Seoul Says It’s Too Soon to Declare the Korean War “Over”
South Korea’s official stance is that calling the Korean War officially ended is rushed, because it won’t magically make the U.S. abandon its hard‑line stance toward Pyongyang, according to the state‑run KCNA on Friday (Sept. 24). The source was Foreign Vice‑Minister Ri Thae Song.
What the South Korean President Is Repeating
- President Moon Jae‑in flew to the U.N. General Assembly to ring the bell for a formal peace declaration.
- He suggested the two Koreas, together with the U.S. – or even China – should push for an official end to the conflict.
- Both North and South share the same junkyard: a 1950‑1953 ceasefire, not a real peace treaty.
Mongolian‑Style Analysis From the North
In a voice that sounds like a stern elder of the DPRK (the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”), Ri Thae Song warned:
“Unless the politics around the DPRK shift and the U.S. abandons its double‑standard aggression, nothing will change, even if we repeat declaring an end to the war hundreds of times.”
He added that the U.S. must stop its double standards—that is the top priority for stability on the peninsula.
Moon’s Fatigue‑Free Call to Dialogue
Category: “I’m pretty sure North will see that talking with Washington makes sense, but I can’t promise it will happen before my tenure ends in 2022.”
Moon rattled off these remarks while returning to Seoul from a U.S. visit, speaking to journalists on the presidential jet.
Classic Moon moment: “It looks like North Korea is still hanging its bets and keeping the channel open for talk because a little flare‑up might keep the U.S. from cutting all lines completely.”
What the U.S. President Had to Say
- Joe Biden appeared at the U.N. and said the U.S. wants “sustained diplomacy” to sort out North Korea’s nuclear and missile mess.
- North Korea is still playing hard to get and the U.N. watchdog says the country is “full steam ahead” with its nuclear program.
Last Week’s Missile Show‑down
North and South both fired ballistic missiles last week, sparking another round of fireworks in this high‑stakes arms race. Even though both sides boast increasingly advanced arsenals, talks remain stuck in a dead‑end.
In short: the Korean peninsula is still in a state of flirting tension and the U.S. may not stop being the wedge in the peace puzzle.
