"Discussion on the Jongseon Declaration Will Also Take Place"
[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Lee Do-hoon, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Office for Peace and Security on the Korean Peninsula, who is visiting the United States, said regarding the incident in which North Korea shot a South Korean official, "(We) plan to focus on discussing how we can cooperate with (the United States)." He also stated that they will discuss the declaration of the end of the war mentioned by President Moon Jae-in in his UN General Assembly speech.
On the 27th (local time), Lee met with correspondents at Dulles Airport near Washington DC and referred to the U.S. State Department's statement supporting the South Korean government's position on the incident.
When asked if they would discuss the declaration of the end of the war with the United States, Lee replied, "Of course, we plan to talk about the declaration of the end of the war."
He added, "In the past, the United States has shown interest and reviewed the declaration of the end of the war many times," and explained, "Before saying it will definitely happen or not, I believe if we sit down and talk together, there will be a consensus."
President Moon Jae-in appealed for international support for the declaration of the end of the war in his keynote speech at the UN General Assembly on the 22nd Korean time.
Regarding whether there will be an so-called 'October Surprise' related to North Korea before the U.S. presidential election in November, Lee said, "At this point, we are trying not to get ahead of ourselves," and explained, "Basically, everything depends on North Korea, so it means we are watching that."
Regarding humanitarian aid to North Korea, he said, "Since Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Deputy Secretary Stephen Biegun have already expressed willingness to provide humanitarian aid, I think it is fully possible to discuss it."
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