N.K. calls for total suspension of Seoul-Washington military drills

SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's propaganda outlet called for the total suspension of joint military drills between South Korea and the United States on Friday, in response to the allies' decision to delay them until after the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The North's website Uriminzokkiri said that dialogue and a "war rehearsal" cannot go together, calling the exercises the source of catastrophe for the Korean Peninsula.

"They should totally stop the military drills, not just delay them," it said in a commentary.

The North has long denounced the drills as a rehearsal for northern invasion and used them as an excuse for provocations.

North Korea accepted Seoul's offer for high-level talks last week after South Korea and the U.S. decided not to hold their annual military exercises during the Olympics and the Paralympics.

After the talks, the two Koreas decided to hold military talks on easing border tensions. The North could raise this issue at upcoming talks, along with its demand for Washington's suspension of regular deployment of its strategic assets around the peninsula.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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