North Korea's state media on Sunday stressed principles of mutual respect and sovereignty in international relations, following its agreement with the United States last week to build "new" ties.
The Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, carried an editorial in which it said that "unilateral demands" based on military and economic superiority undermine the sound development of international relations, without specifically mentioning the US.
"All countries and ethnic groups should develop their friendly, cooperative ties based on the principle of mutual respect, and they must not infringe on others' sovereignty. ... The relations among the countries pursuing unilateral interests cannot last long," the editorial, monitored in Seoul, said.
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"Our republic has consistently maintained that even if a country has had hostile or confrontational relations with us, we will improve and develop the relationship with it, should it respect our sovereignty and treat our country in a friendly manner," it added.
On the eve of Tuesday's Singapore summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the newspaper also said that should its sovereignty be honored, Pyongyang is willing to improve and normalize ties with any country through dialogue.
At the summit, Trump and Kim agreed to build new relations, make joint efforts to establish a "lasting and stable" peace regime on the peninsula, and recover the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the 1950-53 Korean War.
In their joint statement, Kim also reaffirmed his commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula. It drew criticism, however, as it lacked specifics such as a timeline or method for the North's nuclear disarmament.(Yonhap)
