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DPRK-ROK Talks/Halt
ROK side of Panmunjom - April 18, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Tongil Pavilion with plaque reading (Korean) "Panmunjom" on it, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) soldier standing guard
2. Various of Republic of Korea (ROK) soldiers standing guard on ROK side of Panmunjom
3. Peace House building
FILE: Seoul, South Korea - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of traffic flow in Gwanghwamun Square
5. Statue of King Sejong
6. Road traffic
FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of White House building, tourists outside White House
FILE: Pyongyang, DPRK - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. Kim Il Sung Square
9. Various of Grand People's Study House
10. Various of DPRK national flags
In view of recent provocative acts such as the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. joint military exercises, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has no choice but to suspend high-level talks with the ROK, the official KCNA news agency said on Wednesday.
The state media also said the United States should think twice about the fate of the planned DPRK-U.S. summit.
Shortly after the report, the U.S. State Department said it was continuing to prepare for the summit between President Donald Trump and the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.
The United States has not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul that would change the arrangements, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing in Washington. The U.S. side needs to verify the KCNA's report, she said.
The KCNA said that the "2018 Max Thunder" joint air combat exercise involving over 100 warplanes, including "B-52" strategic bombers and "F-22 Raptor" stealth fighters is aimed at launching pre-emptive strikes against the DPRK as well as taking control of the airspace.
The Korean version of the KCNA report called the drill an act of "playing with fire," saying that it is a "blatant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula."
The report said the north and south had reached an agreement on making joint efforts to defuse the military tensions on the peninsula and ease the danger of war "and the United States also fully supported it."
"However, even before the ink of the historic April 27 Declaration got dry, the South Korean authorities and the U.S. started such a drill against the DPRK, reacting to all peace-loving efforts and good intentions which the DPRK has shown with rude and wicked provocation," the report said.
The high-level talks planned for Wednesday were expected to discuss ways to enforce the Panmunjom Declaration, Seoul's unification ministry said Tuesday.
The Panmunjom Declaration was issued on April 27 after the third inter-Korean summit between ROK President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, agreeing to complete denuclearization and the alteration of the current armistice agreement to a peace treaty by the end of this year.
"The South Korean authorities should be held wholly accountable for the scuttled north-south high-level talks and the difficulties and obstacles in the way of the north-south relations," the KCNA report said.
The DPRK will "closely watch the ensuing behavior" of the U.S.and the South Korean authorities, it added.
DPRK-ROK Talks/Halt
Dateline : Recent/File
Location : Democratic People's Republic of Korea Republic of Korea
Duration : 1'20
ROK side of Panmunjom - April 18, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Tongil Pavilion with plaque reading (Korean) "Panmunjom" on it, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) soldier standing guard
2. Various of Republic of Korea (ROK) soldiers standing guard on ROK side of Panmunjom
3. Peace House building
FILE: Seoul, South Korea - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of traffic flow in Gwanghwamun Square
5. Statue of King Sejong
6. Road traffic
FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of White House building, tourists outside White House
FILE: Pyongyang, DPRK - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. Kim Il Sung Square
9. Various of Grand People's Study House
10. Various of DPRK national flags
In view of recent provocative acts such as the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. joint military exercises, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has no choice but to suspend high-level talks with the ROK, the official KCNA news agency said on Wednesday.
The state media also said the United States should think twice about the fate of the planned DPRK-U.S. summit.
Shortly after the report, the U.S. State Department said it was continuing to prepare for the summit between President Donald Trump and the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.
The United States has not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul that would change the arrangements, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing in Washington. The U.S. side needs to verify the KCNA's report, she said.
The KCNA said that the "2018 Max Thunder" joint air combat exercise involving over 100 warplanes, including "B-52" strategic bombers and "F-22 Raptor" stealth fighters is aimed at launching pre-emptive strikes against the DPRK as well as taking control of the airspace.
The Korean version of the KCNA report called the drill an act of "playing with fire," saying that it is a "blatant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula."
The report said the north and south had reached an agreement on making joint efforts to defuse the military tensions on the peninsula and ease the danger of war "and the United States also fully supported it."
"However, even before the ink of the historic April 27 Declaration got dry, the South Korean authorities and the U.S. started such a drill against the DPRK, reacting to all peace-loving efforts and good intentions which the DPRK has shown with rude and wicked provocation," the report said.
The high-level talks planned for Wednesday were expected to discuss ways to enforce the Panmunjom Declaration, Seoul's unification ministry said Tuesday.
The Panmunjom Declaration was issued on April 27 after the third inter-Korean summit between ROK President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, agreeing to complete denuclearization and the alteration of the current armistice agreement to a peace treaty by the end of this year.
"The South Korean authorities should be held wholly accountable for the scuttled north-south high-level talks and the difficulties and obstacles in the way of the north-south relations," the KCNA report said.
The DPRK will "closely watch the ensuing behavior" of the U.S.and the South Korean authorities, it added.
ID : 8080821
Published : 2018-05-16 10:57
Last Modified : 2018-05-16 17:44:00
Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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