Saadet Gokce
10 June 2026•Update: 10 June 2026
North Korea is even less likely to give up its nuclear program amid the US-Iran war, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said during a recent interview with The Economist, published on Wednesday.
"Following the (start of the) war in Iran, North Korea will be even less inclined to give up its arsenal," Lee said.
US President Donald Trump's "unique personality" can be "very helpful" in the current situation with North Korea, Lee added.
Pyongyang said its nuclear program is "non-negotiable," while stressing that North Korea's nuclear status is "irreversible."
The US-Iran war began on Feb. 28, when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Tehran retaliated with attacks targeting Israel and US allies in the Gulf, and closed the Strait of Hormuz. A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation.
"When it comes to the defense of our nation, we must take matters into our own hands," Lee also noted.
Lee's government has pledged to increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP from 2.7% last year, in line with Trump's calls for allies to boost military expenditures.
He said Seoul would use any US approval to develop nuclear fuel enrichment and reprocessing capabilities solely for civilian purposes, stressing that enrichment would be limited to the low levels required to power reactors.
He added that it is "not desirable nor realistic" for South Korea to pursue its own nuclear weapons.
Lee also acknowledged that the possibility of being impeached, jailed, or both after leaving office was "pretty high," noting that five trials against him are currently on hold while he remains president.
On artificial intelligence and the questions raised by the boom in AI-related investments and equities, Lee said new mechanisms, such as a basic income grant, may be needed to "distribute some of the excess profits to the general public."
He also called for more balanced regional development, urging chipmakers to build supply chains in less-developed parts of the country.
Lee said South Korea can "move beyond this normalization of the abnormal" and even "develop into a nation that leads the world" after former President Yoon Suk Yeol's 2024 short-lived martial law declaration.
