What did South Korean President Lee Jae Myung propose to North Korea on Liberation Day?

Lee proposed dialogue to officially end the Korean War and establish a peace regime. He made the appeal in a Liberation Day address marking the 81st anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s colonial rule.

How did North Korean state media respond to Lee Jae Myung’s Korean War ending proposal?

North Korean state media remained silent on the proposal as of Sunday morning. KCNA and Rodong Sinmun did not carry reports on Lee’s address and instead focused on commemorative events and loyalty pledges to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

Why are North and South Korea still technically at war?

The Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. Because of that, the two Koreas technically remain at war even though the fighting ended in 1953.

N. Korea silent on Lee's proposal for dialogue to officially end Korean War

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Summary

North Korea remained silent Sunday on South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s proposal to formally end the Korean War and establish a peace regime. Lee made the appeal in a Liberation Day address Saturday marking the 81st anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. The two Koreas remain technically at war because the conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. North Korean state media instead focused on commemorative events and loyalty pledges to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

Key Facts

Lee Jae Myung made the dialogue proposal during a Liberation Day address Saturday.
The address marked the 81st anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule.
North Korean outlets including KCNA and Rodong Sinmun did not report on Lee’s address as of Sunday morning.
The two Koreas technically remain at war because the 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 16, 2026 11:16 am KST

This image, captured from North Korea's official Korean Central TV on Saturday, shows performers taking part in a celebratory event marking the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. Yonhap

North Korea remained silent Sunday on South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's proposal to officially end the 1950-53 Korean War.

Lee proposed dialogue to formally end the Korean War and establish a peace regime during a Liberation Day address Saturday that marked the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.

The two Koreas technically remain at war since the three-year conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

North Korean state media, such as the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the Rodong Sinmun, however, did not carry any reports on Lee's address as of Sunday morning.

They instead focused reporting on commemorative events across the country on the occasion of the anniversary, such as people visiting statutes of the country's late leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il to pledge their loyalty.

Lee's dialogue overture came despite the North remaining unresponsive to Seoul's repeated reconciliatory gestures since Lee took office in June last year.

The Lee administration has pledged to consistently pursue dialogue with North Korea in pursuit of peaceful coexistence with the regime.

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