North Korea, China & US agreed 'in principle' on ending war: South Korean Prez Moon Jae-In

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday stated that North and South Korea, as well as the United States and China, have agreed "in principle" to call a formal end to the Korean War, which concluded in an armistice earlier in 1953. Moon Jae-in further asserted that owing to North Korea's demands, they are “not able to sit down for a discussion or negotiation on the declarations." He further exuded hopes on initiations of talks on the matter.

The Korean War, which stretched throughout the years 1950 till 1953, effectively divided the peninsula. Ever Since then, North Korea, which is backed by China as well as South Korea which has been supported by the US have been at loggerheads in a hostile relationship, as per BBC.

North Korea wants the United States to end its "hostile policy": President Moon

The Kim Jong-un administration in North Korea wants the United States to end its 'hostile policy' against the nation, according to South Korean President Moon. North Korea has typically interpreted the so-called 'hostile policy' as the deployment of the US military in South Korea, joint training exercises between the two countries, as well as the US sanctions intended to deter North Korea's nuclear weapons development. According to Axios, the US State Department is "prepared to meet without preconditions" and hopes that Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, would respond positively to its approach.

In addition to this, Moon noted on Monday that North Korea was still demanding this as a precondition for talks. "Because of that, we are not able to sit down for a discussion or negotiation on the declaration... we hope the talks will be initiated," Citing the South Korean President, BBC reported.  Moon has long been a supporter of a formal statement declaring the conflict to be over. However, analysts feel it would be extremely difficult to do.

Meanwhile, in a news conference in October, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan indicated that the US may have somewhat differing viewpoints on the specific order or timing of prerequisites for successive actions in achieving a declaration agreement. Whereas, on the contrary, quoting South Korean officials in Beijing, last week, South Korean news agency Yonhap revealed that senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi had guaranteed his nation's support for "the push for the end-of-war declaration," BBC reported.

(Image: AP)