South Korea and US ‘effectively’ agree on draft to end Korean War

South Korea and the United States have “effectively reached an agreement” on a draft declaring the end of the Korean War.

Time to talk diplomacy: In a press statement, South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong noted that the two nations are now “considering various ways on how to advance discussions with North Korea,” reported Yonhap News.

Chung said they are hoping for a “more concrete reaction” from Pyongyang after showing “a set of prompt, positive responses to the end-of-war declaration.”
U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price has earlier said that the U.S. government harbors “no hostile intent” and is ready to meet North Korea “without preconditions.”
“We hope the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) will respond positively to our outreach,” Price was quoted as saying. “We continue to consult closely with the Republic of Korea, Japan, and other allies and partners about how to best engage the DPRK.”
Earlier this month, South Korean President Moon Jae-in proclaimed that the two Koreas have agreed “in principle” to declare peace, as NextShark previously reported.
“We are not able to sit down for a negotiation on the declarations between South and North Korea, and those between North Korea and the U.S.,” Moon said during a press conference in Australia. “And we hope that talks will be initiated. We are making efforts towards that.”
South Korea and the United States’ “end of war declaration document” has been in the works for months, with the delay allegedly due to an impasse over its language about “denuclearization,” according to Politico.
“It’s not so much a sticking point. Both sides agree. It’s just how to phrase it to get the DPRK to bite or at least not dismiss,” an unnamed source told Politico.

Ending a decades-long war: The Korean War started when North Korean troops attacked South Korea on June 25, 1950, and supposedly ended with the signing of an armistice on July 27, 1953.

However, due to the lack of a peace treaty, both Koreas technically remain at war.
Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, has previously said that they are “willing to resume close communication and engage in constructive discussions” if South Korea “abandons its hostility.”
North Korea has been calling for the removal of the 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea, arguing that their presence “had forced [North Korea] to develop nuclear weapons,” The New York Times reported.

Featured Image via Associated Press

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