South Korean Leader Offered Direct Talks to North Korea

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung offered direct talks to North Korea in order to officially end the technically still ongoing war between the two countries. Speaking at the Liberation Day ceremony held on the occasion of the anniversary of the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japanese occupation, Lee suggested establishing a "multi-layered security system" to prevent sudden tensions along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is the de facto border between the parties. The South Korean leader also called for dialogue to discuss practical ways to stop the Pyongyang administration's production of nuclear weapons. In his speech at the ceremony, Lee addressed the two countries that are direct parties to the Korean War and said, "Let's put aside our intentions to threaten each other and begin discussions to end this long-standing war as directly related parties." Lee stated that he hopes the parties will meet face to face for peaceful coexistence and mutual growth of the two countries, adding that these meetings can serve as a platform to discuss effective ways to stop the development of the North's nuclear capacity. FROM THE 1953 ceasefire to the present. Although the conflicts on the Korean Peninsula were frozen by a ceasefire agreement signed in 1953, the two countries are legally at war. While there have been various conflicts and tensions throughout the Demilitarized Zone over the past decades, both sides have recently accused each other of provocative actions such as launching balloons carrying garbage and propaganda. Lee Jae-myung, who replaced his predecessor Yoon Suk-yeol, who was dismissed after the attempt to declare martial law, adopts the policy of softening relations with North Korea and its ally China, which deteriorated during Yoon's reign. NO RESPONSE FROM THE NORTH YET North Korean officials have not yet responded to Lee's latest dialogue offer. KCNA, the official news agency of the Pyongyang administration, merely published the news that Kim Jong Un attended the wreath-laying and silence ceremony as part of the Liberation Day commemorations in the country. The Pyongyang administration has rejected Lee's offers of engagement in the past; He criticized the US agreement to build a nuclear-powered submarine fleet for South Korea and condemned joint military exercises between the two allies.