Name? Moon Jae-in
Westphalian identity? South Korean
Age? 68
Why is he in the news? President Moon is happy to hear that China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, supports South Korea’s push for a declaration of the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War; which ended in an armistice that has left the two Koreas technically still at war. As North Korea’s biggest ally politically and economically, China’s support of President Moon in this initiative is very telling.
Why do we care? Throughout his presidency, Moon has attempted to engage with his counterpart in North Korea in order to create greater peace on the peninsula. With his five-year term ending next May, time is running out for the South Korean President to reach any sort of agreement with the North. As such, Moon has seemingly sought support from Beijing on the matter as Pyongyang refuses to work with Washington.
Why should you care? Not only would an “end of war declaration” build greater trust between the North and Moon, but it could also restart denuclearization talks and even move towards a lasting peace agreement. Therefore you should care 7/10 about the potential end of one of the most contentious frozen conflicts.
Who else cares? North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. If the above reasons weren’t enough for Kim to care, the mere fact that his communist big brother is willing to work with his adversary on such an important declaration should grab the leader’s attention. Especially if that declaration would not include the United States whom Kim has had little contact with since his bromance Trump left office.
Any further comments? As great as a peace treaty sounds, we are sceptical of anything actually happening as Moon attempts to benefit from Hallyu while Kim sentences citizens to death for smuggling Squid Game….with these major differences, we think it’s fair to say a formal declaration is likely further in the future.
