04 September 2018•Update: 04 September 2018
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
North Korea's ruling party newspaper cautioned Tuesday that the United States will "end up causing more inconveniences" for itself if it stands in the way of inter-Korean cooperation.
The warning was issued a day before South Korea is due to send a special envoy to the North to confirm a date for this month's planned third inter-Korean summit of the year.
After U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled last week's scheduled visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Pyongyang, it put even more pressure on Seoul's ongoing efforts to build ties with North Korea.
"There is nothing bad for the U.S. if the tangled inter-Korean ties get straightened up," the Rodong Sinmun newspaper insisted in a commentary.
The paper additionally urged Seoul not to allow the U.S. to negatively influence April's inter-Korean cooperation agreement.
But the failure of Pyongyang and Washington to decide on any clear plan for the North's promise to denuclearize has led to the U.S. refusing to budge on issues like sanctions and a Korean War peace treaty.
Washington's stance has made it impossible for South Korea to fulfill its vow to seek a formal end to the Korean War within this year while also making inter-Korean plans for economic cooperation look unrealistic.
Even the plan to launch a liaison office to boost communication between the Koreas was delayed last month amid concerns over how the facility in the North would be powered and maintained.
