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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

President Lee's Proposal for War's End Requires Persuading U.S. and China First

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Context piece
  • South Korean President Lee Jae-myung proposed initiating discussions among the parties involved to end the Korean War and establish a peace regime.
  • The proposal aims to break the current stalemate on the Korean Peninsula through multilateral dialogue involving South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., and China.
  • While North Korea's immediate response is uncertain, the president's office believes engaging on peace regime issues could draw Pyongyang into dialogue, especially given the diminished prospects for a U.S.-North Korea summit.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has proposed initiating discussions among the involved parties to end the Korean War and establish a peace regime. This initiative moves beyond the previous "peacemaker-pacemaker theory" aimed at improving inter-Korean relations through North Korea-U.S. engagement, now seeking to resolve the stalled situation on the peninsula through multilateral dialogue involving South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., and China.

During his Liberation Day address, President Lee presented three concepts for "peaceful coexistence" between the two Koreas: inclusive, stable, and responsible peaceful coexistence that contributes to world peace. He emphasized that peace on the Korean Peninsula can contribute to global peace and formally proposed "discussions among the parties" to transition the unstable armistice system into a peace regime. He expressed hope that this could also lead to discussions on effective measures to halt North Korea's nuclear advancements.

Let's start discussions among the parties involved.

— President Lee Jae-myungDuring his Liberation Day address, proposing to end the Korean War and establish a peace regime.

The decision to revive the peace regime initiative, a key focus of the previous Moon Jae-in administration, appears to stem from the reduced likelihood of a U.S.-North Korea summit. The presidential office believes that to bring North Korea to the table, it is necessary to raise the issue of peace regime construction, which may garner Pyongyang's interest. South Korea and North Korea had previously agreed in April 2018 to actively pursue trilateral (South-North-U.S.) or quadrilateral (South-North-U.S.-China) talks for peace regime establishment.

While North Korea's response to this proposal is expected to be highly unlikely, the situation could change if the U.S. and China show interest. U.S. President Donald Trump recently posted a photo with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, suggesting he has not abandoned the possibility of dialogue. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who desires stability on the Korean Peninsula, also has no reason to reject such discussions. The article urges the South Korean government to actively utilize diplomatic opportunities, such as the upcoming UN General Assembly in September, to secure support from the U.S. and China.

We agreed to actively pursue trilateral (South-North-U.S.) or quadrilateral (South-North-U.S.-China) talks for peace regime establishment.

— South Korea and North KoreaAs agreed in April 2018.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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