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South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong (left) and US Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke on Sunday during the G20 summit in Rome, Italy. (provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

The South Korean and US foreign ministers held “serious discussions” on methods of quickly resuming the Korean Peninsula peace process, including a possible declaration formally ending the Korean war, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.

South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong and US Secretary of State Tony Blinken met for 30 minutes on Sunday morning in Rome, where the G20 summit was being held.

According to MOFA, Chung and Blinken exchanged views on areas of mutual interest, including South Korea-US relations, Korean Peninsula issues, and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meeting came at a time when remarks by White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan have triggered speculation over possible differences in opinion between the two sides on the matter of an end-of-war declaration. Many had been watching to see whether any additional messages would be shared on the issue at this senior-level meeting.

But a press release issued by MOFA on Sunday said only that the two ministers had held “serious discussions” on an end-of-war declaration.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Sullivan said South Korea-US discussions on an end-of-war declaration had been “very productive” and “constructive,” although he alluded to the two sides having “somewhat different perspectives on the precise sequence or timing or conditions for different steps.”

In connection with this, a MOFA senior official said there were no notable differences between Seoul and Washington’s attitudes.

“Both sides share the view that we should pursue this opportunity to resume dialogue with North Korea,” they said.

MOFA added that Chung and Blinken had “agreed on the importance of managing the Korean Peninsula situation on a stable footing.”

At the end of a press readout issued after the two ministers’ meeting Sunday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said they had “underscored our shared commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” This was the only mention of Korean Peninsula issues, while the matter of an end-of-war declaration was not mentioned directly at all.

“Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Chung reaffirmed the ironclad U.S.-ROK alliance, which is the linchpin of peace, security and prosperity in Northeast Asia, the Indo-Pacific, and beyond,” Price wrote, adding that they had “discussed the importance of our comprehensive partnership in tackling the global challenges of the 21st Century, including the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.”

South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong (left) and Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi spoke on Friday during the G20 summit in Rome, Italy. (provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

The MOFA said the two ministers had assessed the “robust South Korea-US alliance” as “developing beyond regional cooperation in Northeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region into a comprehensive global alliance to address worldwide issues such as supply chains and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

It also said they had “noted that South Korea and the US have been actively communicating on various occasions and at various levels” and “agreed to continue coordinating and cooperating closely going forward.”

The meeting between the South Korean and US foreign ministers was the first in roughly one month since a pull-aside on Oct. 5 at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris.

On Friday evening, Chung met with Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in Rome and exchanged views with him on the end-of-war declaration proposal and other Korean Peninsula matters. The MOFA said Saturday that they had “had a frank and in-depth exchange of views on areas of cooperation toward quickly resuming the Korean Peninsula peace process, including the matter of an end-of-war declaration as it pertains to the Korean Peninsula political situation.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted Wang as noting the “new changes in the situation on the Peninsula,” while stressing that “China supports the ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in improving and developing relations, and is also glad to see the DPRK and the United States restart dialogue in due time.”

“China always maintains that the people in both the ROK and the DPRK are the masters of the Peninsula, and they should play a more active role,” Wang was also quoted as saying.

“China supports all the efforts and proposals that can help advance the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue, and will continue to play a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability of the Peninsula and the region,” he continued, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

A MOFA official said that China “expressed that it thinks [an end-of-war declaration] is a good idea and supports it.”

By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

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