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Updated November 20th, 2021 at 13:48 IST

South Korea, US in final stage negotiations over end-of-Korean War declarations: Min Lee

South Korea and the US are in the closing stages of negotiations on Seoul's proposal for a formal end to the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953.

Reported by: Anurag Roushan
South Korea
Image: AP | Image:self
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South Korea and the United States are in the closing stages of negotiations on Seoul's proposal for a formal end to the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953, reported the Yonhap news agency. Unification Minister Lee In-young made the statements at an international relations seminar, as Seoul has been working to speed up negotiations with Washington on the plan, which it hopes will act as a catalyst for restarting nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang. According to him, the South and the United States have been in serious, in-depth discussions about the end-of-war declaration. "To some extent, I believe the talks are nearing their conclusion," the Minister was quoted as saying by the news agency. 

The Minister anticipated that for the time being, a "sign of change" on the Korean Peninsula would emerge, and also hoped that the North would not do anything to aggravate tensions. He further said that although the North has continued to test short-range missiles, but at a level that does not violate the 'red line.' "While we can't make a definitive statement but believe that North might not act in a way that would foment or increase high-intensity, strategic tensions," Lee remarked. 

'A formal end to Korean War would help in restoring peace' says Unification Minister Lee

Seoul has been pushing up diplomacy with Washington, Tokyo, and other concerned parties in recent months in order to elicit their support for resuming talks with Pyongyang and moving forward with its stalled peace agenda. Earlier in the month of September, the unification minister Lee had stated that a proclamation declaring the end of the Korean War would be a significant step towards restoring peace and security in the region. Speaking at a press conference Lee had stated that Seoul's position has always been consistent that declaring an end to the war is the first step towards peace and might be a significant step toward denuclearisation, reported the news agency. 

It is worth mentioning here that while speaking at the 76th United Nations General Assembly in September, South Korean President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed his calls for a ceasefire declaration. Moon Jae-in claimed that this measure might help in achieving denuclearisation and peace on the Korean Peninsula. Notably, both South and North Korea signed an Armistice Agreement in 1953, bringing the three-year conflict to a close. However, because the Korean War concluded without a peace treaty, the peninsula still technically remains at war. 

Image: AP

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Published November 20th, 2021 at 13:48 IST

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