North Korea To Stop Nuclear Testing If US Signs Peace Treaty

In addition to renewing a familiar demand for the allies to halt their regular exercises, Pyongyang’s ministry spokesperson also put forward the possibility of a peace treaty in the statement carried by North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency.

“But look, we have significant alliance commitments with the Republic of Korea that we take very, very seriously, and we’re going to continue to make sure that the alliance is ready in all respects to act in defense of the South Korean people and the security of the peninsula”, Kirby said.

The prevailing skepticism toward any engagement with the regime came in response to the North’s offer last Friday to halt nuclear tests in exchange for a freeze in South Korea-U.S. joint military drills and an opening of talks on the establishment of a peace treaty.

There was a legislation passed unanimously by the House of Representatives in the United States on Tuesday to further increase sanctions on North Korea. Lim and Blinken are in Tokyo to meet their Japanese counterpart on Saturday, Jan. 16 to discuss responses to North Korea’s latest nuclear test.

The World Economic Forum withdrew its invitation for North Korea’s foreign minister to attend its annual Davos meeting because of the nuclear test, a move Pyongyang said was “based on unjust political motivation” driven by the United States.

As a traditional ally of North Korea, China has voiced its firm opposition to North Korea’s nuclear program but is apparently against strongly punishing its neighbor.

However, all these developments have apparently not disturbed Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea.

The Korean Peninsula has technically been in a state of war since the Korean War ended in the mid 1950s.

Cautious optimism is reemerging that driven by recent breakthroughs with Iran and Cuba, U.S. President Barack Obama could approach the North afresh in a bid to consolidate his foreign policy legacy.

The nuclear talks, which involve the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russian Federation, were last held in 2008.

The U.N.’s most powerful body is working on a resolution that would impose tougher sanctions on North Korea to reflect its claim that it tested a powerful hydrogen bomb for the first time, a Security Council diplomat said Wednesday.