Gov’t begins internal talks on peace treaty
The Moon Jae-in administration has begun internal discussions on whether it is possible to replace the 1950-53 Korean War armistice with a peace treaty, sources said Sunday.
The talks follow a proposal from a presidential advisory panel — the administration’s de facto transition committee — that Moon lay the groundwork for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Sources said the Office of the Korean Peninsula and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will lead the discussions.
As part of a five-year policy roadmap, the committee said it was necessary to forge an agreement with North Korea on its complete denuclearization by 2020, President Moon’s fourth year in office.
The committee also advised offering help to the North in freezing its nuclear program in advance; while signing a peace treaty when the program enters “the final phase for complete denuclearization.”
“The government should work closely with the United States and maintain international cooperation to reach its joint goals of denuclearization and peace,” a source said.
The formal ending of the war will be impossible should North Korea keep its nuclear program.
However, critics say the Moon government is taking an unrealistic approach to resolve the nuclear issue when the North is refusing all proposals for dialogue from the South, and the U.S. is strengthening sanctions against it.
They said Pyongyang appears to be unwilling to engage in dialogue and Washington seems to be against accelerating inter-Korean dialogue without its consent.
“The peace treaty with North Korea must follow as part of steps to build a peace network,” said Paik Hak-soon, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute. “And we’ll need to convince the U.S. and North Korea as well as China.”
If signed, the peace treaty will replace the 1953 armistice agreement, which the U.S., on behalf of the United Nations, signed with North Korea and China. South Korea was not among the signatories.
The Kim regime has remained silent over the Moon administration’s offers last week to resume talks between both sides’ militaries and Red Cross agencies.
It is speculated that Pyongyang is either reluctant to talk with Seoul for the time being or is trying to make the South desperate in order to “gain bargaining power" in any possible dialogue.
Analysts note that the White House has shown opposition toward inter-Korean military talks, saying the current conditions are “clearly far away from where we are now.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an expert said South Korea “appears to be misinterpreting” the joint statement issued between Moon and U.S. President Donald Trump after their June summit.
The statement states that President Trump supported South Korea’s “leading role in fostering an environment for peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula” and also Moon’s “aspirations to restart inter-Korean dialogue on issues including humanitarian affairs.”
“The Moon government must be interpreting the joint statement too broadly, thinking that it can play a leading role on any issues that can influence inter-Korean unification,” the expert said. “But to my understanding, Washington wants Seoul to consult it in advance and refer to its view before making any decision on security on the peninsula. Seoul’s plan for inter-Korean peace may irk Washington as did the proposal for inter-Korean military talks.”