Seoul says only regime fall will change North

AFP/Seoul

North Korea can never be made to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said yesterday, arguing that only regime collapse could remove the threat from Pyongyang.

As the UN Security Council continues to debate how to punish the North for its latest nuclear test, the outgoing president suggested the best way forward was to try to foment unrest among the North Korean people.

“It has become impossible to have North Korea give up its nuclear weapons through dialogue and negotiations”, Lee told a meeting of senior dignitaries.