North Korea Rejects South’s “Phased Approach” as “Pipe Dream”

North Korea has flatly rejected a new “phased approach” to denuclearisation proposed by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, calling the plan a “pipe dream.” The sharp rebuke came as Lee was meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to solicit help for the very same initiative.
Lee, who was elected in June, has been trying to re-engage the North, starting with a freeze on its nuclear development. During his summit with Xi in Gyeongju, Lee highlighted recent China-North Korea talks as a positive sign for resuming broader dialogue.
However, Pyongyang’s statement underscored its unwillingness to engage with Seoul. In recent years, the North has abandoned its policy of unification and now officially refers to South Korea as its “main enemy.”
President Xi’s visit to the U.S. ally, his first in 11 years, yielded seven economic agreements, including a currency swap. Xi called for respecting “core interests” and “development paths,” but Chinese state media reports on his meeting with Lee made no mention of the North Korea discussions.
South Korea’s national security adviser stated that China was willing to cooperate for peace, and both sides agreed that US-North Korea dialogue was the most important path. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has previously suggested he would talk to the U.S. if it drops its denuclearisation demands.