South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday reaffirmed his commitment to work towards peace and reconciliation with North Korea, and urged Pyongyang to do the same.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, Moon said that peace on the peninsula was a “long desired wish” for millions of Koreans, and called on the North to join its efforts to end the “most sorrowful war” in world history. North and South Korea still technically remain at war, given that the fighting, which ended in 1953, did so with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
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The remarks come against the backdrop of increasing tensions between the neighbours. In recent weeks, North Korea had scaled up rhetoric against the “enemy” South, cutting off all communication lines with Seoul, bombing a joint liaison office, and threatening military action. Pyongyang has accused South Korea of undermining the 2018 agreements by supporting US pressure for denuclearization and more recently, allowing propaganda spreading defectors and activists to send leaflets across the border.
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In his speech, Mr. Moon said that these confrontations between the two Koreas were a “waste of national power” and proposed that the countries become good neighbours first before talking about unification. He stressed that while the South has no intention to force its system upon the North, the country will “sternly deal” with any attempt to violate its territorial sovereignty and threaten the lives of its citizens. Just one day before the 70th war anniversary, Kim Jong-un suspended military action against the South with state media reporting that the country was taking stock of “the prevailing situation”.
President Moon Jae-in and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un met multiple times in 2018, aiming to replace the armistice with a peace treaty. However, those talks have stalled as parallel negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington broke down over the former’s refusal to meet the US’ disarmament demands. Mr. Moon said that his country will never stop seeking ways to co-exist with the North peacefully. After North Korean leader Kim suspended military action and President Moon urged the North to end the war, it appears that simmering tensions are de-escalating. However, it remains to be seen what, if any, concessions South Korea offers in order to broker peace.
Image Source: Boston 25 News/AP