North Korea's media on Thursday intensified calls for speeding up efforts to declare a formal end to the Korean War to help prevent future conflict and guarantee lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
"There is no practical guarantee that the vicious cycle of escalation of tensions won't repeat as long as the current status of truce remains," Uriminjokkiri, the North's external propaganda website, said in a commentary. "And no one can be sure that situations will not spiral toward the brink of war."
(Yonhap)
"The fundamental method to prevent such serious situations from taking place is for the North and the United States to scrap the armistice treaty as soon as possible and declare an end to the war and establish a solid peace regime on the Korean Peninsula," it added.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed in their April summit to work toward formally ending the 1950-53 war this year and replacing the armistice that ended the three-year hostilities with a peace treaty.
They also agreed to have three-way or four-way talks involving the US and possibly China on establishing lasting and solid peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
The Korean War ended in an armistice signed on July 27, 1953, leaving South and North Korea technically in a state of war.
Following the high-level talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang earlier this month, the North expressed dismay about the United States not mentioning "the issue of establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, which is essential for defusing tension and preventing a war."
Uriminjokkiri said that the US has a responsibility and an obligation to lead efforts in declaring an end to the Korean War as a country that initiated and joined the hostilities.
The website also urged the US to do its best in enforcing what was agreed upon during the summit with North Korea last month, saying that formally ending the war can be its first step. (Yonhap)
