South Korean President Lee Jae-myung takes a phased proposal on North Korea’s nuclear programme to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday: halt the advance of nuclear and missile capabilities, then reduce them, then dismantle them, according to the Associated Press (AP) and The Korea Herald.

Lee says denuclearisation cannot be achieved in the short term and that sanctions pressure has made the problem worse, and he offers Pyongyang three commitments: respect for the North’s system, no unification by absorption and no hostile intent, according to The Korea Herald and the Inquirer. In an interview with The New York Times, he backed easing sanctions on the North, according to the paper. The speech follows Kim Jong-un’s remarks on Sunday that there is no reason not to sit down with Washington if the United States drops its demand for denuclearisation, and his repeat that the North will never give up its arsenal, according to AP. Lee also called on the Security Council to add seats for non-permanent members, according to Bloomberg.