PYONGYANG, October 2 (Itar-Tass) - The North Korean central newspaper Rodong Sinmun demanded on Wednesday the annulment of the mutual defense treaty between the United States and South Korea.
According to the newspaper, which expresses the view of the Workers’ Party of Korea, “as long as this criminal document legalizing aggression remains in force, no progress can be expected in inter-Korean relations”.
“The threat of a nuclear war” persists on the Korean peninsula because of the agreement, which is “the main obstacle towards unification of the Fatherland,” the Rodong Sinmun said.
The paper notes that over the recent time Washington has been making steps towards strengthening political and military ties with Seoul, which “undermines an atmosphere of a dialogue between the North and the South created with great difficulty”.
The first agreement on mutual defense, which is extended every five years, was signed by Washington and Seoul in 1991. At the present time, the Pentagon demands from the South Korean authorities additional financial backing for the stationing of the 28,000-strong US contingent on its territory.
The mutual defense treaty with South Korea obligates the US military to fight to defend its ally if a war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula.