N Korea calls for strengthened ties with S Korea despite US pressure

Marking the first anniversary of the Panmunjom summit, North Korea on Saturday appealed to South Korea to strengthen inter-Korean ties while ignoring pressure from the United States.

The statement was part of a special message by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country (CPRC), which is a North Korean organisation aimed at promoting Korean reunification, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The organisation added that Washington is "plainly putting pressure on South Korea while demanding that inter-Korean ties do not outpace the US' relations with North Korea." It further claimed that Washington is attempting to force inter-Korean relations "to be subordinate to its policy of sanctions."

"A grave security condition is being created that may return to the past when a catastrophe was looming amid the thickening danger of war," the committee said.

In order to realize the sustainable development of inter-Korean ties and peaceful reunification, the CPRC appealed to Seoul to explore "more active measures."

North Korean organs also called on Seoul to implement the agreements from the summits held between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The statements come amidst a stalemate in US-North Korea relations, which has brought the denuclearisation process to a standstill.

Even though Kim had promised complete denuclearisation in the first US-North Korea summit held in Singapore last year, the joint statement from the second summit at Hanoi was supposed to outline further steps in the denuclearisation process.

However, no joint statement was released as talks broke down in Hanoi in February this year as both the sides failed to resolve their differences on sanction waivers.