Seoul. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has proposed talks with North Korea with the aim of formally ending the Korean War. The president’s proposal comes at a time when North Korea has declared itself an ‘irreversible’ nuclear state and is expanding its military ties with Russia.
The two Koreas are technically still at war. The Korean War of 1950-53 ended with a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.
President Lee made the proposal for talks while addressing a ceremony held to mark Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule.
“Let us abandon the intention to threaten each other and start talks to end the long-standing war as direct parties involved in the war,” Lee said.
He also stated that effective measures to prevent the expansion of North Korea’s nuclear capabilities could be discussed through talks.
President Lee’s proposal comes at a time when North Korea is protesting the upcoming annual joint military exercise between the US and South Korea. Pyongyang has called the exercise a preparation for an attack and has warned of taking stronger retaliatory measures against it.
North Korea has also expressed dissatisfaction with Japan’s growing military activities. After Tokyo pledged to expand its defense capabilities for regional security, Pyongyang conducted missile tests twice in the past two weeks.
Since the summit talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then-US President Donald Trump in Hanoi in 2019 failed, Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an ‘irreversible’ nuclear state. The talks failed due to a lack of agreement on the scope of nuclear disarmament and the lifting of sanctions against North Korea.
South Korean President Lee, after taking office in June 2025, has been proposing unconditional talks with nuclear-armed North Korea, distancing himself from the hardline policies of the previous government.
Last July, South Korea’s Unification Minister stated that they would shift focus from pressuring North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons to preventing the expansion of Pyongyang’s nuclear program. However, North Korea has not responded to President Lee’s latest peace proposals. Instead, it has been strengthening its military ties with Russia.
According to analysts, North Korea is receiving financial aid, food, energy, and military technology from Moscow in return for providing troops and ammunition for Russia’s war in Ukraine. They estimate that North Korean leader Kim may visit Russia by the end of this year to discuss further arms supplies.
The US, South Korea’s main security ally, has deployed approximately 28,500 troops in South Korea to counter potential military threats from North Korea.
Colonel Ryan Donald, a spokesman for the US-South Korea Combined Forces Command, said that North Korea’s experience in the Ukraine war has changed the security challenges that may arise on the Korean Peninsula.
“They have brought back the lessons they learned there,” Donald told reporters on the sidelines of the 11-day joint military exercise that began on Monday. “Our training takes into account that very threat.”