US State Department on Moon's Inquiry about Declaration of End of War: "North Korea Issues Require Unified ROK-US Response"

President Moon Jae-in is delivering a video keynote speech at the 75th United Nations General Assembly held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, on the 22nd (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] On the 23rd (local time), the U.S. Department of State emphasized close coordination and unified response between South Korea and the U.S. regarding North Korea in relation to the declaration of the end of the war mentioned by President Moon Jae-in in his speech at the 75th United Nations General Assembly the day before.

Morgan Ortagus, spokesperson for the Department of State, responded in writing to questions about the feasibility and preconditions of the declaration of the end of the war proposed by President Moon, stating, "The United States and South Korea are closely coordinating our efforts related to North Korea." The spokesperson also said, "We are committed to close coordination in a unified response to North Korea."

Instead of providing a specific U.S. position on the declaration of the end of the war, only the necessity of coordination and unified response between South Korea and the U.S. on North Korea-related issues was mentioned.

Earlier, on the 22nd, President Moon stated in his keynote speech via video at the UN General Assembly in New York, "The declaration of the end of the war will be the door that opens the path to denuclearization and a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula."

This was interpreted as an attempt to find a breakthrough through the declaration of the end of the war, despite its low feasibility, amid a prolonged stalemate in inter-Korean and North Korea-U.S. talks ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

However, the Department of State's position is presumed to reaffirm the existing view that it is necessary to keep pace together rather than one side moving ahead in North Korea-related issues.

The Department of State gave the same response on this day when President Moon mentioned in his New Year's press conference in January that individual tourism does not violate North Korea sanctions.