By Lee Min-hyung
North Korea has urged the South to step up efforts for an early declaration of the end of the Korean War, according to Pyongyang's propaganda website.
"South Korea should not sit on its hands on the issue of the declaration of an end of the war," Uriminzokkiri said. "This is because the South should fulfill its responsibility to implement the April 26 Panmunjeom Declaration."
The pressure comes at a time when the North has failed to reach terms with the United States on their ongoing denuclearization talks. The U.S. wants the North to take concrete and verifiable steps to realize its pledge for denuclearization before discussing ending the war.
But Pyongyang has in recent weeks complained that the U.S. is making "unilateral" demands in their ongoing dialogue for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
"The U.S. is unilaterally demanding denuclearization of the peninsula, which is in contrast to the spirit of the Washignton-Pyongyang joint agreement last month," it said. "The South is also not making concerted efforts to resolve the issue of declaring an end to the war."
The Ministry of Unification said Seoul will continue working to narrow the differences between Washington and Pyongyang to declare an end to the war by the end of the year.
"The two Koreas are on track to fulfill the Panmunjeom Declaration by establishing bilateral trust," ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said in a media briefing Monday. "We have no other comment on the North's media reports."
He said the South Korean government would continue to discuss details about timing and procedures with the U.S. and North Korea, as no detailed agreements have been made among the related parties.
North Korea has urged the South to step up efforts for an early declaration of the end of the Korean War, according to Pyongyang's propaganda website.
"South Korea should not sit on its hands on the issue of the declaration of an end of the war," Uriminzokkiri said. "This is because the South should fulfill its responsibility to implement the April 26 Panmunjeom Declaration."
The pressure comes at a time when the North has failed to reach terms with the United States on their ongoing denuclearization talks. The U.S. wants the North to take concrete and verifiable steps to realize its pledge for denuclearization before discussing ending the war.
But Pyongyang has in recent weeks complained that the U.S. is making "unilateral" demands in their ongoing dialogue for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
"The U.S. is unilaterally demanding denuclearization of the peninsula, which is in contrast to the spirit of the Washignton-Pyongyang joint agreement last month," it said. "The South is also not making concerted efforts to resolve the issue of declaring an end to the war."
The Ministry of Unification said Seoul will continue working to narrow the differences between Washington and Pyongyang to declare an end to the war by the end of the year.
"The two Koreas are on track to fulfill the Panmunjeom Declaration by establishing bilateral trust," ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said in a media briefing Monday. "We have no other comment on the North's media reports."
He said the South Korean government would continue to discuss details about timing and procedures with the U.S. and North Korea, as no detailed agreements have been made among the related parties.
