South Korea Puts Peace Before Denuclearization in Major Shift Toward North Korea

On the eve of the announcement, official sources in South Korea declared a major shift in the country's approach toward its northern neighbor. Whereas Seoul had previously maintained that North Korea's unconditional denuclearization should come first, the new priority is reaching a peace agreement, with denuclearization to follow afterward. At a time of growing global confrontation, such statements sound both unexpected and encouraging. Unexpected, because for most of their history the two Korean states have remained locked in confrontation. First came a devastating war, followed by decades of a situation that could best be described as "neither war nor peace." Judging by the direction of global events, one might have expected the Korean conflict to continue moving toward greater tension. Instead, Seoul made a surprising announcement. Seoul Changes Its Strategic Priorities "Over the past year, the administration of Lee Jae-myung has effectively abandoned the previous government's policy of pursuing denuclearization first and has shifted to a policy that prioritizes peace," said Unification Minister Chung Dong-young.