North Korea says peace declaration not a bargaining chip

A South Korean soldier looks through binoculars at a viewing deck of Imjingak peace park near the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Korea’s in the border city of Paju on June 11, 2018. (AFP)

TOKYO — North Korea has warned Washington that a declaration ending the Korean War shouldn’t be seen as a bargaining chip in denuclearization talks.

The North’s state media claimed Pyongyang has taken what it called significant measures to end hostile relations between the two countries. But it said the U.S. is “trying to subdue” it through sanctions — a clear call for Washington to lift sanctions if it wants further progress in their stalled nuclear negotiations.

The commentary Tuesday by the North’s official news agency said a declaration replacing a 65-year-old armistice to formally end the war “is not just a gift from a man to another,” and added, “it can never be a bargaining chip for getting the DPRK denuclearized.”