South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said on Thursday that negotiations between Seoul and Washington on a declaration to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War are nearing completion.

Chung made the comments during a parliamentary session, confirming that progress has been made in the allies' talks over the declaration, as South Korean Ambassador to the US Lee Soo-hyuck stated earlier this week. "We've been in close contact with the US recently about the format and content of an end-of-war declaration," Chung said. "The coordination between South Korea and the United States is almost finished." However, the Minister acknowledged that approving the declaration would take time. "It appears that an end-of-war declaration will not be easy," he said, adding that he is unable to predict when it will occur.

The Moon Jae-in administration hopes to use an end-of-war declaration as a springboard for resuming talks with North Korea and achieving long-term peace on the peninsula, including by dismantling the North's nuclear weapons programme.

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