North Korea on Monday slammed South Korea's recent security consultation meetings with the United States and Japan, accusing them of weighing down inter-Korean relations.
"In order for North-South relations to develop in a way that meets the vision and the demand of the Korean people, national cooperation (between the two Koreas) should be accomplished more than anything," the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of its ruling Workers' Party, said in a column. "But the scheme for cooperation with foreign forces is continuing in South Korea, creating huge concerns for (Korean) peoples' hope for improving the North-South relationship."
The column cited South Korea's security policy consultation meeting with Japan and Integrated Defense Dialogue with the US, both held earlier in March, as examples.
(Yonhap)
"(They) are foul meetings to plot confrontation which run counter to the current reconciliatory mood for inter-Korean relations and improving the security situation of the Korean Peninsula," according to the Rodong Sinmin.
The newspaper also accused the South of "relying on foreign forces," saying distrust between the two Koreas cannot be resolved if the South collaborates with the foreign powers that seek lasting tension on the peninsula and provocations against North Korea.
"It is a pressing demand of history and the reality that (the South) take the hand of the same (Korean) people to resolve their problems."
It is the latest of the North's recent string of criticism toward South Korea's security policy stances.
A day earlier, the newspaper savaged the South Korean military's plan to deploy F-35A stealth fighter jets and Taurus air-to-surface missiles. It said the North will not condone South Korea seeking military confrontation behind the scenes of pursuing dialogue.
Cho Seong-ryoul, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy, said North Korea is considering South Korea's military buildup and security collaboration with the US and Japan as "military threats."
"The recent criticism toward the South indicates that the North may put the agenda of arms control and military issues on the table, alongside the denuclearization issue, during the inter-Korean summit," he said, referring to the meeting of President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un scheduled for late April.(Yonhap)