[SUMMIT] N. Korea accuses U.S. of dragging feet in taking reciprocal steps

By Lim Chang-won Posted : September 18, 2018, 10:08 Updated : September 18, 2018, 10:08

North Korean honor guard members stand on the tarmac of an airport in Pyongyang to welcome a historic trip by President Moon Jae-in. [Yonhap News Photo]


SEOUL -- North Korea accused the United States of making an unreasonable demand for unilateral denuclearization without reciprocating goodwill steps shown by its leader ahead of a historic inter-Korean summit.

In a commentary that came before Moon's arrival in Pyongyang Tuesday for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Rodong Sinmun, the North's ruling party newspaper, insisted Washington should make a "sincere and bold" decision to break a stalemate in denuclearization talks.

"The United States should have thoughtfulness, make a sincere and bold decision, and have a good-natured conversation, which is also beneficial for the United States," the commentary read.

"The U.S. is entirely responsible for a stalemate in negotiations with North Korea," it said, urging the U.S. to stop making an "unreasonable" demand, take trust-building steps and fulfill a peace agreement reached at earlier talks between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore in June.

"First of all, the armistice should be turned into a peace treaty" so that North Korea and the United States can end hostile relations, the newspaper said.

In a separate report, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said the Pyongyang summit would "offer an important opportunity in further accelerating the development of inter-Korean relations that is making a new history."

During his three-day stay in Pyongyang, Moon promised to seek a compromise between Trump, who wants a specific timeline for denuclearization, and Kim, who demands receiprocal measures and security guarantees.

"What I want to achieve is a truly irreversible and lasting peace which will not be swayed by the international situation," Moon told a meeting of presidential staff on Monday, adding he would focus on removing the risk of war on the Korean peninsula and promoting dialogue between North Korera and the U.S.

"Now, the inter-Korean relationship has entered a new era. I think it is not important to add new declarations or agreements between the two Koreas," the South Korean leader said, referring to the so-called Panmunjom Declaration signed at the first inter-Korean summit.

In April, the two Koreas agreed to work on ending the status of war, stop all hostile acts against each other and replace a fragile armistice signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War with a lasting peace regime. Two months later, U.S. and North Korean leaders agreed to forge a lasting peace regime in return for Pyongyang's complete denuclearization.

However, there has been slow progress in denuclearization. Washington wants quick and tangible steps while Pyongyang insists on a gradual and synchronous approach.

"It is important to develop the inter-Korean relations in earnest while implementing the agreements reached so far," Moon said, suggesting there would be no dramatic inter-Korean rapprochement if denuclearization talks remain deadlocked.

Im Jong-seok, the chief presidential aide, said Monday that the Pyongyang summit would be dominated by a stringent topic on how to spur denuclearization.

Trump wants Moon to act as "chief negotiator" and Kim has similar expectations, Im said, adding denuclearization would heavily weigh on the two leaders, Im said. "Denuclearization has become a very important agenda," he said, adding the South Korean side is "very careful" and cannot predict any specific progress on denuclearization.

Kim has urged the international community to take "goodwill in good faith" and expressed frustration at lingering doubts about his preemptive steps to suspend missile and nuclear tests and shut down a nuclear test site, according to South Korean officials who visited Pyongyang earlier this month to arrange the summit.

Kim was quoted as saying he would pursue denuclearization more actively, based on "simultaneous actions and principles", and is ready to improve relations between Pyongyang and Washington, the Cold War enemies for nearly seven decades, by achieving denuclearization by January 2021.


 
기사 이미지 확대 보기
닫기