With just 8 months left in his office, President Moon Jae-in once again called for the two Koreas, the United States, and possibly China, to formally declare an end to the 1950-1953 Korean War in his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
Moon spent one-fourth of his speech discussing North Korea, but failed to mention its recent provocations, including the restart of its Yongbyon reactor and the ballistic missile test that violates UN resolutions.
“More than anything, an end-of-war declaration will mark a pivotal point of departure in creating a new order of ‘reconciliation and cooperation’ on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said on Tuesday. “Today, I once again urge the community of nations to mobilize its strengths for the end-of-war declaration on the Korean Peninsula and propose that three parties of the two Koreas and the US, or four parties of the two Koreas, the US and China come together and declare that the War on the Korean Peninsula is over. When the parties involved in the Korean War stand together and proclaim an end to the War, I believe we can make irreversible progress in denuclearization and usher in an era of complete peace.”
The end-of-war declaration is the diplomatic card that Moon has been using throughout his presidency to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea under the name of the Korean Peninsula peace process. In Moon’s summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in April 2018, the two leaders clearly stated that they will work toward declaring the end-of-war by the end of that year. However, this approach was resisted by the United States, which suggested denuclearization should come before the declaration of the end-of-war. Progress on the issue has stalled since the Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in February 2019.
Several South Korean observers believe that Moon is attempting to give negotiations a final try during the first UN General Assembly since Biden took office. Moon vaguely said last year that an end-of-war declaration would be a door that will begin the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and permanent peace in the region. However, his proposal made at the UN General Assembly was more specific, directly mentioning the potential parties involved in signing the end-of-war agreement.
“Two years ago in this very place, I declared zero tolerance for war, mutual security guarantee and co-prosperity as the three principles in resolving issues related to the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said Tuesday. “Last year, I proposed a declaration to ending the War on the Korean Peninsula. More than anything, an end-of-war declaration will mark a pivotal point of departure in creating a new order of ‘reconciliation and cooperation’ on the Korean Peninsula.”
Moon’s remarks were met with huge backlash from South Korean conservatives and commentators, who criticized him for continuing to pursue his unrealistic North Korean policies and possibly for using the UN event to influence the upcoming presidential elections.
Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), argued that the Moon administration’s North Korea policy should be scrapped completely. Lee, who met with reporters at the Incheon International Airport before heading to the United States on Tuesday, also said that the administration should reflect on their mistakes rather than propose a new initiative. “This should be the time for them to wrap up what they have done so far and review what went wrong.” He added that South Korea’s U.S. policies have always been chaotic during the Moon Jae-in administration. Lee will meet with senior officials from the Biden administration to discuss various issues, including the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Thae Yong-ho, a former senior North Korean diplomat and current lawmaker from the PPP, also argued that President Moon should refrain from repeating his unrealistic proposal for an end-of-war declaration. “The end-of-war declaration is something that can only be considered under the premise that North Korea takes significant denuclearization measures,” he said. Thae added that Moon has been calling for this declaration ever since he was elected as president in 2017, but that the situation has not made progress despite a series of summits between the two Koreas and the United States and North Korea.
“North Korea, in fact, revealed that it was continuing to develop its nuclear program during this period,” Thae said. “Declaring the end of war under the current situation, where the threat posed by North Korea is continuing to grow, would give the impression to North Korea that it can achieve the withdrawal of the U.S. forces stationed in the Korean Peninsula and dismantle the UN Command.”
Kang Min-kook, a spokesperson from the PPP, called Moon’s remarks at the UN a fake peace show. “President Moon Jae-in made a speech by bringing [Korean boy band] BTS with him, but he should stop this show and take national security more seriously,” he said. He argued that the United States, the host country, recommended that world leaders refrain from attending the meeting in person due to COVID-19, but Moon still visited anyway. “The only reason that he pushed ahead with his plan to attend the session despite the United States’ unwelcoming treatment was to put on a ‘show’ of him making a speech with BTS next to him.”
Kang added that everyone understands that a declaration ending the war would be meaningless without North Korea’s denuclearization. “Despite North Korea’s continuous provocations, Moon continues to call for the declaration, and we are wondering whom this administration’s obsession with the peace show is for.”
Kim Hyung-joon, professor of political science and foreign relations at Myongji University, told the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper that Moon’s remarks appear to be aimed at influencing domestic politics ahead of next year’s presidential election. “I think Moon is throwing out the proposal to declare the end of the war, which is unrealistic and implausible while North Korea is heightening its level of provocations, to portray the current administration and ruling party as those hoping to achieve peace,” Kim argued.
One Korea Network (OKN) and the Korean Conservative Political Action Conference (KCPAC) released a digital advertisement in New York City’s Times Square on Tuesday warning people of pro-North Korean supporters and leftists pushing for fake peace on the Korean Peninsula.
“To President Moon Jae-in and the U.S. Congress,” the advertisement read. “True peace can only come from true freedom. Hold the North Korean regime accountable and free the North Korean people.”
It then warned of two bills that are under review in the U.S. Congress. One is H.R. 3446, often known as the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act, and the other is H.R. 826, or the Divided Families Reunification Act. “If passed, the bills will ultimately dismantle the UN Command and remove U.S. troops from South Korea,” the advertisement read.
Lee Hyun-seung (Arthur), regional director of OKN, said, “Despite President Moon Jae-in’s dismal track record on North Korean human rights and his push for a peace deal with the North Korean regime before he leaves office, the world needs to be reminded that unless the regime is held accountable and real changes are made, there will be NO peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
Grant Newsham, President of KCPAC, said, “Through the airing of this ad calling out President Moon and his misguided North Korea-policy during his visit to New York during UNGA 76, we hope to educate the public and generate more support for our campaign to counter H.R. 3446 and H.R. 826.” Newsham added that, “The danger of these two seemingly innocuous bills is that they work to North Korea’s advantage and potentially undercut the ROK-U.S. alliance and ultimately end the U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula.”
U.S. President Joe Biden also mentioned North Korea in his remarks at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. “We seek serious and sustained diplomacy to pursue the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Biden said. “We seek concrete progress toward an available plan with tangible commitments that would increase stability on the Peninsula and in the region, as well as improve the lives of the people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”
Moon’s plan for a hasty peace declaration is unlikely to help achieve the U.S. goals of improving North Koreans’ lives and denuclearizing the peninsula.
