Should the US sign a formal peace treaty with North Korea?

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.slate.com/id/2219060/

Are We at War With North Korea?
Um, sort of, in a way …
By Juliet Lapidos
Posted Tuesday, May 26, 2009, at 6:49 PM ET

North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Monday, the second such test in less than three years. In response to the incident, a senior administration official told the New York Times "that the United States would never grant full diplomatic recognition to North Korea, or sign a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War, unless its nuclear capability is dismantled." Wait, we're still at war with North Korea?

Sort of. The 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement, signed by the United Nations Command, North Korea, and China, ended the conflict in a practical sense. It set up a system for exchanging prisoners of war, created a north-south boundary within a demilitarized zone, and marked the suspension of all open hostilities. It was not, however, intended as the final say on the matter. In fact, Article IV of the Armistice recommends that "the governments concerned on both sides" convene a conference within three months of signing to organize the withdrawal of foreign forces from the peninsula and settle the "Korea question"—roughly, who would rule over a reunited Korea. Talks did take place in Geneva in 1954, but they broke down over how, exactly, to hold fair elections for a unified government.

The difference between an armistice and a formal treaty is partly semantic. An armistice is more or less a permanent truce (unlike the temporary cease-fires often worked out between Israel and its neighbors). It's a cessation of hostilities between militaries, as opposed to a cessation of the disagreement between governments; as such, it marks the end of armed conflict but not the conclusion of a war, per se. The details of a permanent treaty can vary wildly, but as a general rule, they are supposed to establish long-lasting terms of engagement—like formal borders, trade agreements, and the resolution of war debt.

[FarCenter]

1. I don't think that we were at war with North Korea

There was never a declaration of war by Congress. Therefore, a peace treaty is unnecessary.

IIRC, it was a "United Nations Police Action" or some such, not a war.

[LakeSamish706]

2. Considering that Kim jong-il supposedly has Pancreatic Cancer....

I doubt he gives a shit one way or another.... Don't know if his Cancer has or can be arrested, but we saw what happened to Patrick Swayze... So not giving him much hope... Not sure who will replace him... But have heard it will be his son.

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE56C0EL20090713