South Korea president proposes talks with North to formally end Korean War - Asia & Pacific - The Jakarta Post

Asia & Pacific

Lee's proposal came as North Korea this week denounced upcoming annual US-South Korean military drills, warning of stronger deterrence measures.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (center left) and his wife Kim Hea Kyung (centre right) wave the national flags during a ceremony to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the Korean Liberation Day in Seoul on Aug. 15, 2026. (AFP/Pool/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung proposed talks with North Korea to formally end the long-running Korean War, as Pyongyang deepens ties with Russia while asserting its status as an "irreversible" nuclear state.The two Koreas remain technically at war because their 1950-53 conflict, triggered by a North Korean attack, ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Lee made the proposal in his speech at a ceremony marking the anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.