N. Korea vows to act first to end inter-Korean tensions

North Korea will take the first steps to fulfill its proposal made earlier this week to end inter-Korea tensions, the country's main newspaper said Saturday, calling on Seoul to follow suit.

"Our will to fulfill the latest important proposal is solid," said the Rodong Sinmun daily, which is run by the governing party. "As we have declared, we will first show our actions to fulfill it," it said.

The newspaper article, however, did not elaborate on what specific actions the country will take.

The Rodong Sinmun report came two days after the country proposed the two Koreas end all slander between the sides, claiming it was North Korea's unwavering stance to improve inter-Korean relations and achieve unity.

The proposal, made by the North's powerful National Defense Commission, called on Seoul to halt verbal barbs and its plan to hold a joint military exercise with the U.S. from February to April. It also proposed the two sides take mutual steps to prevent a "nuclear disaster" on the Korean Peninsula.

The proposal, if fulfilled, will improve inter-Korean ties and help solve their mutual problems, the North said in the Saturday report. All North Korean media outlets are controlled by the government.

The newspaper also said that the country has already declared its stance to pave the way for better inter-Korean relations and promote peace and security on the peninsula.

"The South Korean government also has to seek out what it has to do to meet the hopes and demands of the people," the paper said, urging Seoul to follow suit.

Seoul, however, effectively snubbed the proposal a day earlier, saying that it is North Korea that has frequently attacked South Korea verbally, not the other way around.

The South Korean government also said that the military drills will be conducted as planned, noting that "The North should take responsible steps for its past provocations instead of taking issue with our legitimate military drills." (Yonhap News)