The South Korean government is not interested in ending the Korean War until a laundry list of issues are addressed.
President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration will "never" seek an end to the 70-year-long conflict, Reunification Minister Kim Yung-ho said Thursday in one of his first conferences since being appointed.
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An armistice agreement in 1953 ended active military combat between the two nations, but Kim warned that a formal end of the conflict would jeopardize North Korea's accountability for prisoners of war and kidnapping victims.
"What I can clearly say is that conditions for the end-of-war declaration have not been met. If such a declaration is carried out, the issue of abductees, prisoners of war and detainees in the North will be overshadowed," Kim said.
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He added, "I can promise that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration will never pursue the end-of-war declaration.
This stance is a departure from policies of the previous administration under President Moon Jae-in, who believed such a declaration would be the first step toward securing reunification of the country.
North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a totalitarian state ruled by the Kim family regime. Its government, institutions and infrastructure operate under a distinct form of communism known as "juche."
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Kim assumed his role as reunification minister on Friday of last week, taking the lead on inter-Korean dialogue and policymaking.
The two countries' long history as one nation — coupled with families segregated on opposite sides of the border — make North Korea and South Korea's long-term relationship a key issues in regional politics.
The arrest and abduction of South Korean citizens by North Korean forces is a prominent source of ire between the two nations.
