N. Korea rejects South's calls for end-of-war declaration

North Korea has rebuffed South Korea’s push for a political declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War, calling it a potential “smokescreen" to cover up hostile U.S. policy

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea rebuffed South Korea’s push for a political declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War as a way to restore peace, saying Friday such a step could be used as a “smokescreen covering up the U.S. hostile policy” against the North.

In a speech at the U.N. General Assembly earlier this week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in reiterated his calls for the end-of-the-war declaration that he said could help achieve denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Ri Thae Song dismissed Moon’s call as premature so long as U.S. policies were unchanged.

“It should be clearly understood that the declaration of the termination of the war is of no help at all to stabilizing the situation of the Korean Peninsula at the moment but can rather be misused as a smokescreen covering up the U.S. hostile policy,” Ri said in a statement carried by state media.