Seoul, June 17: North Korean state media underscored principles of mutual respect and sovereignty in international relations on June 16. This comes after N Korea's agreement with the United States last week, wherein both the sides agreed to build new ties.

The newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, The Rodong Sinmun, published an article which said the "unilateral demands" based on military and economic superiority undermine the sound development of international relations.

"All countries and ethnic groups should develop their friendly, cooperative ties based on the principle of mutual respect, and they must not infringe on others' sovereignty. ... The relations among the countries pursuing unilateral interests cannot last long," Yonhap quoted the editorial.

"Our republic has consistently maintained that even if a country has had hostile or confrontational relations with us, we will improve and develop the relationship with it, should it respect our sovereignty and treat our country in a friendly manner," it further said.

On June 12, the US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a joint agreement, according to which Kim committed for 'complete denuclearization of Korean Peninsula' and Trump pledged 'security guarantees' to the North.

At the summit, Trump and Kim decided to build new relations by making joint efforts to establish a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula. They also recovered the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the 1950-53 Korean War.