile technology. He argued that simply repeating long-standing denuclearization demands would leave no room for dialogue, and that even achieving a freeze would be meaningful for the international community.koreaherald+1

From Iran to Pyongyang

The diplomatic opening comes as Trump shifts focus after securing a preliminary ceasefire agreement with Iran, which was signed during the G7 summit and includes provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a 60-day negotiation window for a broader deal. Lee had urged Trump during an initial 30-second exchange at a group photo session on Tuesday to lead a peaceful resolution of the North Korea issue, "just as he had done with the war in the Middle East."pbs+3

The two leaders then held a far more substantive 90-minute dinner conversation on Wednesday, which Lee described on X as having made "significant progress" on peace on the Korean Peninsula. Trump also invited Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung to play golf, a gesture Lee's office framed as a sign of warm personal rapport.usnews+1

Singapore Redux?

Days before the summit, Trump posted an uncaptioned photo on Truth Social showing himself walking alongside Kim Jong-un during their 2018 Singapore summit — a move that fueled speculation in diplomatic circles about renewed engagement with Pyongyang. The photo appeared on June 13, the day after the eighth anniversary of that historic meeting, and just before Trump announced the Iran agreement.chosun

Whether the overture leads to substantive talks remains uncertain. North Korea has not publicly responded to the signals, and Lee acknowledged the challenge of bringing Pyongyang to the table. "First, we should stop it, and then create conditions where both sides can judge that there is no further threat to the regime, before moving toward denuclearization," he said.koreaherald

Sources (27)