"US Forces Korea (USFK) is a matter of the South Korea-US alliance. It has nothing to do with signing a peace treaty," the spokesman said as quoted by the Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.
According to the media outlet, Moon's remarks followed a proposal made by his special adviser Moon Chung-in on the withdrawal of USFK. This issue has cropped up following the recent historic meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas in the demilitarized zone (DMZ).
Since no peace treaty was ever signed after the Korean War of 1950-1953, North and South Korea legally remain in a state of war. The 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement provided for a suspension of open hostilities and a fixed demarcation line with a buffer zone. Washington has maintained its troops presence in South Korea since that time. There are about 28,500 US servicemen currently stationed in South Korea.