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South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on the United States to officially declare the end of the Korean War in an interview on Friday, adding that the North had "promised complete denuclearization".
"If North Korea took certain measures, the end-of-war declaration would be a political declaration that would announce the end of the long-standing hostile relations between Pyongyang and Washington," Moon told the BBC, adding that he wanted that the declaration takes place on the "first possible date".
The Korean War, which began in 1950, never ended technically since only an armistice was signed in 1953. It will not be officially declared after a peace treaty.
The United States has long since decided not to formally declare the end of the war or to lift sanctions until the North has made permanent changes to denuclearization.
Moon said Kim Jong Un wanted to rid the North of nuclear weapons for economic development, but wanted to ensure the country's security.
"By complete denuclearization, he wanted to start by stopping new nuclear and missile tests, then abolish the facilities that produce nuclear weapons and develop missiles, as well as all existing nuclear weapons and materials," Moon said. a transcript of the interview obtained by Reuters.
The president's remarks come a day after South Korea rallied to the remarks made by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, who said that the country was considering lifting the sanctions put in place following the announcement. a 2010 attack that killed 46 South Korean sailors.
"At the current stage, I think it's a bit early to call for the lifting or easing of UN sanctions," said Thursday the Minister of Unification, Cho Myoung-gyon, adding that South Korea would only consider lifting sanctions if the North admitted to the attack, according to CBS News.
South Korean conservatives and President Trump criticized the initial idea of lifting sanctions. Trump said that South Korea "will not do this without our approval, they do nothing without our approval."
Moon, however, remains optimistic that if North Korea takes sincere steps towards denuclearization, sanctions on the country will be removed.
"I believe that North Korea must advance the denuclearization steps to allow such a condition. As you may know, the sanctions imposed by the United States have intensified in the face of North Korea's incessant provocations. I think that if North Korea continues to take sincere denuclearization measures and if it believes it has reached a point of no return, US sanctions could begin to be relaxed, "the president said, according to the agency. Yonhap.
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