South Korean president says government will seek to replace armistice with peace regime

The president said Wednesday the government will pursue sustained efforts to engage North Korea and replace the Korean War armistice with a peace regime. The remarks came during a meeting of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, a presidential advisory body on unification of the two Koreas.

"At least to open a 'Korea premium' era for the future Korean Peninsula that is drawing global attention, we must replace the armistice with a peace regime," the president said. The president added that the government should continue to "knock on North Korea's closed door" and stated that "difficult does not mean impossible" and that continued efforts would eventually succeed.

Background on the armistice North Korea has remained unresponsive to the administration's repeated dialogue overtures and has instead hardened its hostile stance toward Seoul. Since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, the two Koreas remain technically at war.

"Now is the time to resume action toward peace," the president declared, pledging to find a way for the two Koreas to peacefully coexist while respecting each other's political systems and sovereignty. The president also reaffirmed the administration's commitment to nonaggression toward Pyongyang, saying Seoul will respect the North Korean system, will not pursue unification through absorption and will not engage in hostile actions.

"I will keep these promises without fail," the president pledged.