South Korea drops denuclearization as precondition for talks with the North

South Korea is abandoning its “denuclearization first” policy in favor of a “peace first” approach toward North Korea, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Thursday, while retaining the eventual goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea is abandoning its “denuclearization first” policy in favor of a “peace first” approach toward North Korea, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Thursday, while retaining the eventual goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

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“The ultimate goal of denuclearization has not been abandoned, but denuclearization first has,” Chung was quoted as saying by his ministry at a news briefing.

He said Seoul had replaced that approach with one prioritizing an initial halt to North Korea’s nuclear activities.