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| A front page of Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party/ Korea Times file |
By Yi Whan-woo
North Korea's state-controlled media outlets are calling for implementing of the joint declarations announced by leaders of the two Koreas last year.
Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, said in a column, Jan. 14, that the inter-Korean declarations should be carried out "in a through manner."
On Jan. 16, Meari, a propaganda website, reaffirmed Pyongyang's commitment for denuclearization, saying "It should not be seen with colored glasses."
The measures came ahead of North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un's possible second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump amid little progress in denuclearization.
The North has been asking for inter-Korean cooperation, including economic projects, to be bolstered, while the U.S. has insisted the South keep cross-border cooperation in lockstep with sanctions and the denuclearization process.
"There's no doubt peace, prosperity and heydays on the Korean Peninsula will come, if the joint declarations are carried out in a through manner," the Rodong Sinmun said.
It especially referred to the declaration announced by President Moon Jae-in and Kim at their first summit on April 27, 2018, as a "watershed moment for a new peaceful start on the peninsula."
Rodong Sinmun said "any anti-unification forces" will not be able to hamper the Korean people from "making progress for unification."
Meari said its regime has done all it can do to realize denuclearization, adding, "Our republic's pro-peace stance and willingness for complete denuclearization of the peninsula should not be seen with colored glasses.
"Denuclearization of the peninsula is intended, among other things, to prevent a fearful nuclear disaster before it can happen on our land by removing a root cause of nuclear war that threatens the fate of our people," it said.
Little progress has been made since Trump and Kim met in Singapore, June 2018, during which they agreed to work toward complete denuclearization in exchange for security guarantees from the U.S.
Skeptics have suspected that the North is continuing its nuclear development despite the summit agreement, calling into question the North's seriousness in giving up its nuclear weapons program.
In his New Year speech, the North's leader expressed a willingness to meet again with Trump at anytime. Trump said that the U.S. and North Korea are in talks over where to hold their second summit and a decision on the venue will be announced in the "not-too-distant future."
