South Korean president says Trump should ease sanctions on North Korea

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung broke from precedent by urging President Trump to ease sanctions on North Korea in an exchange that would put a halt on its weapons programs.

Lee told The New York Times in a Friday interview that he sees “significant value” in trading between sanctions and freezing North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons.

“Aiming for denuclearization under the current circumstances guarantees that nothing will be accomplished,” Lee warned, insisting to the Times that diplomacy is the last option left in handling North Korea.

He told the outlet the freeze on developing weapons will result from concessions and reciprocal incentives, ultimately leaving North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other officials with a sense of security that does not rely on nuclear weapons.

Lee expressed hope that the U.S. and North Korea opening a dialogue will help his country’s relations with its neighbor to the north, as Pyongyang strengthens its relations with Russia and China, the Times reported. North Korea has opened one bridge with Russia, while another with China is close to opening.

The South Korean president told the outlet that the stalemate is a risk as North Korea builds up its nuclear stockpile.

“Our estimates suggest that North Korea is now capable of producing, or may already be producing, an additional 10 to 20 nuclear weapons each year,” Lee said. “Once it believes it has accumulated enough nuclear weapons and missiles to guarantee its survival, it will be tempted to export them to make money.”

He added that “will be a truly dangerous moment.”

Lee also told The Associated Press that North Korea has refused to hold any dialogue as it ramps up its missile tests. Lee called for a “phased approach of stopping, reduction and dismantlement” of North Korea’s weapons supply, saying he would advance this plan at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.

Lee’s government is also looking to alleviate trade tensions with the U.S., with negotiators working to implement a $350 billion deal to lower tariffs agreed to with Trump in October. The Times noted that South Korea could offer to build a gas power plant in Texas and eight nuclear power plants across the U.S. to appease Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.

Trump said last year that South Korea agreed to purchase U.S. oil and gas in “vast quantities” and declared that their countries’ military alliance was “stronger than ever before.”

Trump and Kim first met in 2018, which led to the development of what Trump would frequently call a friendship with the dictator. The two exchanged letters with one another, with Trump referring to his letter from Kim in August 2019 as “beautiful.”

The U.S. president claimed in August that he would meet with Kim in 2026 and that he gets “along with him very well.” However, Kim’s younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, said at the time that North Korea’s position on the U.S. has not changed and cast doubt on a future meeting, The Guardian reported.