Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha says Seoul aims to formally end the Korean War within the year, but will be flexible about the timing and format. 

In a news briefing on Monday, she said South Korea is in close consultations with the U.S. regarding the matter, adding that China could also play an important role in establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. 

Kang also revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told her during telephone talks earlier in the day that he will sit with North Korean officials in the near future, to follow up on the U.S.-North Korea summit. 

Nevertheless, Kang said Seoul and Washington agree that sanctions against Pyongyang should remain in place until it takes concrete steps for denuclearization. 

She also hoped to meet her North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum in Singapore in early August. 

[Photo : YONHAP News]