South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has proposed that North Korea begin negotiations on formally ending the Korean War and discuss measures to curb Pyongyang's nuclear program development. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
He made the proposal during a speech marking the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, according to Yonhap.
"Let us abandon intentions to threaten each other and begin discussing the end of this protracted war as directly involved parties," Lee said.
According to him, within a possible dialogue, the sides could discuss "effective ways to stop the development of nuclear capabilities" of North Korea.
History of the Korean War
The Korean War of 1950–1953 ended with the signing of an armistice agreement, but a peace treaty was never concluded between the parties. Therefore, technically, South and North Korea remain in a state of war.
Lee Jae-myung stated his intention to work towards replacing the "unstable armistice system" with a sustainable peace regime.
Call for Peaceful Dialogue
The President urged Seoul and Pyongyang to respect each other's existing systems and abandon unnecessary confrontation. He expressed hope that representatives of the two countries could sit down at the negotiating table for peaceful coexistence and mutual development.
"I will turn the energy of hostility and confrontation into an impetus for peaceful coexistence and mutual growth," the South Korean leader said.
Pyongyang's Response
Meanwhile, Pyongyang has not yet responded to Seoul's repeated proposals for dialogue since Lee Jae-myung took office in June last year. Despite this, South Korean authorities state their intention to continue the course towards negotiations.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that South Korea wants to land on the Moon by 2030.
And the day before, Lee Jae-myung made an official statement on social network X, thanking Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan for assistance in combating phone scammers. Members of a Korean organized crime group involved in voice phishing tried to evade justice by moving through Cambodia and Vietnam, but were found and detained on the territory of Kazakhstan.