Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=09/07/2001

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-280150

TITLE=NORTH KOREA/US TROOPS (S-ONLY)

BYLINE=AMY BICKERS

DATELINE=TOKYO

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: North Korea has urged the United States to remove its troops stationed in South Korea, calling them the main hurdle to better ties with Seoul and Washington. As V-O-A's Amy Bickers reports, the comments come just after Pyongyang agreed to resume re-unification talks with South Korea on September 15th.

TEXT: Pyongyang has accused Washington of blocking its peace talks with Seoul by keeping 37-thousand U-S troops in South Korea. North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued the comments in a statement to mark the 56th anniversary Saturday of the post-World War Two arrival of U-S forces in South Korea.

The North's renewed attack comes just after senior officials from the United States, South Korea and Japan met in Tokyo to discuss their North Korea policies. They called on North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to fulfill his promise to make a historic visit to South Korea soon. They also called on Pyongyang to address international concerns about its weapons and nuclear programs.

On Thursday, North Korea agreed to South Korea's proposal to resume reconciliation talks on September 15th, following a six-month freeze. The two Koreas remain technically at war.

The two countries held four rounds of talks, following their historic summit last year. But Pyongyang abruptly halted communications, when the Bush Administration took office in January and decided to review its stance towards Pyongyang. (SIGNED)

NEB/HK/AB/JO/TW