Korean war must formally end to break the dangerous nuclear impasse

The current status quo encourages military build-ups and aggressive posturing while impeding sensible solutions to North Korea’s isolation and economic impoverishment

A peace treaty must be negotiated, and the US must drop its unrealistic requirement for complete and verifiable denuclearisation of North Korea

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Gabriela Bernal

Dr Gabriela Bernal is a North Korea analyst based in Seoul, South Korea.

Published: 1:00am, 27 Jul 2023Updated: 1:49am, 27 Jul 2023

This week marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement. While many assume this document ended the war on July 27, 1953, it in fact only served to end the fighting. The actual war drags on with no end in sight.

Today, most consider the security situation and the division of the peninsula normal, and the international community seems to have become comfortable with the status quo. Such perceptions, however, come with major risks, since every year that goes by without ending the war results in North Korea continuing to expand its nuclear and missile programmes. Not to mention how the trend of recent military provocations by the two Koreas could result in escalations that trigger the resumption of all-out conflict.

While the US waits for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, the unresolved status of the Korean war fuels tensions between North and South Korea and contributes to the instability of the entire region.

As such, it is imperative for the parties concerned to declare an end to the Korean war and take steps towards signing a legally binding peace treaty. Such a treaty would become a positive condition for improvements on various levels, including security, humanitarian and economic fronts.