South Korean leader: Seoul won't seek own nuclear deterrent

17/8/2022 12:48

        South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday his government has no plans to pursue its own nuclear deterrent in the face of growing North Korean nuclear threats, as he urged the North to return to dialogue aimed at exchanging denuclearization steps for economic benefits.
        
        In a news conference in Seoul, Yoon said South Korea doesn't desire political change in North Korea that's brought by force and he called for diplomacy aimed at building sustainable peace between the rivals amid tensions over the North's accelerating weapons program.
        
        Yoon's comments came days after he proposed an "audacious" economic assistance package to North Korea if it abandons its nuclear weapons program, while avoiding harsh criticism of the North after it threatened "deadly" retaliation over a COVID-19 outbreak it blames on the South.