Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

South Korea Offering Large-scale Aid Package for North's Nukes

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaking at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 10. Photo: AFP

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday he will offer a wide-ranging aid package to the North in return for denuclearization, a deal long seen as a non-starter for Pyongyang.

The proposal comes days after the North threatened to "wipe out" Seoul authorities over a recent Covid-19 outbreak and less than a month after leader Kim Jong Un said his country was "ready to mobilize" its nuclear capability in any war with the United States and the South, AFP reported.

But calling denuclearization "essential" for lasting peace on the peninsula, Yoon on Monday detailed a large-scale aid plan that would include food and energy as well as help in modernizing infrastructure such as ports, airports and hospitals.

"The audacious initiative that I envision will significantly improve North Korea's economy and its people's livelihoods in stages if the North ceases the development of its nuclear program and embarks on a genuine and substantive process for denuclearization," Yoon said in a speech marking the anniversary of liberation from Japan's colonial rule in 1945.

Analysts say the chances of Pyongyang accepting such an offer -- first floated during Yoon's inaugural speech -- are vanishingly slim, as the North, which invests a vast chunk of its GDP into weapons programs, has long made it clear it will not make that trade.

North Korea has conducted a record-breaking blitz of weapons tests this year, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017.

Washington and South Korean officials have repeatedly warned that the North is preparing to carry out what would be its seventh nuclear test.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.