South Korean President Moon Jae-In says there will be no war on Korean peninsula

This latest statement comes despite high tensions over the North's nuclear and missile programmes.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in
South Korean President Moon Jae-in attends a news conference in Berlin, Germany July 5, 2017. Reuters

South Korean President Moon Jae-In said on Thursday that there will be no war on the Korean peninsula. This latest statement comes despite high tensions over the North's nuclear and missile programmes.

"All South Koreans have worked so hard together to rebuild the country from the ruins of the Korean War," Moon told a press conference that was held marking his first 100 days in office.

"I will prevent war at all cost," he added. "So I want all South Koreans to believe with confidence that there will be no war." President Moon also said that he is also considering sending a special envoy to Pyongyang.

During a televised anniversary speech on Tuesday, the president said that there will be no military action upon the Korean peninsula without Seoul's consent and that the government would prevent war by all means.

In recent months, the tension on the Korean peninsula has increased over a concern that North Korea is quite close to achieving its goal of putting the mainland United States within range of a nuclear weapon.

Last week, North Korea and the United States exchanged threats of military action. Pyongyang has said that it will develop a plan to fire missiles to land in waters near the US Pacific territory of Guam.

On Tuesday, North Korea had said that it would keep fire-ready regarding its Guam plans while watching the actions of the United States for a while longer.

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