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DPRK renews call for talks with South Korean military

Xinhua, May 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday asked South Korea once again to hold working-level talks between militaries of the two sides after the latter rejected its previous offer over the weekend.

The DPRK said it hoped to discuss issues such as the possibility of military clashes along the Military Demarcation Line and in the West Sea (the Yellow Sea), the official KCNA news agency reported.

"Nothing can be a prerequisite or excuse for denying dialogue and shunning negotiations, the best way of settling all issues," the DPRK said in the notice it sent to South Korea.

The DPRK Ministry of People's Armed Forces on Saturday sent a notice to its South Korean counterpart proposing to hold working-level talks between the militaries of the two sides in late May or early June. Pyongyang stressed that the talks would be aimed at defusing military tensions and creating a confidence-building atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula.

But the offer was immediately rejected by Seoul. The South Korean Defense Ministry said in a brief statement that Pyongyang must first take steps to denuclearize before any talks could be held. Endi