South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pledged at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to help swiftly resume dialogue between the United States and North Korea. "I hope the long-suspended dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. can resume without delay," Lee said, crediting 
Donald Trump's "resolve" with having "recently created a hard-won opportunity for change," the Korea Times reported. The address came as Trump seeks to revive his diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, while inter-Korean relations remain at a standstill.
What did Lee propose? Lee said his government would lay the groundwork for US-North Korea talks to develop into a dialogue among the related parties to end the war on the peninsula and transition into a peace regime, the Korea Times reported. The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. Seoul will also seek North Korea's denuclearization in phases, beginning with a halt and then reductions in its nuclear and missile capabilities, Lee said. "As a direct party to peace on the Korean Peninsula, and as a pacemaker, my government will exert every effort to open and sustain the path toward dialogue," he said, asking the UN and its Security Council for a responsible and constructive role.
What has Lee said about sanctions? Lee broke from precedent by urging Trump to ease sanctions on North Korea in an exchange that would halt its weapons programs, The Hill reported. He told The New York Times in a Friday interview that he sees "significant value" in trading between sanctions and freezing North Korea's development.
How has Washington responded? Trump would consider meeting anybody if it serves US national interests, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said at a foreign press meeting on Monday, answering a question from Yonhap about whether a US-North Korea summit could take place this year. "He doesn't view dialogue as a concession. He views dialogue as a necessity," Pigott said, calling Trump a "deal maker" who is "always guided by national interests." Trump said last month that he hopes to meet Kim later this year, after three in-person meetings with him in Singapore, Hanoi and Panmunjom in 2018 and 2019, Yonhap reported. Some observers said he could explore a meeting with Kim during his next trip to Asia, likely for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
