Seoul's foreign ministry said there may have been some misunderstanding that prompted a group of 35 U.S. Republican lawmakers to send a joint letter to the White House opposing a declaration to end the Korean War without commitment of denuclearization from North Korea.

A ministry official said on Wednesday that a war-ending declaration does not imply legal, structural changes to the armistice regime and that the status of U.S. Forces Korea(USFK) and the United Nations Command(UNC) is completely unrelated.

In the letter, the lawmakers expressed concerns over risks posed to U.S. troop presence and regional stability.

Regarding the argument that fully removing North Korea's nuclear weapons should come first, the official said a peace treaty, not a end-of-war declaration, will be pursued at the time of complete denuclearization.

The official said South Korea's official stance support simultaneous denuclearization and building lasting peace, side by side, and a declaration can serve as the impetus to resume nuclear negotiations.

The official also noted the two Koreas agreed to pursue a formal end to the war in past summit talks while North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as recently as September publicly expressed interest on the issue.

The official also highlighted support for the declaration within the U.S. Congress including a letter sent to President Biden by 23 Democratic lawmakers last month.