At UN, DPR Korea pushes for replacing Republic of Korea armistice with peace pact

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) today at the General Assembly called for talks to begin as early as possible to replace the Armistice with a peace agreement.

Thirty-five years have elapsed since the General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for the dissolving of United Nations Command, for the withdrawal of all foreign troops and for a peace agreement to take the place of the 1953 Armistice.

“This notwithstanding, the Korean Peninsula is still in a state of armistice which means neither war nor peace,” Pak Kil Yon, DPRK’s Vice Foreign Minister, told the Assembly’s annual high-level segment.

The sovereignty and efforts of the country for peaceful development continue to be under threat and undermined “as the explosive situation leading to the brink of a war is created periodically on the Korean Peninsula,” he stressed.

He cited as the most recent example the “farce” of the arms build-up and threat of war waged by the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) on the Korean Peninsula and its surroundings by “taking the opportunity of the ‘Cheonan’ incident.”

Forty-six people onboard the ROK naval vessel died when it was sunk in late March. Seoul released the findings of an international report in May that concluded that the vessel was hit by a torpedo launched by its neighbour, the DPRK.

In July, the sinking was condemned by the Security Council, which said that such an incident “endangers peace and security in the region and beyond.”

The 15-member body expressed its deep concern over the findings of the international report, but noted that the DPRK has “stated that it had nothing to do with the incident.”

“The tough-and-go situation created sometime ago in North-East Asia, including the Korean Peninsula, undoubtedly proved once again that the United States is not a defender, but a disruptor of peace,” the DPRK Vice-Minister emphasized today.

The country believes a peaceful environment is necessary as it focuses on economic development to “open the gate of a powerful and prosperous State in 2012,” the centenary of the birth of former President Kim Il Sung, he added.

If talks begin swiftly for replacing the armistice with a peace pact, “the UN General Assembly will see the process of implementing its historic resolution adopted 35 years ago,” the official said.

“The conclusion of a peace agreement will represent the most effective confidence-building measure for removing distrusts among the parties to the armistice and serve as a powerful driving force guaranteeing the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.”