KCNA: End of Korean War 'not a bargaining chip' for denuclearization

SEOUL, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- North Korea said it won't declare an official end of the Korean War if the United States is not willing to do the same for the conflict that ended in a truce -- but not a resolution -- in 1953.

The Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's state media agency, released a report on Tuesday saying Pyongyang doesn't intend to bargain measures for denuclearization for an official declaration of the end of the Korean War.

"The end of the war declaration is not a giveaway gift from one party to another and definitely not a bargaining chip that could replace our measures for denuclearization. It's something that conforms to interests of not only between North Korea and the U.S. but also countries in the Northeast Asian region," the report said.

North Korea has insisted that declaring an end of the Korean War should precede its measures for denuclearization, while the United States has requested its report of nuclear weapons.

The difference in stance has stalled the nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Pyongyang for a third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last month to revive nuclear talks. He received a pledge by the North to close missile facilities and a permanent dismantlement of its key Yongbyon nuclear facility if the United States takes "corresponding measures."

The report denounced North Korean experts in the United States, who note that the United States must request reports of nuclear weapons and dismantlement of the Yongbyon nuclear facility and missile facilities in exchange for agreeing to declaring an end of the war, "a pure sophistry."

It said that declaring the end of the Korean War has been a long-awaited mission that should have been done a half-century ago and a fundamental step toward establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.