N. Korea's nuclear capabilities grow 100,000 times over 30 years: unification minister

SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young asserted that North Korea's nuclear capabilities have burgeoned 100,000 times over the past three decades, arguing that striving for complete denuclearization has become implausible. Speaking at a forum, Chung highlighted that North Korea's nuclear status is perceived as irreversible, and ruled out any denuclearization negotiations.

In his opening remarks at the Global Korea Forum, he underscored that the past strategy of pushing for complete denuclearization of North Korea has become unsustainable. The minister revealed that Pyongyang's nuclear capacity has escalated 100,000-fold since 1992, citing the 90 grams of plutonium reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency in 1992 and the 57 nuclear weapons, a figure previously specified by U.S. President Donald Trump as the North's nuclear arsenal.

Regarding President Trump's renewed outreach to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Chung posited that a transformative shift is underway, with a window of opportunity emerging. He also emphasized the government's commitment to playing an active role as the pace-setter to facilitate the U.S.-North Korea dialogue. Chung advocated for Seoul to make all-out efforts to orchestrate a four-way dialogue involving South and North Korea, the U.S., and China, aiming to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula from the unstable armistice system.