North Korea, US in tug of war over dialogue

On Monday, Pyongyang criticized Washington for "standing in the way of Korean reunification" in what is viewed as an attempt to take the initiative in future talks. This is in contrast to its earlier dialogue overture.

"The U.S. is throwing a wet blanket on our will to improve inter-Korean relations and pursue independent reunification," said Uriminzokkiri, the regime's state-controlled website.

"Washington apparently doesn't welcome the reunification of Seoul and Pyongyang, continuously bringing in nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula to prevent the two Koreas from improving their bilateral ties," it said.

Despite the rare peace momentum taking shape across the peninsula, South Korea has remained cautious over whether to accept a recent proposal by the North to hold an inter-Korean summit, due to the longstanding Seoul-Washington alliance.