[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Former North Korean diplomat and People Power Party lawmaker Tae Young-ho criticized President Moon Jae-in's proposal for a South-North-US and South-North-US-China declaration of the end of the war in his keynote speech at the 76th UN General Assembly, saying, "Repeating an empty declaration of the end of the war does not help solve the North Korean nuclear issue at all."
On the 22nd, Tae said on Facebook, "A declaration of the end of the war is a matter that can be considered on the premise that North Korea takes meaningful denuclearization measures."
Tae diagnosed that "the North Korean nuclear issue is reverting to the period when the UN Security Council adopted the strongest sanctions against North Korea in history following North Korea's 6th nuclear test and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch in 2017," and emphasized that the North Korean nuclear issue now is fundamentally no different from that at the 2017 UN General Assembly, when President Moon stressed 'strengthening UN sanctions and their thorough implementation.'
He added, "In the current situation where North Korea's threat is intensifying, a declaration of the end of the war would only lead to the misjudgment that North Korea can achieve the withdrawal of US troops from the Korean Peninsula and the dissolution of the UN Command."
Tae advised, "The way for South Korea, which has grown together with the international community, to truly help North Korea is to assist it in fulfilling its obligations and roles as a responsible member of the international community, including nuclear abandonment and respect for human rights," and said, "If South Korea approaches the problem based on the values pursued by the international community and in coordination with it, it will be able to draw response and support from the international community."
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