On Saturday, August 15, Lee Jae-myung, President of the Republic of Korea (ROK), proposed talks with northern counterparts to formally bring an end to the Fatherland Liberation War, known in the West as the Korean War.
August 15th also marks Fatherland Liberation Day, which is celebrated across the Korean peninsula.1 The holiday commemorates the Korean people’s national liberation from Japanese occupation in 1945.
Lee suggested a “multi-layered security system” to avoid flare-ups along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas and offered dialogue between the two sides regarding the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s nuclear program, which is used to avoid military confrontation. He noted:
Let us put down our intentions to threaten each other and begin discussions to end the long-running war as the directly involved parties. … In the process, we may also discuss effective ways to halt the advancement of the north’s nuclear capabilities.
He also noted the need to replace the “unstable armistice system” with a “peace regime” to avoid repeated escalations. Last year, Lee also pledged to respect the DPRK’s system and seek peaceful coexistence.
As of the time of writing, the DPRK has not yet responded to Lee’s offer.
Months ago, the DPRK removed all references to reunification in their constitution and recognized the ROK as their neighbour to the south, which experts from the ROK, such as Professor Lee Jung-chul of Seoul National University, saw as a positive revision that “[lays] the groundwork for ‘peaceful coexistence between the two Koreas.”
“Fatherland Liberation Day” refers to the Korean people’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, which is considered part of the World Anti-Fascist War (WWII). Not to be confused with the Fatherland Liberation War (Korean War), also mentioned here.
The Americans remove their weapons from the peninsula and peace breaks out