25.06.2013, 20:05
N. Korea calls for permanent peace arrangement
SEOUL, June 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea called for a permanent peace arrangement to replace the cease fire armistice on Tuesday, which marks the 63rd anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, said in a front page editorial, that it is of the utmost importance that every effort is made to remove the nuclear threat posed by the United States. It said such a step can be taken if a lasting, peaceful regime is created.
Because the war ended in an Armistice Agreement, the two Koreas are still technically at war. The calls made by the daily effectively reflect long-standing views of the country's leadership which have demanded the signing of a peace treaty. The report monitored in Seoul stressed the U.S. must halt all military exercises and desist from future hostile activities. It added that South Korea must respect promises made at the first and second bilateral summit talks by leaders of the two countries in 2000 and 2007.
The paper, meanwhile, argued that as long as Washington and Seoul continue to maintain their present belligerent policies towards Pyongyang, the country has no choice but to adhere to its plan of simultaneously pushing forward economic construction and the building of its nuclear force. The paper said in a separate article, that all people must never forget the Korean conflict and realize that the U.S. will never change and that any calls for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons are aimed at removing Washington's main obstacle in meeting its "endless greed and ambition."
The North has persistently maintained that the United States started the three year war that devastated the peninsula.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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Because the war ended in an Armistice Agreement, the two Koreas are still technically at war. The calls made by the daily effectively reflect long-standing views of the country's leadership which have demanded the signing of a peace treaty. The report monitored in Seoul stressed the U.S. must halt all military exercises and desist from future hostile activities. It added that South Korea must respect promises made at the first and second bilateral summit talks by leaders of the two countries in 2000 and 2007.
The paper, meanwhile, argued that as long as Washington and Seoul continue to maintain their present belligerent policies towards Pyongyang, the country has no choice but to adhere to its plan of simultaneously pushing forward economic construction and the building of its nuclear force. The paper said in a separate article, that all people must never forget the Korean conflict and realize that the U.S. will never change and that any calls for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons are aimed at removing Washington's main obstacle in meeting its "endless greed and ambition."
The North has persistently maintained that the United States started the three year war that devastated the peninsula.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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