Pyongyang calls for suspension of hostile activities with Seoul

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Monday proposed that Pyongyang and Seoul halt hostile military activities starting later this week.

The surprise suggestion from the country's top military body, the National Defense Commission, was reported by the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency.

It was made hours after the nation confirmed its second missile test in recent days.

The commission said Pyongyang was ready to suspend all acts of verbal provocation from Friday, and urged Seoul to reciprocate.

Pyongyang also called for an end to live-fire drills and other hostile military activities near the sea border in the Yellow Sea from Friday.

The maritime border is a frequent flashpoint. There have been no direct military clashes there since 2010 but the two sides intermittently fire warning shots or engage in live-fire drills.

Favorable mood

Pyongyang also urged the Republic of Korea to scrap its annual joint military exercises with the United States slated for August, to create a favorable mood for this year's Asian Games which will be held in the ROK city of Incheon.

Pyongyang has promised to send athletes to the games, to be held from Sept 19 to Oct 4.

The DPRK's latest olive branch followed a series of missile launches, including Sunday's test-launch of two short-range Scud missiles.

The DPRK said its leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the latest missile tests.

A KCNA report was unclear about the type of missile, mentioning "tactical rockets" and "precision-guided missiles". The ROK military said Sunday's test was of two Scud missiles with a range of about 500 kilometers.

A few days earlier, a similar DPRK report had hailed the test of a "cutting-edge" guided missile as a "breakthrough" in its military capability.

Pyongyang carries out regular missile tests, sometimes for technical reasons but often to register its displeasure with events elsewhere.

According to KCNA, Kim argued that the missile tests "had not the slightest impact" on regional peace and security, and were in fact a guarantor of regional stability.

"Durable peace can be protected only when one is so strong that nobody dares provoke one and it can be guaranteed by one's own strength," he said.

Tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul have been running high for months.

Most recently, the DPRK army threatened a "devastating strike" after the ROK held a live-fire drill near the maritime border.

In March the two sides fired hundreds of shells across the border into each other's waters after the DPRK dropped shells on the ROK side during a live-fire drill.

(China Daily 07/01/2014 page12)