S.Korea President Lee seeks resumption of US-N.Korea talks

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung addressed the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday. He expressed hope for an early resumption of dialogue between the United States and North Korea.

Lee's speech comes as US President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by the end of this year.

Lee said that Trump's position has created an opportunity for change.

He expressed hope that the long-suspended dialogue between the US and North Korea will resume without delay. He then said South Korea will lay the groundwork for those talks to develop into a dialogue among all parties concerned for ending the war on the Korean Peninsula and for transitioning to a peace regime.

Lee reiterated his call for a phased solution to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. He said such a solution would begin with North Korea refraining from further development of its nuclear and missile capabilities, then, in the medium term, reducing its military strength, and ultimately achieving denuclearization in the long term.

The South Korean president gave an interview to The New York Times before his speech. The US paper quoted Lee as saying he wants the US to ease sanctions against North Korea in exchange for Pyongyang's agreement to freeze its nuclear and missile development program.