Two brothers identifying themselves as the sons of an American defector, who grew up in North Korea, in an video, have called on the United States to stop its hostility toward Pyongyang.
James and Ted Dresnok speaking in fluent Korean blamed "American imperialism" for the tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and asked the U.S. to withdraw its forces from South Korea.
"The United States must abandon its anti-North Korean policy. The U.S. needs to wake up, reach a peace agreement with us, and leave South Korea. That's the only way to save itself," CNN quoted Ted Dresnok as saying.
Both in their 30's said they are married with children and use the surname "Hong" in North Korea.
They revealed that their father is James Joseph Dresnok, an American GI who, according to the Pentagon, defected to North Korea in 1962.
According to Balbina Hwang, a visiting professor at Georgetown University, American defectors are considered a valuable propaganda tool by the North Korean regime.
However, it is unclear if the hour-long video appeared on the U.S.-based website Minjok Tongshin was made, or whether the men appeared under duress.
According to reports, the Pentagon acknowledged in 1996 that at least four American servicemen had defected to North Korea over the decades.
Meanwhile, officials for the State Department, CIA, and the office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the video.
