North Korea issued fresh threats to South Korea on Saturday, asking it to immediately stop talks about denuclearization. Pyongyang also warned Seoul that it will further extend its military capabilities. The statement comes a day after a top North Korean official said that it would soon retaliate against South Korea. The official was speaking on the occasion of the second anniversary of the historic Singapore summit between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump.
While North Korean officials have been continuously bashing its neighbor, South Korea has been trying to improve bilateral relations. South Korea has been trying to initiate summits to revive nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea but so far not much success has been achieved on this front.
North Korea Fumes at Neighbor
On Saturday, North Korea once again bashed its neighbor, asking it to refrain from indulging in "nonsensical" talks of denuclearization. Instead, North Korea has promised that the regime will extend its nuclear-weapons program. The statement from North Korea's Foreign Ministry officer comes a day after South Korean Foreign Minister said that Seoul will continue its efforts towards improving bilateral relations and nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea through peaceful talks.
In fact, a day earlier, North Korea had warned South of dire consequences as it no longer believes in South Korea since it has failed to stop activists from sending anti-regime leaflets into its territory. South Korean President Moon Jae-in's government has lobbied hard in recent times to fix talks between Kim Jong Un and Trump. The two have met thrice since 2018 but the talks haven't yielded much positive results. However, a third meeting scheduled to take place in Sweden in October didn't materialize after North Korea described the U.S approach as "old stance and attitude".
Sour Relations Make Negotiations Difficult
South Korea has also been trying to improve bilateral relations with the North, which too have fallen apart. Instead, annoyed with South Korea's action, North Korea has lately put an end to almost all cooperation with its neighbor. Last week, North Korea officially announced that it would sever all government and military communication channels with the South.
In fact, the North threatened to stop all inter-Korean agreements that were reached in 2018. "The times ahead will be truly regrettable and painful for the South Korean authorities," the statement, reportedly delivered by the head of the United Front Department (UFD) Jang Geum Chol, read.
Inter-Korean tensions have further mounted in recent months as North Korea believes that the South has been encouraging activists sending leaflets to Pyongyang. However, South Korea has vowed to take action and crack down on leaflet launches, which it had vowed to do at the April 2018 Pyongyang Declaration.
