South Korea’s New Leader Says Age Of Appeasing North Korea Is Over

South Korea

North Korea must be the one to begin fresh discussions between Pyongyang & Seoul, South Korea’s new president Yeol Yoon Suk, who is a conservative, talked about this on Monday.

Yoon stated, “I believe the ball is in Chairman Kim’s court — it is his option to initiate a discussion with us,” in his first media interview since assuming office two weeks ago.

Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea, has pledged to “strengthen and build” the country’s nuclear capabilities at “the maximum possible pace” after the country conducted 15 missile launches this current year which is more than in the previous 2 years combined.

Speaking from his new office as a president in Seoul’s former military headquarters, Yoon assured CNN that South Korea and its partners are prepared to respond to any provocation from North Korea.

South Korea Talks About Their Conflicts

He went on to say that the previous liberal administration’s tolerant stance toward North Korean provocations and brutality “isn’t something that we should do.” “This method has been shown to fail over the last five years.”

Yoon has kept on emphasizing his harsher posture on North Korea and willingness to bolster the South Korea’s military, in contrast to Moon Jae-in, who urged engagement and peaceful reunification with North Korea.

Yoon said on Monday that despite his stance, he did not want for the “fall” of North Korea.

I do not think that strengthening [North Korea’s] nuclear capabilities is useful and conducive to sustaining world peace, but he did say, “What I desire is shared and common prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.”

Regional leaders were on edge when Yoon met with Joe Biden in South Korea’s Seoul, over the weekend, due to North Korea’s recent increase in missile testing and renewed work at its underground nuclear test facility.

When US Vice President Joe Biden visited Asia for the first time in his presidential role, he was warned that North Korea may be preparing for an underground nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile test.

There has been no such development as of yet.

Yoon told CNN that he and Biden had something in common after the latter gave him a “The buck stops here” sign as a present. The late President of the United States, Truman, is often attributed with the words. Yoon stated as he set the statement in the center of his desk, “I don’t know how (Biden) knew that I appreciate this statement.”