President Yoon Suk Yeol stressed on Sunday that North Korea's denuclearization is a precondition for peace in the Indo-Pacific region.

The president made the remarks during an East Asia summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Sunday morning.

According to the presidential office, President Yoon underscored that if North Korea launches an intercontinental ballistic missile or conducts a nuclear test again in spite of global concerns and warnings, the international community must respond sternly.

The president, however, added that the door for dialogue with the North remains open, reaffirming his government's North Korea policy designed to help improve the North Korean economy in exchange for denuclearization.

Yoon also reiterated his Indo-Pacific strategy, which he unveiled on Friday during his meeting with the leaders of the ASEAN summit.

He stressed that key values such as freedom, human rights and the rule of law, should be respected in the region, and forcible unilateral changes of the status quo should not be allowed.