Discussing Korea-US End-of-War Declaration and Support... US Urges China for 'North Korea Sanctions'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Inho Yoo and Jieun Lee] South Korean and U.S. diplomatic officials are putting their heads together to discuss a declaration to formally end the Korean War and humanitarian aid measures for North Korea, but the U.S. side is simultaneously pressuring North Korea to comply with sanctions. The perception is that these two issues are separate and independently pursued. Experts judge that this situation does not provide North Korea with sufficient incentives to come to the negotiating table.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 2nd, Lim Gap-su, head of the Peace Diplomacy Planning Division, and Chung Park, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, held director-level talks on the 1st (local time) in Washington, D.C. During this consultation, working-level discussions were held on North Korean humanitarian aid and the declaration to end the war, with final adjustments apparently made on the humanitarian aid plan. South Korea and the U.S. have been discussing humanitarian aid measures for North Korea separately from the declaration talks, and it seems that a significant portion of the consultations has been completed. The aid items under consideration include quarantine supplies and water purification products for drinking water hygiene, while vaccine support has not been specifically discussed.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration in the U.S. maintains a firm stance on sanctions against North Korea. Apart from diplomacy through dialogue, the policy of strengthening international sanctions in response to military provocations must continue. Recently, efforts have been made to strengthen trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, while urging countries like China and Russia, which favor easing sanctions, to participate. Regarding China and Russia’s recent submission of a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to ease sanctions on North Korea, the response was a call for “full implementation of sanctions.”

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said in a statement on the 2nd, "We urge China and Russia to fully comply with their obligations under the North Korea sanctions resolutions unanimously adopted by all UNSC member states." It is known that China and Russia recently submitted a draft resolution including measures to ease sanctions on North Korea’s civilian sectors, such as lifting bans on construction, heating, railway-related equipment, home appliances, and computers.

Experts analyze that humanitarian aid alone is insufficient to bring North Korea to the negotiating table. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, pointed out, "North Korea continues strict border closures under an emergency quarantine system and perceives U.S. humanitarian aid as ‘another form of pressure through enhanced monitoring.’ North Korea will never welcome U.S. aid."

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