North Korea Warns against Resumption of South Korea-US Drills

Washington should be blamed for any deterioration of the recent rapprochement between the two Koreas as a result, it added, Yonhap news agency reported.

The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said in its commentary that Washington has thrown cold water on any signs of detente that emerge between the two Koreas with what it called the US' war rehearsals.

"The US has a purpose to end a thaw in inter-Korean ties immediately after the Olympic flame goes out. The US is making noise to resume its military exercises with Seoul right after the Games' closing," the newspaper said.

A rare reconciliatory mood between the two Koreas set in after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accepted Seoul's request that it participate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Earlier, Seoul and Washington delayed their annual military drills until after the March 9-18 Paralympics.

There is a possibility that the North could make provocations if Seoul and Washington conduct the exercises, which Pyongyang has long denounced as a rehearsal for a northern invasion.

"Risks of tensions are growing on the Korean Peninsula," the North's paper said. "Washington's strategic assets and massive troops are coming to the peninsula and its adjacent areas," it claimed.

Kim Jong-un has invited President Moon Jae-in to Pyongyang through his younger sister Kim Yo-jong, who was sent to Seoul as a special envoy. In response, Moon called for efforts to create the right conditions for a potential summit.

"The government is making multifaceted efforts to restore inter-Korean relations, resolve North Korea's nuclear issue and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula," Baik Tae-hyun, spokesman at Seoul's unification ministry, told a press briefing.

He added that nothing has been decided over whether the South will send a special envoy to the North.