Korea.- South Korean President announces plan to achieve denuclearization of North Korea.

MADRID, 21 (EUROPA PRESS)

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced a three-phase plan on Thursday to achieve the complete denuclearization of North Korea and thus end the growing tension between the two countries, a measure he has put forward despite recent criticism from North Korean officials.

The president, who explained that the ultimate goal is the denuclearization of the entire Korean peninsula, indicated that the first stage will consist of freezing Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, a period that will be followed by a second phase in which he will seek to reduce the neighboring country's arsenal. "Step three is denuclearization," he said in an interview with the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri.

Lee thus advocated implementing the necessary measures to achieve these goals, "maintaining coordination with the United States" and supporting "inter-Korean dialogue." "We must establish conditions to achieve our objectives," he clarified.

This is the first time the South Korean president, who took office in June, has announced a detailed plan to eliminate North Korea's nuclear arsenal. Pyongyang recently criticized Seoul's "hypocrisy" in proposing rapprochement and improved relations between the two sides.

Lee is scheduled to travel to Japan soon, after which he will travel to Washington to meet with President Donald Trump on August 25.