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South Korea and the US have "effectively" agreed on the draft text of the proposed declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, amid their continued push to resume dialogue with North Korea, Seoul's top diplomat said on Wednesda .
Chung Eui-yong made the remarks during a press conference, noting he and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the progress in the allies' consultations over the declaration when they met on the sidelines of a G7 session in Liverpool earlier this month, reports Yonhap News Agency. "Regarding the end-of-war declaration, South Korea and the US have already shared the understanding on its importance, and the two sides have effectively reached an agreement on its draft text," Chung said. Though Seoul and Washington have made considerable progress over the declaration, its fate remains uncertain as Pyongyang has been unresponsive to their overtures for dialogue, with the five-year term of the Moon Jae-in administration set to end in May. "Although North Korea showed a set of prompt, positive responses to the end-of-war declaration, we hope (it) will show a more concrete reaction," Chung said. "We are considering various ways on how to advance discussions with North Korea." In September, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, called the declaration an "interesting" and "admirable" idea but urged Seoul to drop what she called "hostile" policy toward Pyongyang in order to start relevant discussions. Denuclearization negotiations between the US and the North have remained stalled since the two countries' no-deal Hanoi summit in 2019. --IANS ksk/ ( 271 Words) 2021-12-29-12:12:02 (IANS)
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