Politics
18:11, 29-Oct-2018
ROK expected to declare end to hostility with DPRK within 2018
Updated
17:17, 01-Nov-2018
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The Republic of Korea (ROK) has been making efforts to declare an official end to the hostile situation with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since the 1950-53 Korean War, the unification minister Cho Myoung-gyon said Monday.
Cho added that there was a possibility "at this moment" for the achievement.
When asked about whether the DPRK leader would visit Seoul within this year, the unification minister simply said, "Yes."
ROK President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un, top leader of the DPRK, agreed at their first summit in April to seek an official end to the Korean War. After their third summit in Pyongyang last month, Kim agreed with Moon to visit the ROK capital at an early date.
US special representative for DPRK Stephen Biegun talks to ROK Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, October 29, 2018. /Reuters Photo
US special representative for DPRK Stephen Biegun talks to ROK Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, October 29, 2018. /Reuters Photo
US urges DPRK denuclearization
DPRK must take steps towards verified denuclearization before achieving the "shared goal" of an official end to the Korean War, US Special Representative for DPRK Stephen Biegun said in Seoul on Monday.
"We have a shared goal here, which is to bring an end to 70 years of war and hostilities on the Korean peninsula," Biegun told his ROK counterpart Lee Do-hoon at the start of their meeting.
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"And the primary requirement for us to get to the end point is to achieve final, fully, verified denuclearization of North Korea (DPRK). I am absolutely confident this is within reach."
Lee said Washington and Seoul were working to ensure that both countries engage the DPRK with a united front.
"Because the denuclearization process is at a critical juncture, we need to meet up as often as possible to make sure there is no daylight whatsoever between our two allies," Lee said.
(Cover: File photo of ROK President Moon Jae-in and top leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Un. /VCG Photo)
(With input from Xinhua News Agency and Reuters)