The two Koreas. The South wants to provide aid to the North in exchange for denuclearization

sEun Seok-yeol said denuclearization is “essential” for lasting peace on the peninsula, and explained that supplies include food and energy, but also improvements to infrastructure such as ports, airports and hospitals.

In a statement, Yoon said the plan would “significantly improve North Korea’s economy and the standard of living of its people, in stages, if North Korea stops developing its nuclear program and engages in a real and substantial process of denuclearization.” The end of Japanese colonial rule in 1945.

Last week, Pyongyang threatened to “eliminate” South Korean officials, accusing Seoul of being behind the country’s Covid-19 outbreak.

In July, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was “ready to deploy” its nuclear capabilities in the event of war with the United States or South Korea.

Regional experts say Pyongyang’s chances of accepting the offer mentioned in Yun’s inauguration speech are slim because North Korea, which invests a large portion of its gross domestic product in the weapons program, has long made it clear that it would not enter into such an agreement. .

North Korea has conducted a record series of weapons tests this year, including the launch of a full-range ICBM, its first since 2017.

Washington and Seoul have repeatedly warned in recent months that North Korea is preparing for another nuclear test, which will be its seventh.

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