The United States (US) and South Korea have agreed on a draft to formally end the Korean war. The US also called on North Korea to consider the “outreach” and said that it is willing to reach out to Pyongyang.
Speaking at a news conference in Seoul on Tuesday, South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said that both sides have “effectively reached an agreement” on the draft. Chung noted that Washington and Seoul “share an understanding” of the importance of the draft and noted that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had “reaffirmed” this when they met on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers’ summit earlier this month.
“Our government views that an end-of-war declaration is a crucial step that we must go through in the process of achieving complete denuclearisation and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Chung said.
A US State Department official told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday that Washington “remains committed to achieving lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy” with North Korea. “To this end, we will continue to seek engagement with the DPRK (North Korea) as part of a calibrated, practical approach,” the official added.
Furthermore, on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the US is committed to pursuing “practical diplomacy towards the DPRK that sought to achieve lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.” Price noted that the US does not harbour “hostile intent” towards the North and said that he hopes the DPRK “will respond positively” to the draft agreement and come on board.
In September, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on the two Koreas, the US, and China to formally declare an end to the Korean war during his speech at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly. While Kim Yo-jung, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, had called Moon’s proposal an “admirable idea,” she also said that Washington and Seoul should halt their “hostile” policy towards DPRK.
However, Chung said that North Korea “has shown a speedy and positive response to the proposal for an end-of-war declaration” and added that Seoul and Washington are “expecting a more specific reply” from Pyongyang. “The government will use every opportunity to do its utmost to improve inter-Korean relations and restart the peace process on the Korean Peninsula at an early date without giving up hope until the very end,” he added.
Though the Korean War, which began in 1950 when the North invaded the South, ended in 1953, North and South Korea (ROK) still technically remain at war, given that the conflict ended in an armistice, rather than a peace treaty.
In recent months, Pyongyang has shown a willingness to come back to the negotiating table. In September, it said that if mutual respect can be ensured, then it will agree to the “reestablishment of the North-South joint liaison office and the North-South summit.” It also restored cross-border communication back in October.
At the same time, however, it has tested several newly developed anti-aircraft missiles, including hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles with nuclear capabilities. Nevertheless, the US has insisted that it is willing to meet North Korean officials “without preconditions.”