S.Korea urges DPRK to stop "reckless provocations"

South Korean President Park Geun- hye on Thursday urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( DPRK) to forgo reckless provocations and walk a path of real change to build a new Korean Peninsula.

"I wish DPRK give up reckless provocations from now, and discard its thought that nuclear weapons can defend itself," Park said during a memorial ceremony to mark the fifth anniversary of the Cheonan sinking.

Park said that if the DPRK forgoes its isolation strategy and walk a path of real change, it would be able to build a new Korean Peninsula.

On March 26, 2010, the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan sank off the disputed western sea border, killing 46 soldiers among 104 on board the ill-fated warship.

Seoul said that the corvette was sunk by torpedoes fired by the DPRK, while DPRK has strongly denied its involvement in the incident.

The DPRK on Wednesday accused the United States of plotting the Cheonan sinking incident and using it to step up hostility against Pyongyang.

Park said the government will ensure that such an incident of the Cheonan sinking would never happen again by securing a firm war deterrent based on an alliance between South Korea and the United States and expanding the country's defense capability further.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule and also the 70th anniversary of the divided Korean Peninsula, Park said, stressing the importance of preparations for future reunification of the two Koreas. Endi