S Korea offers North economic benefits for denuclearization

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is offering “audacious” economic assistance to North Korea if it abandons its nuclear weapons program. In a speech celebrating the end of Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula, Yoon avoided harsh criticism of the North days after it threatened “deadly” retaliation over a COVID-19 outbreak it blames on South Korea. Yoon also urged better ties with Japan, calling the two countries partners in navigating challenges to freedom and saying their shared values will help them overcome grievances linked to Japan’s colonial rule. South Korea’s relations with Japan have declined to post-World War II lows over the past several years as the countries allowed their grievances over history to affect areas including trade and military cooperation.