South Korean President Lee Jae-myung pledged to end the Korean War and rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons on Tuesday, remarks that one expert said may signal a rhetorical shift to avoid referring to North Korea’s denuclearization.

Lee also reiterated his overtures to Pyongyang to jointly work toward an era of “peaceful coexistence,” proposing the restoration of inter-Korean communications lines and suggesting cooperation could extend to climate change and public health.

“We will continue efforts to end the state of war on the peninsula, pursue a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and establish lasting peace,” Lee said at a forumorganized