President Lee Jae Myung reportedly said that freezing Pyongyang's nuclear program could be a feasible and realistic step towards North Korea's denuclearization. 

Lee made the statement in an interview the BBC published on Monday ahead of the president's trip to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly.

Lee told BBC that he would accept a deal between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if Kim were to agree to freeze the production of nuclear weapons, even if temporarily.

The president said he believes it is possible that Trump and Kim could eventually resume nuclear dialogue, given that the two have "a degree of mutual trust," and added that such meetings could benefit South Korea as well as global peace and security.

Lee stressed that as long as South Korea does not give up on the long-term goal of denuclearization, he believes there are clear benefits to having North Korea stop its nuclear and missile development.

The president said that a close relationship between China, Russia and North Korea is not desirable for South Korea, adding that he plans to respond to the burgeoning alliance by continuing to work closely with the United States and Japan.