By Kang Seung-woo
North Korea demanded the withdrawal of U.N. sanctions against it and the end of joint South Korean-U.S. military drills as preconditions for any dialogue, Thursday.
“The first step should be the withdrawing of U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions cooked up on ridiculous grounds,” the North’s National Defense Commission said in a statement.
In March, North Korea was slapped with the expanded disciplinary action for its underground nuclear test on Feb. 12.
“Second, you [Seoul and Washington] need to tell the whole world that you will not get involved in any rehearsal for a nuclear war that threatens our nation. Dialogue and war games can never go together,” the commission added.
In response to the toughened sanctions and the joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises _ Key Resolve and Foal Eagle _ the Kim Jong-un regime ratcheted up tensions on the Korean Peninsula including threats of nuclear strikes against the South and the United States.
The top military body’s statement came hours after another North Korean agency said it would not engage in inter-Korean talks if Seoul and Washington continue to show hostility toward Pyongyang.
The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, in charge of conducting dialogue with the South, condemned recent “anti-North Korea” acts and the ongoing joint military exercises as provocations that insulted its sovereign dignity.
It specifically took issue with an anti-North Korean rally in Seoul by conservative groups Monday, in which they burned a portrait of the North’s late leader, Kim Jong-il. That same day, the North celebrated the Day of the Sun, its name for the 101st anniversary of the birth of its founder, Kim Il-sung.
Despite its warnings, the North left open the possibility for dialogue following its “ultimatum,” saying the South has to apologize for all of its anti-Pyongyang acts before this can take place.
“If they had a true will to have dialogue, they should have halted all acts of hurting the dignity of North Korea, and stopped the north-targeted war exercises and smear campaign and given assurance to the nation that they would not resort to such hostile acts in the days ahead,” it said.
North Korea watchers say the remarks are aimed at setting an agenda favorable to Pyongyang when returning to talks.
“Although South Korea and the United States want to focus on the normalization of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, respectively, North Korea wants to talk about a formal peace treaty and security guarantees,” said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor at Dongguk University.
He expects such talks will take place after Foal Eagle finishes on April 30.
“The situation on the peninsula seems to have turned to negotiation mode. When the joint military exercise is through, there will be a possibility of dialogue,” he said.