By Jun Ji-hye
North Korea has offered to hold a nationwide rally with South Korea to discuss ways to bring about unification on the Korean Peninsula, its state media said, Friday.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North said anyone from the two Koreas who hopes for unification, including government officials, members of political parties and civic groups, can participate.
The offer was the latest in a series of dialogue proposals to Seoul since the high-profile ruling Workers’ Party congress ended on May 9.
“We propose opening a nationwide grand meeting for reunification on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of Korea’s liberation, prompted by the ardent desire ... (of) improving inter-Korean relations and accomplishing the cause of national reunification by the concerted efforts of all Koreans,” the KCNA said in an appeal addressed to “all Koreans.”
The state-run media said the appeal was adopted during a joint conference of government and party officials in Pyongyang the previous day.
“Now is the crucial time for all Koreans to turn out as one and dynamically advance to pull down the barrier of hostility and confrontation and bring on the bright day of reunification as soon as possible,” the appeal read. “We ardently call upon all Koreans in the North, the South and abroad once again to turn out as one in the sacred struggle to fling open the gate of the reunified power.”
Since the seventh party congress, during which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mentioned the need for inter-Korean military talks, the authoritarian state has repeated offers for dialogue, which the regime claimed were aimed at easing heightened tensions on the peninsula.
But the South Korean government downplayed the North’s offer, claiming the proposals were merely propaganda with no sincerity because it spoke of inter-Korean dialogue while continuing to develop a nuclear arsenal.
The latest offer was also immediately turned down by the Ministry of Unification.
“It’s only an obsolete propaganda offensive and a repeat of its previous demands to suspend joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises, which came without any attitude change in the nuclear weapons issue, the most critical obstacle to peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula,” spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said.
Jeong noted that Pyongyang should first declare denuclearization and follow it with action if the country wants to improve ties and reunite with Seoul.
Experts said the isolated state’s switch to a charm offensive toward Seoul was apparently designed to break away from deepening isolation following harsher sanctions from the international community for conducting its fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch in February.
“The North is expected to continue to propose talks for the time being,” said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University. “The North could then blame Seoul for not showing willingness to ease tensions.”