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Concern as N. Korea quits talks

The 'truce village' of Panmunjom straddles the border between North and South Korea.
The 'truce village' of Panmunjom straddles the border between North and South Korea.

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SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- The United Nations Command in South Korea has described as "unfortunate" an announcement from the North Korean military that it will no longer participate in a weekly cross-border dialogue.

The North's announcement Wednesday that it would pull out of the talks comes amid continued tensions with the United States over Pyongyang's alleged nuclear weapons program.

In a statement carried on state media the North also said it would have "no option" but to stop honoring commitments to the 1953 Korean War armistice because of "persistent war moves" by the United States in and around the Korean Peninsula.

Expressing its concern at the North's decision the United Nations Command (UNC) said continued dialogue vital to ease tensions along one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world.

Military officials from both sides of the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea have held regular talks at the border village of Panmunjom since the truce was signed there five decades ago.

However, the UNC statement noted that the North's support for dialogue had "fluctuated over the years."

Nonetheless, it said, "North Korea's decision to back away from dialogue at this time is unfortunate."

Reducing tensions

"Both sides agreed that face-to-face discussions were the best way to reduce tensions and prevent misunderstandings," the statement added.

The U.N. Command, which was established after the North Korean invasion of the South in June 1950, said it was continuing to evaluate the North's message.

The United States and South Korea have meanwhile been moving ahead with annual joint military exercises.

Some 37,000 U.S. troops are based on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has condemned the exercises as a sign of Washington's hostile intentions and says the Korean Peninsula is facing a "grave situation."

The statement accused the United States of conducting aerial espionage of North Korea almost daily, "thus totally breaching" the [armistice agreement]."

The 1953 armistice is the only agreement halting fighting in the Korean War.

The two sides were expected to produce a formal ceasefire at a later date, but no such agreement materialized and almost exactly 50 years later North and South Korea remain officially at war.


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