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Tuesday, October 02, 2018, 18:18
DPRK: War's end not bargaining chip for denuclearization
By Reuters
Tuesday, October 02, 2018, 18:18 By Reuters

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Tuesday that declaring the end of the 1950-53 Korean War "can never be a bargaining chip" for getting DPRK denuclearized, and said the country "will not particularly hope for it" if the United States does not want the end of war, according to state media KCNA.

In a joint statement with the Republic of Korea (ROK)'s President Moon Jae-in at their Pyongyang summit last month, DPRK leader Kim Jong-un expressed a willingness to “permanently dismantle” the Yongbyon nuclear complex if the United States takes corresponding action.

In a commentary, KCNA said on Tuesday that declaring the war's end should have "been resolved half a century ago," and called it "the most basic and primary process for the establishment of new DPRK-US relations and peace" on the Korean peninsula "to which the US was also committed"

Moon said this would include a declaration of an official end to the war.

ALSO READ: Moon: Kim wants 2nd Trump summit to spur denuclearization

In a commentary, KCNA said on Tuesday that declaring the war's end should have "been resolved half a century ago," and called it "the most basic and primary process for the establishment of new DPRK-US relations and peace" on the Korean peninsula "to which the US was also committed."

At their unprecedented summit in June, US President Donald Trump and Kim agreed in broad terms to "build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula."

However, Washington wants DPRK to first provide a complete inventory of its weapons programs and take irreversible steps to give up its arsenal.

KCNA said the Yongbyon nuclear facility, which DPRK expressed a willingness to take offline if the United States takes corresponding action, "is a core one for its nuclear program."

READ MORE: Trump against setting deadline for DPRK's denuclearization

"The DPRK is taking substantial and crucial steps to implement the joint statement made at the DPRK-US summit, but the US is still trying to subdue someone by resorting to sanctions," the unnamed commentary accused.

However, three senior US officials involved in DPRK policy previously told Reuters that no progress has been made in moving toward serious negotiations on eliminating or even halting Kim’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

Dismantling Yongbyon would slow the production of fissile material, but not reduce the current stockpile of plutonium and highly enriched uranium, nor clear suspicions of other secret production sites, an expert previously told Reuters.

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