NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “South Korean officials are playing down the likelihood of an imminent peace declaration after President Donald Trump suggested that he could declare an end to the Korean War at next week’s U.S.-North Korea summit. South Korean representatives declined to comment officially on Monday [6-4-18], saying only that they were monitoring summit preparations. But behind the scenes some officials signaled caution about the prospect of a peace declaration and about what some here have called heated optimism over the possibility for such a declaration at the Singapore meeting. The leaders of North and South Korea agreed in April to pursue a treaty this year to end the Korean War—a binding agreement that would go a notch beyond a more-symbolic peace declaration, which they also agreed in April to pursue. An armistice, rather than a treaty, ended the 1950-1953 conflict and was signed by China, North Korea and the United Nations, which was led by the U.S. at the time. South Korea’s then president, Syngman Rhee, refused to sign it, as the armistice left the peninsula divided. Those signatories would need to approve a peace treaty.”
-Andrew Jeong, “South Korea Tamps Down Hopes for Peace Declaration at North Korea Summit,” The Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2018 9:41 am