South Korea: North Korea on Sunday said that constant pressure and military threats from the United States was not conducive to addressing the issue of achieving de-nuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. "It would not be conducive to addressing the issue if the U.S. miscalculates the peace-loving intention of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) as a sign of 'weakness' and continues to pursue its pressure and military threats against the latter," an unnamed spokesman for the North Korean foreign ministry said in an interview with the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), citing South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

North Korea asserted that the U.S. was "deliberately" provoking the former, at a time when relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have cooled down rapidly following the historic inter-Korean summit last month. "Recently, the U.S. is misleading the public opinion, arguing as if the DPRK's clarification of its intention for de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula made through the Panmunjom Declaration adopted at the historic North-South summit is the result of so-called sanctions and pressure," the spokesman added.

"At the same time, it is making open remarks that it would not ease the sanctions and pressure until the DPRK gives up its nuclear weapons completely and also moving to aggravate the situation on the Korean Peninsula by deploying strategic assets on the peninsula and increasing its attempt to taking up 'human rights' issue against the DPRK. This act cannot be construed otherwise than a dangerous attempt to ruin the hardly-won atmosphere of dialogue and bring the situation back to square one," he further said.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency suggested the military assets include eight US F-22 stealth fighter jets recently sent to participate in the joint annual South Korea-U.S. air training.

The criticism came weeks before a much-anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It also came after last month’s historic meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Tensions have cooled and North-South bilateral is much improved with South Korea dismantling propaganda speakers on the border while Pyongyang aligned its time-zone with that of Seoul’s this week.

The Trump-Kim summit will be the first of its kind as it is the first meeting between a U.S. President and a North Korean leader since the end of the Korean War in 1953. The two sides are likely to discuss the possible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula but sceptics of the talks say North Korea has always started strong but tends to cut talks midway when it comes to the actual process of handing over its nuclear programme. (With Agency inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 07, 2018 07:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).