Seoul looking to formally end Korean War with peace treaty: Cheong Wa Dae
  • 6 years ago
A peace treaty could finally be in the cards for the two Koreas.
The South Korean presidential office said as much today in a press briefing.
Our Cha Sang-mi was at that briefing and joins us live from the Blue House.
Sang-mi, what more have we learned about the summit now coming up in just nine days?

Yes Devin, at the upcoming summit, the Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae is looking for a way to achieve a peace treaty between the two Koreas.
As you know, hostilities in the Korean War ended not with a formal peace but with an armistice, which means South and North are technically still at war.
A high-level official said in the briefing today that the South Korean government is looking into that possibility.
The official hinted that what could happen is... an agreement is reached between the two Koreas at their summit, then a formal end to the Korean War is declared at the summit between North Korea and the U.S.
But the official underscored that this would need to be discussed thoroughly by the parties directly involved.
This announcement comes in response to comments made by President Trump during his two days of talks this week with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in which he said that the two Koreas are discussing an end to the war.

That would obviously be a huge result. So, as the day draws near, we can see the picture getting a lot clearer, and it seems like Cheong Wa Dae is coming up with a detailed blueprint. Sang-mi, what about the summit's main agenda, denuclearization? How does the South Korean government see that panning out?

Right Devin, the Chief of the National Security Office , Chung Eui-yong, announced today that Seoul and Washington are considering ways to reward Pyongyang should it really decide to denuclearize.
One of which is removing what North Korea says are its own concerns about its security.
Chung was asked whether the meaning of denuclearization might differ in Seoul, Washington and Pyongyang, but he said he doesn't see that as the case.
He added that while there might be differences in terms of the detailed process to achieve denuclearization,... in the big picture, the South Korean, North Korean and U.S. governments do not see denuclearization differently to any great extent.
And so, he said, a nuclear-free Peninsula is not an unreachable goal.
Back to you, Devin.
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