News analysis

Korean militaries' pact signals end of Korean War

Implicit message to US is that South Korea will boost ties with North, independent of its ally

Above: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (second from left) and his wife Ri Sol Ju (third from left) had lunch with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook at Pyongyang's famous cold noodle restaurant Okryu-gwan yesterday. Right
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (second from left) and his wife Ri Sol Ju (third from left) had lunch with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook at Pyongyang's famous cold noodle restaurant Okryu-gwan yesterday. Right: South Korean President Moon also visited Mansudae Art Studio in the North Korean capital yesterday. PHOTOS: EPA-EFE, REUTERS
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North Korea had for months been pushing for the United States to declare an end to the 1950-1953 Korean War, which was merely halted with an armistice.

Yet the issue was conspicuously missing from the Pyongyang Declaration signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and visiting South Korean President Moon Jae-in yesterday in Pyongyang. Neither leader spoke about it during their joint press conference.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 20, 2018, with the headline Korean militaries' pact signals end of Korean War. Subscribe