简体中文
Pyongyang's decision to suspendmilitary action plans againstthe Republic of Korea (ROK) was a "positive sign," an official of the ROK's Unification Ministry said on Thursday, calling on the two sides to improve their relations and restart dialogue, Yonhap News Agency reported.
"The North's move to suspend military action plans at such a critical point is positive behavior," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "Such a change could be seen as the beginning of a positive signal."
"We hope both Koreas can improve their relations and discuss issues of mutual concerns through dialogue," he added.
Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), decided to call off military action plans against the ROK on Tuesday while presiding over a preliminary meeting of the ruling party's Central Military Commission.
The move was a change in tone for Pyongyang following the dramatic worsening of inter-Korean ties in recent weeks. The DPRK had cutoff all communication lines withthe ROK,blew off their joint liaison office andvowed to take a series of retaliatory steps against the South earlier this month, as it slammed Seoul for failing to stop "defectors from the North" from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the North.
DPRK's army had announced detailed military action plans against the ROK, including redeployment of troops to the Mount Kumgang tourist area and the Kaesong Industrial Zone, and security guarantee for the people to distribute propaganda leaflets to the South in the border areas.
ROK media reported Wednesday that the DPRK was seen withdrawing loudspeakers in the morning from the eastern inter-Korean border area that had been redeployed since Sunday afternoon.
70th anniversary of start of Korean War
Thursday marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War. The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war as the war ended with an armistice.
On April 27, 2018, the DPRK leader and ROK President Moon Jae-in confirmed a common goal of complete denuclearization on the Peninsula and agreed to push for multilateral talks to turn the current armistice agreement into a peace treaty during their first-ever summit at the border village of Panmunjom.
According to the PanmunjomDeclaration thatthey signed, efforts should be made to push for talks, involving the DPRK, the ROK, China and the United States, to establish a permanent, firm peace regime with a view to declaring an end to the Korean War and turning the armistice agreement into a peace treaty in 2018. But that goal was not achieved.
Inter-Korean cooperation stalled after a summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in Vietnam's Hanoi in February last year collapsedover differences over denuclearization and sanctions relief.
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) meets with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (C) and ROK President Moon Jae-in at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, ROK, June 30, 2019. /AP
With the prolonged deadlock in U.S.-DPRK talks, experts believe the recent escalation of tensions on the peninsula reflected Pyongyang's frustration over Seoul's failure to advance inter-Korean relations.
China has urged the U.S. to take "concrete actions" to address DPRK's "legitimate concerns."
"China believes that the main sticking point is that the DPRK's legitimate concerns have not been given due attention and resolved, and the denuclearization measures taken by the DPRK have not been responded to accordingly," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on June 12, the second anniversary of the first Trump-Kim summit in Singapore.
"Building mutual trust and breaking the impasse on the peninsula requires concrete actions," Hua said at a regular press briefing. "The U.S. side should take concrete actions to implement the consensus reached by the DPRK and the U.S. leaders, respond to the DPRK's legitimate concerns on development and security, and safeguard the hard-won situation of amelioration and dialogue on the Korean Peninsula."
U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and ROK Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo issued a joint statement on Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, urging the DPRK to abide by the agreements it reached with the U.S. and the ROK in 2018.
"Both leaders call on North Korea (DPRK) to meet its commitments in alignment with agreements such as the joint statement signed in Singapore after the North Korea-U.S. summit and the September 19 inter-Korean military pact," the statement said.
On the other hand, DPRK's official paper Rodong Sinmun published a series of articles in honor of the anniversary, which stressed ideological education and patriotism without direct criticism of the U.S., according to Yonhap.
(Top image: Anti-war activists shout slogans during a press conference to demand the peace on the Korean Peninsula on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War in Seoul, ROK, June 24, 2020. /AP)
(CGTN)
