South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday said North Korea must take steps to “drastically” denuclearize, saying relief from international sanctions would only come following “substantive” steps from Pyongyang.

Speaking at a 120-minute New Year news conference, Moon said the speed at which sanctions on North Korea are eased would depend on how fast North Korea chooses to denuclearize.

“To resolve the issue of sanctions on North Korea swiftly, Pyongyang needs to take substantive measures towards denuclearization drastically,” Moon told a press briefing.

“If Pyongyang takes such actions, corresponding measures should be devised as well, to continuously accelerate and encourages the