NEW YORK — A day after North Korea's foreign minister said his country would halt nuclear tests if the United States suspends annual military exercises with South Korea, President Barack Obama said Sunday that Washington isn't taking the proposal seriously.
Obama dismissed North Korea's latest overture at a news conference Sunday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Hannover, Germany.
"What we've said consistently is that if North Korea shows seriousness in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, then we'll be prepared to enter into some serious conversations with them about reducing tensions and our approach to protecting our allies in the region," Obama said. "That's not something that happens based on a press release in the wake of a series of provocative behaviors. They're going to have to do better than that."
In Seoul, South Korea's Foreign Ministry released a statement Sunday that called the North's proposal "not worth considering." The ministry noted that the North's suggestion is nothing new and that the comment was just an effort to wiggle out of the difficult situation created by stronger international sanctions.
The interview with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong came just hours after North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine in its latest show of defiance as this year's U.S. exercises with South Korea wind down.
This year's exercises are the biggest ever, involving about 300,000 troops. Washington and Seoul said they beefed up the maneuvers after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January. The exercises are set to continue through the end of the month.
North Korea, which sees the exercises as a rehearsal for invasion, has floated similar proposals to Washington in the past, but the U.S. has insisted the North give up its nuclear weapons program first before any negotiations.
Read Monday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.