Pyongyang [DPR Korea]: Pyongyang, on Wednesday, slammed Seoul for escalating cross-border military tensions while criticising the increase in South Korea’s defence budget. “Such South Korean military’s belligerent behaviour does not fit with the Panmunjom, September Pyongyang declarations and North-South Korea military agreements,” Yonhap News Agency quoted North Korea’s ruling party’s media as saying.
Pyongyang has raised an issue with the visit of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, General Park Han-ki’s, visits to troops during the Lunar New Year’s holiday in the previous week. Furthermore, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has also slammed Seoul for an increase in its defence budget and its plan to induct stealth jets from the United States in its forces in March.
“Military provocations, that could pose challenges to the trend toward dialogue and peace, should never be tolerated” Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece added. In his recent address, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called on South Korea to stop joint military drills with the United States, while outlining that no foreign strategic asset should be brought to the Korean peninsula.
The criticism comes in the wake of the impending US-North Korea second summit, which is slated to take place in Vietnam on February 27 and 28. The first preparatory meeting has already been held between North Korea and the United States last week, with the second preparatory meeting being scheduled to take place in the coming week, according to the South Korean Presidential office.
