N. Korean paper says end-of-war declaration cannot be delayed anymore

North Korea's official newspaper on Thursday reiterated Pyongyang's call on the United States to immediately agree to a declaration to end the Korean War, while playing up leader Kim Jong-un's meeting with South Korea's presidential envoy and commitment to denuclearization in front-page articles.

The Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the Workers' Party, said that the US should not delay the signing of an end-of-war declaration in accordance with the North-US summit agreement reached in Singapore in June.

(Yonhap)

"The US should no longer stick to a position of attaining denuclearization before signing a peace treaty," the newspaper said in a commentary titled "Dialogue and pressure can not be compatible."

"We remain unchanged in our intent to resolve problems through dialogue and negotiations. The US should abandon an anachronistic idea of confrontation and respond to our faithful efforts to implement the Singapore summit agreement," said the commentary, which was run on page 6.

Citing a summit agreement to put an end to hostilities, the newspaper asked that the US show goodwill, generosity, understanding and respect toward its counterpart and make sincere efforts.

"In order to improve relations with the US, we have displayed goodwill and generosity by abolishing a northern nuclear test site and repatriating the remains of US soldiers. But the US has not done anything while talking about improving the relationship. It has rather behaved in a contradictory manner," the newspaper said.

It then claimed that Washington's sanctions have rather strengthened North Korea's self-reliance capability and the US has nothing to gain from the sanctions and pressure.

Pyongyang's official and propaganda media outlets have long argued that the US is required to take phased and simultaneous measures to guarantee the security of the North's regime ahead of its denuclearization. (Yonhap)