Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Postponement of Inter-Korean Meetings Proposed

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

    Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- The north side proposed the south side to hold the fourth meeting of the Panel for the Reconnection of Rail and Road Links between the North and the South and the third meeting of the Panel for Flood Control in the River Rimjin in early April in Kaesong after the south side's reckless war exercises came to an end. Choe Yong Gon, the north side's chairman of the North-South Committee for the Promotion of Economic Cooperation, clarified this in a telephone message sent to the south side's chairman today as regards large-scale joint military exercises that started in south Korea.
    He in the message stressed the need for all the Koreans to pool efforts to contribute to achieving prosperity common to the nation and ensuring peace and security on the Korean peninsula through economic cooperation underway according to the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration.
    The message continued:
    The south side launched together with outsiders "Foal Eagle" and "reception, staging, onward movement and integration (RSOI)" joint military exercises against the north despite its repeated warnings at a time when those panel meetings are scheduled to be held.
    The south side has lost the face to sit face to face with the north side as the former is staging large-scale military exercises with the U.S. against its dialogue partner. Even the public at home and abroad term the south side's attitude as one bereft of common sense as it is contrary to the idea of the joint declaration.
    The south side should bear due responsibility for making it impossible to hold those meetings as scheduled though both sides agreed to have them from March 24, the message noted.