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"I
would like to take this opportunity to express our full support
for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization
of the Korean Peninsula, especially North Korea, and to say that
this goal is very fundamentally important for us to achieve
regional security, peace and stability," he said when meeting
with President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Yoon, a conservative who took office in May, has said he is open
to diplomacy but has also vowed strong military measures to
deter Pyongyang from using its weapons.
North Korea has test fired a record number of missiles this
year, and officials in Seoul and Washington say that it appears
to be preparing to test a nuclear weapon for the first time
since 2017, amid stalled denuclearization talks.
Pyongyang also says it is open to diplomacy, but accuses the
United States and South Korea of maintaining hostile policies
such as sanctions and military drills.
Meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, Guterres
pledged support for diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea
to surrender its nuclear weapons.
"Everything that can be done to launch a process of dialogue,
aiming at the denuclearization, it will be very much welcome and
will have the full support of the United Nations," he said.
(Reporting by Josh Smith, Daewoung Kim, and Minwoo Park. Editing
by Ros Russell)
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