Seoul 'reviews' North Korea peace treaty plan

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL (AA) - South Korea is weighing whether to seek a peace treaty ahead of a scheduled inter-Korean summit on April 27, according to a Seoul presidential official Wednesday.

Just hours earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said such a move would have his "blessing".

"Of course, there remains a process of consulting with all related countries, including North Korea, as it cannot be realized only by our wish," the South Korean official was quoted as saying by local news agency Yonhap on the condition of anonymity.

Seoul and Pyongyang have maintained an uneasy truce for decades since the 1950-53 Korean War, as a peace agreement was never reached between the two sides -- the South is still backed militarily by the U.S.

Meanwhile, South Korea's National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong told reporters Wednesday that Seoul and Washington are discussing "how we could guarantee the North's bright future should the North make the right decision".

The allies have made clear that the "right decision" would mean Pyongyang abandoning its nuclear weapon ambitions.

Next Friday's inter-Korean summit between the South's leader Moon Jae-in and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un will be the first of its kind for over a decade.

It is set to be followed within weeks by a completely unprecedented meeting involving Kim and Trump.