South Korea would accept a Trump-Kim deal to freeze nuclear programme as 'emergency measure'

Lee Jae Myung tells the BBC he wants to restore trust with North Korea.

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Lee Jae Myung told the BBC North Korea was producing an additional 15-20 nuclear weapons a year and that a freeze - as "an interim emergency measure" - would be "a feasible, realistic alternative" to denuclearisation for now.

North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2022 and vowed to never relinquish its weapons.

"So long as we do not give up on the long-term goal of denuclearisation, I believe there are clear benefits to having North Korea stop its nuclear and missile development," Lee Jae Myung said.

"The question is whether we persist with fruitless attempts towards the ultimate goal [of denuclearisation] or we set more realistic goals and achieve some of them," Lee added.