North Korea urged South Korea and the United States Thursday to desist from hostile policies and strive for dialogue and peace.

In a statement released by the spokesman for the Policy Department of the National Defense Commission, Pyongyang claimed the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercise and actions taken by some South Korean groups to send anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets are "war commotion" and outdated tactics.

The commission said the time has come for policymakers in Seoul and Washington to pursue initiatives that are conducive for dialogue and peace, and take steps to end Cold War era thinking.

"The United States employed bombers that can deliver nuclear weapons in the UFG drill that kicked off on Sept. 19 and runs through Friday. All nuclear threats must be called off," it said.

The North's top military body said Seoul policymakers must realize they are applying double standards by calling on the North to give up its nuclear deterrence while turning a blind eye to its ally brandishing such weapons.

The statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency and monitored in Seoul added Pyongyang is exercising utmost restraint and seriously considering implementation of policies that aim to further peace.

The NDC statement is seen as the North trying to show its willingness to maintain the spirit of cooperation that was forged when the two Koreas agreed to reopen the joint inter-Korean factory park in Kaesong on Aug. 14.

In the past the North reacted violently to annual military exercises, claiming they were a dress rehearsal for the invasion of the communist country. The country usually placed its own armed forces in a state of heightened readiness.

In regard to the leaflets, the North on numerous occasions threatened to physically attack civic groups that send propaganda materials criticizing its leadership and try to give ordinary North Koreans an idea of what is happening in the outside world. Such actions are seen as an attempt to undermine the regime. (Yonhap News)