US, S. Korea discussing draft text of end-of-war declaration

Washington is said to have gone as far as hiring lawyers to review the declaration\'s text

Top envoys for the North Korean nuclear issue, Noh Kyu-duk of South Korea (left) and Sung Kim of the US (right), remove their masks to answer questions from the press after bilateral discussions on Monday in Washington. (AFP/Yonhap News)

South Korea’s government is pushing for a declaration to formally end the Korean War as a way of bringing North Korea back to the dialogue table, and South Korea and the US are reportedly discussing the text of such a declaration.

Speculation is mounting over whether Washington — whose opinion on the declaration remains unclear — will publicly announce its position on the matter.

A high-ranking South Korean official in Washington on Tuesday spoke to reporters after a meeting of the top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the US and Japan, saying, "South Korea and the US have reached a consensus that the declaration on the war's end is quite useful as an opportunity to resume dialogue with North Korea.”

"This consensus is gradually growing," they added.

This signals a narrowing of the gap between Seoul and Washington in their views on the declaration through intensive talks before and after Sept. 21, when President Moon Jae-in proposed the declaration at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Seoul's top nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk and his Washington counterpart Sung Kim held five rounds of talks over the past 50 days in South Korea, the US and Indonesia.

On Oct. 12, National Security Office Director Suh Hoon held talks with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington on measures for resuming the Korean Peninsula peace process, including an end-of-war declaration. In the process, both governments are known to be discussing a specific text for the declaration.

A high-ranking government official said, "The US deems it highly necessary to examine the impact of adopting the end-of-war declaration, and is considering it in depth internally."

Talks between South Korea and the US on the declaration's text could be a sign that Washington is seriously considering President Moon's proposal to formally end the war. It is premature, however, to consider a review of the text as a sure sign of it being formally agreed upon.

The US is apparently mindful of the potential for unforeseen problems such as the presence of the Republic of Korea-US Combined Forces Command, the US Forces Korea, and the United Nations Command-Rear in Japan if the Korean War is declared over.

In addition, Seoul might invite opposition if it agrees to the declaration without nailing down specific benefits in return for the sake of offering an "opening" for talks on denuclearization.

Washington is also said to have gone as far as hiring lawyers to review the declaration's text. While South Korea considers the proposed proclamation a "political declaration" with little practical significance, the US is a bit more sensitive to the political effects and legal impact.

A government official said, "It's still too early to definitively say what the US position on the declaration will be," adding that "it should be seen as a process of enhancing the understanding of each side's position."

Regarding US nuclear envoy Kim’s scheduled visit to Seoul this weekend, the official said Kim will "continue talks on the results of internal discussions by Washington on its consultations with Seoul and the declaration on the end of the war."

Turning to humanitarian aid to the North, the official said, "Practical discussions are almost complete," adding that over the past several months South Korea and the US have discussed such assistance including that for health, quarantine, potable water and sanitation.

"Since this project requires North Korea's consent, when to do it must be decided based on the circumstances," the official said.

Such aid is one of two pillars Seoul is pushing for along with the declaration to persuade Pyongyang to pick up dialogue again.

By Hwang Joon-bum, staff reporter

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