South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s last-minute push for an end-of-war declaration in recent months has so far met with a North Korean response that has been familiar to Seoul and Washington as they’ve sought to engage the country — silence.

In interviews with NK News, experts cited various reasons for why the DPRK has yet to reply to calls for talks on the issue, from skepticism about Seoul’s intentions to a desire for more concrete security reassurances. Yet with the end of the year fast approaching, the DPRK will soon have a golden opportunity to clarify its view.