N. Korea repeats call on S. Korea to halt joint drills with US forces

North Korea once again urged South Korea to remove all sanctions against the communist country and stop the latter's joint military exercises with the United States as part of conditions to resume inter-Korean dialogue, Yonhap news agency reported Saturday.

The North, however, insisted its nuclear issue must stay off the dialogue table between the divided Koreas, despite the issue possibly being the largest reason the new Seoul government seeks to resume dialogue with the reclusive North.

In what it called an "open questionnaire" addressed to South Korean authorities, the North's Consultative Council for National Reconciliation accused South Korea's new Moon Jae-in administration of keeping silent about the "fundamental and principled issue" for improving the relations between the two Koreas.

Such fundamental issues, according to the questionnaire carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, apparently included an immediate and unconditional halt of joint military drills between South Korean and US troops.

The North's nine-question statement also included a renewed demand to return all North Koreans who have defected to South Korea, but it claims have been abducted by the South.

Source: MENA