SEOUL, December 29 (Yonhap) – South Korea and the United States have “effectively” agreed to a proposed draft declaration for the formal end of the 1950-53 Korean War, the minister said Wednesday. amid continued efforts by the two countries to resume dialogue with North Korea.

The Chancellor made the remarks during a press conference, noting that she and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed progress in consultations among allies on the statement when they met this month on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G-7) session, in Liverpool, United Kingdom. .

Chung noted that South Korea and the US had agreed on the importance of declaring an end to the war and that the two sides had effectively reached agreement on the draft.

Although Seoul and Washington have made great progress on the declaration, its fate remains uncertain as Pyongyang remains indifferent to proposals for dialogue, while South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s five-year term is scheduled to end in May 2018.

The minister said that while North Korea showed a number of quick and positive responses to the end of the declaration of war, they hoped it would show a more concrete reaction, adding that they were considering various ways to move forward with discussions with Pyongyang.

In September, Kim Yo-jong, the strong sister of North Korean State Affairs Committee chairman Kim Jong-un, called the statement an “interesting” and “admirable” idea, but urged Seoul to ignore it. as a “hostile” policy towards Pyongyang, to initiate relevant discussions.

Denuclearization negotiations between North Korea and the US have stalled since a summit between the two countries, held in 2019 in Hanoi, Vietnam, ended without a deal.

The foreign minister said the South Korean government is closely watching the key North Party meeting, which has been held since Monday, to glimpse the direction of the hermetic regime’s foreign policy for next year.

Regarding the Beijing Olympics, the minister emphasized that Seoul is not considering joining the diplomatic boycott of sporting events led by the US, and will decide how to send a government delegation, taking into account several factors.

Chung said they hoped the Beijing Olympics would serve as an opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations, but believed the opportunity was practically shrinking.

However, the diplomatic chief stressed that the Lunar Administration did not “ignore hope” and would take advantage of all available possibilities to resume stalled processes for lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.

nkim@yna.co.kr

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