[사설] 북핵 용인 내비친 트럼프, ‘핵 없는 한반도’ 원칙 지켜내야

Presidential candidate Donald Trump, during an interview with reporters, disclosed that North Korea possesses "57 nuclear weapons," while simultaneously declining to provide a clear answer as to whether nuclear disarmament should be a goal in North-South Korean talks. He emphasized the reality of North Korea's nuclear arsenal, indicating his commitment to the process of holding the fourth inter-Korean summit.

The government's stance is thus to halt the advancement of North Korea's nuclear capabilities as the primary objective of negotiations, while firmly upholding the principle of "no nuclear Korea" as a non-negotiable condition. During the US-North Korea dialogue process, the administration must strive to have its position reflected in all diplomatic efforts.

In response to a question about whether he would meet with Kim Jong-un at the end of the year, Trump replied, "He will." At a subsequent event, he avoided answering whether a nuclear-free Korea was still the goal, stating, "I do not want to answer that." Regarding the Trump administration's official position on North Korea's complete denuclearization (by November 2025 as per a joint US-South Korea statement) or a nuclear-free Korea (as mentioned in the US-China summit statement last May), the administration has maintained that North Korea must first cease its nuclear program.

However, the president has consistently referred to North Korea as a "nuclear-armed country" since taking office and removed all references to denuclearization from the National Defense Strategy released last January. This has sparked ongoing debate over the US's stance. If Trump were to compromise by removing all threats against the United States while granting North Korea's demands, the "nuclear-free Korea" concept would no longer hold ground, potentially undermining our national security interests.

Korean Workers' Party Secretary General Kim Jong-un demanded the abandonment of South Korea's "anti-North Korea policy" in response to the United States' reduced joint military exercises. In the meantime, North Korea fired several short-range missiles towards the East Sea. Observing a tit-for-tat game between the two countries and working towards stronger communication between South and North Korea are essential to seek any chance of participating directly in the dialogue talks.