Pyongyang, November 21 (KCNA) -- The People for Achieving Peace and Reunification in south Korea staged a protest in front of the puppet Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Nov. 18 against the negotiations on sharing the upkeep of the U.S. troops in south Korea.

The organization accused the U.S. and south Korea of contemplating the fifth round of negotiations for the conclusion of a special agreement on sharing the upkeep of the U.S. troops.

It held that it is obviously an illegal act for the U.S. to try to spend the money paid by south Korea as funds for the upkeep of the U.S. forces present in south Korea for the purpose of the transfer of their bases.

If the U.S. forces are allowed to do so, they will need not to spend even a penny for the transfer of their bases, the organization deplored, stressing that this can never be tolerated.

The organization demanded that the authorities cut back the total budget for the upkeep of the U.S. troops for 2009 and recover the illegally amassed fund amounting to 1,100 billion won from the U.S.