“Denuclearization-First” is Outdated
Need to Immediately Initiate Discussions on Building a Peace Regime

Minister of Unification Delivers Keynote Speech at the “Korean Peninsula Symposium 2026” (June 26)

On June 26, Minister of Unification Chung Dong Young attended and delivered a keynote speech at the “Korean Peninsula Symposium 2026,” co-hosted by the Ministry of Unification and Yonhap News Agency.

In May 1992, the amount of plutonium North Korea first declared it had extracted to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was a mere 90 grams. However, 34 years later in 2026, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) recently adjusted its estimate of North Korea’s nuclear warhead stockpile upward to between 50 and 60. This is clearly a failure of policy. It is a failure of politics.

We must no longer remain trapped in the outdated “denuclearization-first” mindset, which dictates that a peace regime can only be discussed after the North Korean nuclear issue is resolved, as was the case in the past.

Whenever discussions on a peace regime stalled due to the hurdle of denuclearization, North Korea seized upon that vacuum to advance its nuclear capabilities.

Now is the time to shift the paradigm.

Peaceful coexistence is both the “result” of a peace regime that brings an end to the armistice system, and at the same time, the indispensable “entrance” that must be passed through to resolve the nuclear issue.

The step-by-step process of peaceful coexistence and denuclearization advances through Phase 1: Freeze, Phase 2: Reduction, and Phase 3: Denuclearization.

This great journey must begin with U.S.-North Korea dialogue. The commencement of U.S.-North Korea dialogue will serve as a powerful catalyst to open the door to four-party talks involving the United States, China, South Korea, and North Korea—the actual parties concerned with peace on the Korean Peninsula.

What is most urgent for us now is to immediately begin discussions to end the war and build a peace regime, which in the long run is the fastest and most certain shortcut to realizing a “nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.”