Seoul: South Korea's president declared his intention to implement a comprehensive three-phase "denuclearization plan" aimed at convincing North Korea to dismantle its nuclear program. The initial phase of the plan focuses on freezing Pyongyang's nuclear and missile activities.

According to Anadolu Agency, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung outlined that the subsequent phases would involve the "reduction and dismantling" of North Korea's nuclear capabilities. This announcement was made in an official summary of an interview prior to Lee's visit to Tokyo for a summit with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, as reported by Seoul-based Yonhap News.

In a discussion with the Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun, President Lee emphasized the importance of Seoul's strategy, which involves active diplomatic efforts to engage Pyongyang in talks. This strategy is supported by South Korea's strong alliance with the United States. This marks the first occasion since assuming office in early June that President Lee has publicly articulated such a plan to eliminate North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Despite President Lee's outreach, North Korea has so far rejected his peace initiatives and invitations for dialogue. Nonetheless, Lee remains committed to fostering inter-Korean dialogue, which he believes will create favorable conditions for achieving the denuclearization goal. His plans include maintaining close coordination with the US, a long-standing ally.

Following his summit with Prime Minister Ishiba, President Lee is set to travel to Washington, where he will hold his first summit with US President Donald Trump next Monday.

Regarding relations with Japan, President Lee stated his government's commitment to uphold past agreements related to wartime forced labor and the issue of former sex slaves, referred to as "comfort women." Although he previously criticized these agreements, Lee now expresses his intention to honor them to maintain bilateral relations.

President Lee also addressed the relationship with China, describing it as "a close country, inseparable geographically and economically." He conveyed that South Korea aims to cooperate with China where feasible and compete when necessary, based on a comprehensive assessment of their bilateral relations.