Continued Negotiations

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North Korean media outlets have criticized the U.S.' lukewarm attitude, saying that the regime would not seek a war-ending declaration further if Washington doesn't want it. It is expected that an intense tug of war will play out in future denuclearization negotiations.​

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North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that the North will not push for a declaration to end the Korean War if the U.S. does not want it. The remarks were made in a commentary entitled "War-ending Declaration is Not a Handout Given by one Country to Another." The news agency stressed that it is right to put an end to the belligerent relations between them, now that the two sides are aspiring to establish a new relationship true to the spirit of the June 12th joint statement. It also said that a war-ending declaration is in the interest of the U.S. and North Korea as well as other Northeast Asian countries hoping for peace on the Korean Peninsula. The KCNA at the same time emphasized that a war-ending declaration is neither a handout given by one country to another nor a bargaining chip for denuclearization negotiations. With these remarks, the North apparently intends to criticize the U.S.' lukewarm attitude toward the proposed war-ending declaration while jockeying for position in future denuclearization talks. Meanwhile, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho is on his way home after wrapping up his seven-day visit to New York, including attending this year's UN General Assembly. At the UN Assembly, Ri stressed in a keynote speech that his country will not unilaterally dismantle its nuclear weapons program first if it cannot trust the United States. He also denounced the U.S. for opposing the announcement of a war-ending declaration.