Seoul: South Korea is seeking to open discussions about formally declaring an end to the war with the nuclear-armed North at a rare inter-Korean summit next week, officials said on Wednesday. “We are looking at the possibility of replacing the armistice regime on the Korean peninsula with a peace regime,” a senior official at the presidential Blue House told reporters. “But this is not something we can do by ourselves. It needs close discussions with relevant parties including North Korea.”
The comments came after US President Donald Trump said that the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the South’s President Moon Jae-in could, with his “blessing”, discuss a peace treaty to formally close the conflict.
The 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two sides technically at war. The Demilitarised Zone between them bristles with minefields and fortifications.
But reaching any final treaty would be fraught with complications. “The peace treaty is a very difficult problem,” said Koo Kab-woo, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
While the US-led United Nations command, China and North Korea are signatories to the decades-old armistice, South Korea is not.
Both Pyongyang and Seoul claim sovereignty over the whole Korean peninsula, but a treaty could imply mutual recognition of each other.
The North would be likely to demand the withdrawal of US troops, while the South’s national security adviser Chung Eui-yong said on Wednesday that Seoul and Washington wanted to see Pyongyang give up its nuclear ambitions. In meetings with his newly-appointed US counterpart John Bolton, the two had discussed ways to “establish an ultimate peace regime”, but only if the North “makes the correct decision”, he said.
Pyongyang has in the past demanded a peace treaty with the US, describing them as the two direct parties in the conflict. “South Korea is a direct party. Who can argue that?” the Blue House official said.
The two Koreas could first reach an agreement which would be followed by a meeting between Kim and Trump and a trilateral summit to seal the deal, he suggested. But four-party talks could also be needed, he added, in a reference to China.
But he cautioned “I am not sure if we will use the expression ‘ending the war’” at the summit. “We want to reach an agreement on banning hostile activities between the South and North,” he added. Even if such an agreement was reached, professor Koo said, it would be largely “symbolic”.
“There is no mention of how to go from declaring an end to the war to signing a peace treaty, he added.
The two Koreas will hold what will be their third summit since the 1950-53 Korean War next Friday, with a subsequent meeting planned between Kim and Trump. — AFP
Trump confirms CIA chief met Kim
Washington: US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that his CIA director had met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on a secret visit to Pyongyang, ahead of a planned summit between the two leaders.
“Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong Un in North Korea last week. Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed. Details of Summit are being worked out now,” tweeted Trump. “Denuclearisation will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!” he added.
The tweet came after the Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Pompeo made the trip over the first weekend of April. The meeting was part of an effort to prepare for a historic meeting in the coming weeks between Trump and Kim, the paper said, quoting two people with direct knowledge of the trip. The visit came shortly after Pompeo was nominated to be secretary of state, the paper said.
Speaking on Tuesday in Florida where he was hosting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, Trump said he had given his blessing to discussions aimed at formally ending the Korean war.
Setting the stage for a major breakthrough, he added that “a great chance to solve a world problem” was within reach on the Korean peninsula. — AFP
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