Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said, "The fundamental solution to North Korea's nuclear weapons depends on free unification."

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said the fundamental solution to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and human rights problems lies in achieving a free unification of the Korean Peninsula.

In a speech at the 13th Seoul Security Dialogue held by the Ministry of National Defense today, Kim said that he will spread the value of freedom to the North to make a difference so that North Koreans want free unification.

He then emphasized that the power of deterrence comes from the power of wider solidarity and cooperation, and that the Korea-U.N. Command Ministers' Meeting is a prime example. He also stressed that he will strive for stability in the Atlantic Ocean and the Korean Peninsula by developing security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

At the same time, he criticized North Korea's military cooperation with Russia as the basis for North Korea's illegal military development, citing provocations such as ballistic missile launches, cyberattacks, GPS disturbances, and garbage balloons.