North Korea demands lifting of sanctions
If the United States truly desires dialogue with North Korea, it would lift sanctions against it, according to North Korea's top military body in a statement released on Thursday. North Korea threatened 'the sledge-hammer blow of our army and the people' if its demands are not met.
In this file photo, North Korean commuters ride on a trolley car in Pyongyang, North Korea. Reflected in the window is a roadside banner that reads: "Let's follow the example of the space conquerors," referring to the country's rocket launch program. North Korea called on the U.N. to roll back sanctions.
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, Filer
SEOUL
North Korea demanded on Thursday the removal of U.N. sanctions imposed for its nuclear and missile tests and a U.S. pledge not to engage in "nuclear war practice" with South Korea if Washington truly sought dialogue.
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"If the United States and the puppet South have the slightest desire to avoid the sledge-hammer blow of our army and the people ... and truly wish dialogue and negotiations, they must make the resolute decision," the North's National Defence Commission said in a statement.
"Firstly, the sanctions resolutions by the U.N. Security Council that were fabricated with unjust reasons must be withdrawn," the North's top military body said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.
(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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