North Korea has already secured the nuclear capabilities necessary for regime survival but remains militarily inferior to the South, ROK President Lee Jae-myung said Thursday, stressing that the peninsula’s security situation should no longer scare off investors.

Speaking at the New York Stock Exchange’s “Korea Investment Summit,” Lee pledged to create a positive environment for investment by both pursuing dialogue with Pyongyang and strengthening ROK defenses. 

He also noted that DPRK nuclear and missile threats have long contributed to South Korea’s undervalued equities, a phenomenon commonly known as the “Korea Discount.”

“Our new government intends to