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North Korea rejects calls to officially end 1950s war

September 24, 2021

South Korea has repeatedly called for fresh talks to negotiate an official end to the Korean War, which ended in a truce in 1953. North Korea said it would be willing to resume talks if Seoul "abandons its hostility."

https://p.dw.com/p/40mbH
A South Korean soldier stands guard at the demilitarized zone between the two countries
The Demilitarized Zone, the de facto border between the two Koreas, remains heavily fortifiedImage: Getty Images/AFP/K. Min-Hee

Pyongyang rebuffed overtures from Seoul to officially end the Korean War of the 1950s on Friday.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the South must cease its "hostility" before they would come to the table.

Kim was responding to South Korean President Moon Jae-in's renewed calls at the United Nations this week to negotiate a true end to the conflict, which ended in an armistice but not a peace treaty in 1953.

What did North Korea say?

"If [South] Korea ... restores sincerity in its words and actions and abandons its hostility, we would then be willing to resume close communication and engage in constructive discussions," Kim said.

Pyongyang's Vice Foreign Minister Ri Thae Song was more specific, saying that US weapons and troops being deployed near the border, as well as US economic sanctions, needed to be rolled back as a sign of good faith before discussions could be held.

Their statements came just days after North Korea launched a provocative missile test, the first such test in six months.

In Seoul, the Unification Ministry promised to continue its efforts to adopt the end-of-the war declaration and strengthen cooperation with "related countries." 

After diplomacy attempts between Kim Jong Un and former US President Donald Trump stalled in 2019, North Korea has gone on the offensive, increasing attention to its weapons program and its attempts to gain nuclear weapons.

es/rs (AP, Reuters)