Korean leaders can discuss peace, but not decide end of war

Korean leaders can discuss peace, but not decide end of war
People watch a TV screen showing file footage of US President Donald Trump, right, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP/Ahn Young-joon)
Updated 18 April 2018
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Korean leaders can discuss peace, but not decide end of war

Korean leaders can discuss peace, but not decide end of war
  • North and South Korea can discuss peace, but other countries required to sign off on end to war
  • A summit between the two Koreas will take place at the end of the month

SEOUL, South Korea: President Donald Trump has given his “blessing” for North and South Korea to discuss the end of the Korean War at their summit next week amid a diplomatic push to end the North Korean nuclear standoff.
But no such deal will be made without the involvement of the other countries that fought the 1950-53 war, and especially the United States.
The reason is that South Korea wasn’t a direct signatory to the armistice that stopped the fighting.
The Korean leaders plan to meet on April 27. A summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump is anticipated in May or June.
A South Korean presidential official says the Korean leaders plan to discuss ending military hostilities, but it wasn’t clear if they’d discuss the end of the war.