Anchor: South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for the declaration of the end to the Korean War, saying it would pave the way for complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. In a video message to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Moon said peace on the peninsula will guarantee peace in Northeast Asia as a whole and bring positive changes to the world order. 
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: Amid the stalemate in inter-Korean relations and stalled nuclear negotiations, President Moon Jae-in sought to revive the dimming hope for putting an official end to the Korean War.

He says it's the gateway to denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. 

[Sound bite: President Moon Jae-in (Korean/English translation)]
"In particular, this year marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. Time has come to remove the tragedy lingering on the Korean Peninsula. The war must end, completely and for good. Peace on the Korean Peninsula will guarantee peace in Northeast Asia as a whole and, going one step further, bring positive changes to the world order as well. I believe it begins with declaring an end to the war, an act that can affirm mutual commitments to peace."

An armistice ended fighting in the Korean War in 1953, signed by the U.N. allied forces, North Korea and China. 

In his video speech for this year's U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Moon urged the U.N. and the international community to provide support to end the war, and proposed thawing the icy situation by launching a joint fight against infectious diseases.  

[Sound bite: President Moon Jae-in (Korean/English translation)] 
"Hoping that the international community views the issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula through the lens of more inclusive international cooperation, I propose today launching a Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health, whereby North Korea participates as a member along with China, Japan, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea. A cooperative architecture that guarantees collective protection of life and safety will lay the groundwork for North Korea to have its security guaranteed by engaging with the international community." 

Shortly after the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang two years ago, cross-border relations started to collapse particularly following the breakdown of the Washington-Pyongyang summit in Hanoi last year. 

With the Trump administration refusing to ease sanctions on Pyongyang, North Korea blamed Seoul for anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns carried out by defector-led civic groups in the South. Tensions culminated in June with the explosive demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong.

Seoul has so far been mediating between Washington and Pyongyang to rekindle dialogue while searching for small-scale inter-Korean projects that may not be subject to U.S. nuclear sanctions. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.