N. Korea, US urged to halt war of words

South Korea's ruling Democratic Party on Saturday urged the leaders of North Korea and the United States to halt a war of words to help ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
"World leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly shared the view that North Korea's nuclear weapons pose a threat to the global peace and put their heads together to seek a solution to the problem. Under such circumstances, an exchange of excessive verbal threats would only heighten anxiety," Kang Hoon-sik, a spokesman of the Democratic Party, said in a commentary, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Touching on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's threat to launch highest-level countermeasures, in particular, Kang said such a remark would only deepen North Korea's isolation and called on the North to immediately come to the path of dialogue.
In a different response, South Korea's main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) urged the Moon Jae-in government to stop "begging for dialogue" with North Korea, saying peace can be achieved only when backed by power.
"President Moon Jae-in emphasized peace in his United Nations General Assembly speech. But peace cannot be secured only by words. He must recognize peace can be achieved only on the basis of power," Jeong Yong-ki, a spokesman of the LKP, told reporters, calling for stern policy towards the North.
Jeong also demanded North Korean leader Kim immediately suspend tension-raising provocations.
"The Moon Jae-in government should stop begging for dialogue with North Korea at a time when South Korea's 50 million people are held hostage by the North's nuclear threat," Kim Jung-jae, another LKP spokesperson, said in a commentary.
The splinter conservative Bareun Party also urged the Moon government to take a hard-line approach to North Korea.
"North Korea will never give up its nuclear ambition. Our country can be held hostage by the North Korean nuclear threat. The Moon government should immediately face the reality and strengthen pressure and sanctions on the North," Lee Jong-cheol, a Bareun Party spokesman, said.

Source: BNA