President Moon: "Korean Peninsula End-of-War Declaration Also Supported by US and Russia"

US Ambassador "No disagreement if North Korea agrees"... Active discussion on US Congress urging resolution expected next year
Russian Ambassador "Russia also considers supportive stance"

Ambassador Lee Soo-hyuk is responding to lawmakers' questions during the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's audit of the Embassy in the United States held on the 12th. The ambassador's audit was conducted via video conference to prevent COVID-19. This is the first time in constitutional history that an overseas diplomatic mission audit has been conducted through a video connection. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Lee Soo-hyuk, South Korea's Ambassador to the United States, stated regarding President Moon Jae-in's 'Korean Peninsula End-of-War Declaration' announced in his UN General Assembly speech, "The United States also shares a consensus on the end-of-war declaration," adding that since it is a political declaration aimed at the peace process and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, close coordination with the U.S. side will be maintained.

On the 12th, Ambassador Lee appeared via video at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's audit and said, "There is a movement in the U.S. Congress supporting the end-of-war declaration through a resolution, with nearly 50 lawmakers signing it," and added, "The end-of-war declaration is not an objective nor a replacement for the armistice agreement, but a political declaration."

Ambassador Lee particularly explained that if only North Korea agrees, there is no disagreement from the U.S. side regarding the political meaning of the end-of-war declaration. Emphasizing that this is based on contacts with senior U.S. officials, he said, "Some people say the U.S. opposes the end-of-war declaration, but that is not true. The U.S. also has an attachment to the end-of-war declaration. If North Korea agrees, the U.S. has no objections."

He further stressed that efforts to create an international environment conducive to North Korea's response to the end-of-war declaration must precede. Ambassador Lee said, "An international environment and inter-Korean relations that can persuade and be accepted by North Korea must be established," adding, "The issue is not persuading the U.S., but continuously making efforts to importantly guide North Korea's position."

However, he predicted that the 'Resolution Urging the End-of-War Declaration' submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives is unlikely to be adopted in this session. Ambassador Lee responded, "Given the upcoming presidential election, it seems the U.S. political sphere currently has no room to discuss foreign policy issues such as North Korea," and added, "It seems difficult in this Congress, but active discussions can be expected once the new Congress is formed next year." The 'Resolution Urging the End-of-War Declaration' was originally introduced by Democratic Representative Ro Khanna in February last year.

On the same day, Lee Seok-bae, South Korea's Ambassador to Russia, who also appeared at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit following the U.S. Embassy session, said he believes Russia also holds a supportive stance on the end-of-war declaration. Ambassador Lee said at the audit held after the U.S. Embassy session, "Russia holds the position that complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula should be achieved through progress in inter-Korean and North Korea-U.S. dialogues, and a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula should be established," adding, "Since the declaration of the end of the war and the mutual confirmation of peace on the Korean Peninsula by both North Korea and the U.S. are involved, I think Russia will sympathize with this issue (the end-of-war declaration)."

Regarding whether the South Korean government's intention for the end-of-war declaration was conveyed to Russia, he stated, "Russia appreciates President Moon's call for support of the end-of-war declaration," and added, "The end-of-war declaration has been discussed as part of a comprehensive consultation process on the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of permanent peace."

Meanwhile, Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed optimism during his opening remarks at the National Assembly's audit countermeasure meeting on the 13th. He said, "Fortunately, it seems that behind-the-scenes talks between North Korea and the U.S. are continuing," and added, "It appears that the U.S. Democratic Party is also shifting its stance to support the end-of-war declaration."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.