U.S. open to discussion with N. Korea on end of war declaration: Pentagon spokesman

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- The United States is open to discussing a possible end of war declaration with North Korea as it seeks to engage with the reclusive state in dialogue over a number of other issues, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in earlier called on the U.S. and South Korea to formally end the Korean War with North Korea.

"We continue to seek engagement with the DPRK to address a variety of issues, and we are open to discussing the possibility of an end of war declaration," the Department of Defense spokesman, John Kirby, said in a press briefing, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The United States remains committed to achieving lasting peace on the Korean peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy with North Korea," he added.

The 1950-53 Korean War ended only with an armistice, technically leaving the divided Koreas at war to date.

Moon, in his address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York this week, insisted that declaring a formal end to the war would help move forward the North's denuclearization process.

"When the parties involved in the Korean War stand together and proclaim an end to the war, I believe we can make irreversible progress in denuclearization and usher in an era of complete peace," said Moon.

Kirby reiterated U.S. commitment to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, but said it was a complex issue.

"As I said we're open to a discussion about an end of war declaration, but we are also committed to diplomacy and dialogue with the DPRK to achieve the denuclearization," said the spokesman when asked if the declaration of the war's end could be a solution to the stalled denuclearization process.

"We know that this is a complex issue and we're committed to supporting the role of our diplomats in having that kind of dialogue going forward," he added.

North Korea has stayed away from denuclearization negotiations since early 2019.

It also remains unresponsive to U.S. overtures made by the Joe Biden administration since its inauguration in January.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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