President Lee Jae Myung says his administration can accept a freeze on North Korea's production of nuclear weapons as "an interim emergency measure" and "a feasible, realistic alternative" to the North's denuclearisation for the time being.

In an interview with the BBC released on Sept. 22 in Seoul ahead of his visit to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, he said, "North Korea was producing an additional 15-20 nuclear weapons a year and that a freeze - as 'an interim emergency measure' - would be 'a feasible, realistic alternative' to denuclearisation for now."

He added that he "would agree to a deal between Donald Trump and (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un in which North Korea agreed to freeze production of its nuclear weapons, rather than get rid of them."

"So long as we do not give up on the long-term goal of denuclearisation, I believe there are clear benefits to having North Korea stop its nuclear and missile development," President Lee said. "The question is whether we persist with fruitless attempts towards the ultimate goal [of denuclearisation] or we set more realistic goals and achieve some of them."

He said he thought "it possible the pair (Trump-Kim) could come back together, given they 'seem to have a degree of mutual trust,'" adding, "This could benefit South Korea and contribute to global peace and security."

Expressing concern over the North getting closer to China and Russia, President Lee said, "Seeing China, Russia and North Korea become so close is clearly not desirable for us," adding that Seoul will likely respond through close trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan.

"The world is dividing into two camps, and South Korea is positioned right on the border," he said, noting his country's "truly precarious location" next to China and Russia," the BBC quoted him as saying.

"But these camps cannot completely shut their doors, so we can position ourselves somewhere in the middle."

On the war on Ukraine, President Lee said, "It is clear that Russia's invasion of Ukraine should be condemned, and that the war must end as soon as possible," adding, "But relations between countries are not straightforward, and we find ways to co-operate wherever possible and strive to co-exist peacefully."

kimhyelin211@korea.kr