Josh Smith

SEOUL (Reuters) – In a desperate attempt to resume talks with North Korea, South Korean President Moon Jaein has called for a declaration which could finally end a war situation that had existed since the 1950s.

Since the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice and not a peace deal, South Korea is technically at war with North Korea. Seoul believes an “end-of-war declaration” will help to rebuild trust and restart denuclearisation negotiations that are stalled and finally secure a permanent peace agreement.

A declaration like this is considered less controversial than some other points of contention such as North Korea’s nuclear weapons.

However, critics worry that a declaration would undermine the U.S. South Korea alliance and reduce international pressure about the North’s weapon programmes. Additionally, both Koreas failed to fulfill previous attempts to end the conflict.

UNENDED WAR

In 1953, South Korean leaders opposed the idea of a truce that left the peninsula divided, and were not signatories to the armistice, which was officially signed by the commander of North Korea’s army, the U.S. commander of the U.N. Command, and the commander of the “Chinese people’s volunteers”, who were not officially claimed by Beijing at the time.

After a series of diplomatic meetings between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (then-U.S. President Donald Trump) and South Korea’s Moon, the notion of an end to war received renewed attention.

Trump signed off on the Korean War ended by year end, declaring that the efforts were successful if North Korea gave up its nuclear arsenal.

However, as the North Korean nuclear weapons issue and other international sanctions got worse and more time passed, Washington and Pyongyang lost interest in the idea and they stopped all but the most recent talks.

PROSPECTS OF A DEAL

Moon raised this idea again last month in a speech to the United Nations. North Korean officials said Moon’s ideas were intriguing, but that they weren’t premature and didn’t change what they considered to be hostile policies.

American President Joe Biden said that his administration is open to negotiation without conditions.

North Korea has rejected these overtures and stated that U.S. sanctions support and military moves within the region indicate its diplomacy is masked by hostile intent.

John Delury of Yonsei University, South Korea, said, “To be effective,” a declaration must be integrated in a wider process. The Biden administration can signal their readiness to issue an end-of-war declaration, but that is only a signal they want to stop the “hostile policy”.

Jake Sullivan from the White House National security advisor declined to provide details when asked by reporters about South Korean proposals. Although the United States and South Korea agree on the necessity of diplomacy, Jake Sullivan indicated that he may be able to offer a different view regarding timing, conditions, or the sequence of various steps.

Analysts note that a deal may have consequences for some 28,500 U.S. soldiers and U.N. command in South Korea. These troops are a result of the war. They help to secure the Demilitarized Zone between Koreas (DMZ).

According to Duyeon Kim of the U.S-based Center for a New American Security, South Korea’s plans call for a declaration political that the Korean War has ended, followed by a replacement armistice and then a peace agreement that establishes a broader peace system.

Although the Biden administration could support the concept of North Korean statements, they are unlikely to be supportive of any changes to the armistice.

North Korea however has stated that it doesn’t want to make a symbolic declaration.

Kim stated that “it would be likely to be interested in if a declara-tion alters or promises change the U.N. Command and armistice,”