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| President Moon Jae-in takes part in a ceremony at the Seoul Air Base, June 25. Yonhap |
By Do Je-hae
One of the most noticeable aspects about President Moon Jae-in's speech Thursday, the anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, was his renewed focus on a declaration to end the war.
The "end-of-the-war declaration," as well as "complete denuclearization" were some of the core objectives contained in the historic April 27 Panmunjeom Declaration signed by President Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
But the declaration for officially ending the war has been shelved since the first Moon-Kim summit on the southern side of the border village of Panmunjeom as the denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea have not achieved Moon's expected outcome.
In particular, relevant parties such as the U.S. and China have not paid much attention to the declaration to officially end the Korean War. The two Koreas still remain technically at war as it ended it a truce, not a peace treaty.
During a ceremony to mark the 70th year since the outbreak of the war, the President stressed the need for "bold" action to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula and called on Kim to join him in efforts to end the war.
"I hope that North Korea will also boldly embark on an endeavor to end the most sorrowful war in world history," Moon said. "We pursue peace and intend to live well together. We will continuously search for routes that are mutually beneficial for both Koreas through peace."
He mentioned "ending the war" again to emphasize the tragic outcome of the war that is still impacting the lives of the people of the two Koreas.
"We cannot commemorate the Korean War in a genuine manner yet. That is because the war has yet to come to an end. Even at this moment, the threat of war continues, and we are engaged in a war not only against the visible threats but also against the invisible enmity within us. If we are going to talk about unification, we have to achieve peace first, and only after peace has continued for a long time will we be able to finally see the door to unification."
The conciliatory remarks came after the North Korean leader's order to withhold planned military action against the South this week, after earlier threats from his sister Kim Yo-jong following the destruction of an inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong.
Since Kim Jong-un's surprise instruction, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has also brought forth the need for a declaration to officially end the war.
"A declaration of the end of the war is essential to ending tension and confrontation and to transition to an era of lasting peace," DPK floor leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon said in a media interview, Thursday.
The DPK is pushing for a National Assembly resolution calling for the declaration.
But experts who talked to The Korea Times were divided on Seoul's renewed call for ending the war.
Fierce debate
Some have described it as an essential precondition for achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula.
"The Korean War is the ultimate forever war, a low-level conflict with dangerous flare ups that have claimed countless lives over the past seven decades. In fact, many forget this brutal conflict never officially ended through a peace treaty ― only an armistice ― and there is no sign it will formally be concluded anytime soon," said Harry J. Kazianis, the senior director of Korea studies at the Center for the National Interest.
"If such a war were to ever restart, the world would collectively face a North Korea that is far more dangerous thanks to its growing nuclear weapons arsenal and potential ability to attack the U.S. homeland with long-range missiles. It is no exaggeration to say that Pyongyang could kill millions of people within minutes thanks to the weapons of mass destruction the Kim regime has built.
"For there to be a real breakthrough in inter-Korean a well as U.S.-North Korea relations, an end of war declaration ― even if not a formal peace treaty ― is essential. All sides need to have some sort of closure, embracing the end of the Korean War as the first step of a long process of reconciliation and compromise that will lead to an overall lowering of tensions. If this is not realized, we will forever be condemned to the endless cycle of crisis after crisis that could someday ignite a conflict of historic proportions," he said.
But the opposition party is saying that North Korea's denuclearization must precede efforts to pursue such a declaration.
In this context, some experts have also pointed out that Moon's mention of ending the war was ill-timed, and are highlighting the need for North Korea to establish the right conditions first.
"President Moon's speech appropriately paid tribute to the sacrifices of previous generations and the value of international cooperation, said Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. "But there was no mention of China's role in the tremendously costly Korean War. Moon failed to mention Japan as a partner, instead alluding to it as a cause for Korean unity and a country that profited from conflict."
"Most glaringly, Moon did not address Pyongyang's responsibility for starting the war, maintaining the painful division, and continuing human suffering on the northern half of the peninsula. He claimed South Korea is strong enough to make peace, share prosperity and progress toward unification, but this is insufficient without recognizing North Korea's need to denuclearize, demilitarize and democratize," the professor added.
Others said given the North's continued threats and provocations, conditions were not right to pursue such a declaration. "That train may have left the station," said professor John Delury of Yonsei University's Graduate School of International Studies.
