South Korea president proposes talks with North to formally end Korean War

South Korea’s dovish President Lee has reversed the stance of his hawkish predecessor since taking power in Seoul in June 2025, offering nuclear-armed Pyongyang talks without preconditions.

In July, South Korea’s unification minister even claimed Seoul had abandoned its campaign prioritising pressure on the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons, focusing instead on halting the expansion of Pyongyang’s nuclear activities.

The leadership of North Korea has yet to respond to Lee’s repeated offers, and has instead bolstered military ties with Russia.

Analysts say Pyongyang is receiving financial support, food, energy and military technology from Moscow for supplying troops and munitions for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to visit Russia later this year, potentially to discuss further weapons supplies to Moscow.

Washington, Seoul’s key security ally, stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to bolster the country’s defences against military threats from Pyongyang.

Colonel Ryan Donald, spokesman for the US and South Korean Combined Forces Command, said this week that North Korea’s deployment to the European war had changed the threat his soldiers may face on the Korean peninsula.

“They’ve taken those lessons they learned there and brought them back to North Korea,” he told reporters as he talked about the 11-day South Korea-US joint exercises due to begin Monday.

“Our training accounts for that threat.”