The statement referred to the fact that the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces of the DPRK National Defence Commission sent a notice to the military authorities of the south side on May 21 to have a working-level contact for opening the north-south military authorities' talks.

This was the peaceful proposal to defuse the military tension and ensure durable peace and security on the peninsula at an early date under the banner of the June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration, the statement said, adding:

This being a hard reality, the military authorities of the south side are making provocative remarks that "denuclearization should precede", far from actively responding to the proposal made by the DPRK out of great magnanimity.

The desire of all the Koreans is to ensure peace and stability and achieve reunification, not to see military confrontation and conflicts on the peninsula.

The statement urged the south Korean authorities and military authorities to respond to the DPRK's magnanimous proposal for dialogue and negotiations.