North Korea has broken its silence on the diplomatic thaw with Washington and Seoul, saying it is driving the "peace offensive" and rejecting suggestions that sanctions forced it to the negotiating table.

The commentary from the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) came with a rapid rapprochement on the Korean peninsula underway, after a period of heightened tensions stoked by the missile and nuclear tests.

But as diplomats scurry to arrange two proposed summits - North-South talks followed by a face-to-face meet between President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un - the North's silence had raised concerns over its intentions.

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The commentary in the North's official news agency KCNA late Tuesday did not directly mention the summits but noted the "dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation" with the South and "a sign of change" with the US.

But it said Pyongyang's overtures came from a position of strength, not from weakness, even as it confronts intense international pressure as well as biting economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme.

"The dialogue peace offensive of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is an expression of self-confidence as it has acquired everything it desires," it said.

It also slammed hawks in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo for questioning the sincerity and motivation behind the North's willingness to step back from the brink.

"Such rubbish as 'result of sanctions and pressure'... spread by hostile forces is just as meaningless as a dog barking at the moon," it said, urging "prudence" for all parties involved.

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"It is really an expression of small-mindedness for the riff-raffs to spoil the atmosphere and say this or that even before the parties concerned are given a chance to study the inner thoughts of the other side and are seated at a negotiating table," it said in typically colourful language.

Trump's announcement earlier this month that he was willing to meet with the North's young leader -after an invitation conveyed by envoys from the South - triggered a flurry of diplomatic activity.

The North's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho met his counterpart from Sweden, which represents Washington's interests in North Korea, in Stockholm over the weekend, with reports saying they discussed the release of three Americans detained in the North.

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Choe Kang Il, a senior Pyongyang diplomat handling ties with the US, is currently in Finland for discussions with the retired former US ambassador to Seoul, Kathleen Stephens.

The South and the US announced Tuesday a plan to resume annual joint military exercises with its main drill shortened by a month - in an apparent conciliatory gesture over an event that infuriates the North.</s>North Korea has warned detractors to exercise “prudence” ahead of planned summits with the South Korean and American presidents, noting there is a “dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation” between the two Koreas and also a “sign of change” in the relationship between Pyongyang and Washington.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency did not directly mention the summit between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump scheduled for May, but this was still the first time it had even obliquely acknowledged that plans for the meeting are underway.

“We do like to remind that it is time for all to approach everything with prudence, with self-control and patience,” KCNA said in a commentary published Wednesday.

In a surprising turn of events linked to the Winter Olympics, held in South Korea in February, North Korea first invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in to a summit with Kim, planned for late next month in the demilitarized zone that divides the Korean Peninsula.

Then, through a South Korean envoy, Kim invited Trump to talks. South Korea has said that denuclearization will be on the agenda, but there has been no word from the Kim regime that it is willing to discuss giving up its prized nuclear program.

No location has been decided for the May talks.

There is considerable skepticism about both sets of talks, with some analysts and conservative politicians noting that North Korea has reneged on every deal it has ever signed.

The lack of North Korean confirmation that Kim was willing to meet Trump to talk about denuclearization has only exacerbated those doubts.

However, supporters of diplomacy say that even the prospect of talks is a welcome change from the saber-rattling of 2017, when North Korea tested a series of missiles and a huge nuclear bomb, and the Trump administration warned repeatedly of military options for making North Korea stop.

“Dishonest forces” in the United States, Japan and South Korea were now “peddling groundless stories about North Korea.

“Thanks to the proactive measure and peace-loving proposal made by the DPRK, dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation has been created in relations between the north and the south of Korea and there has been a sign of change also in the DPRK-U.S. relations,” the KCNA commentary said, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name.

It hit out at “incumbent and former officials and experts of the U.S.” who have said that North Korea performed a U-turn without Washington having to make any concessions, and those who have said its willingness to talk is because American-led sanctions are crippling the North Korean economy.

“Such rubbish as ‘result of sanctions and pressure’… spread by the hostile forces is just as meaningless as a dog barking at the moon,” the commentary said.

North Korea’s economy was growing and Pyongyang’s willingness to talk was a sign of its strength, not its desperation, it said.

“It is really an expression of small-mindedness for the riff-raffs to spoil the atmosphere and say this or that even before the parties concerned are given a chance to study the inner thoughts of the other side and are seated at a negotiating table,” it said.

Follow the Bangor Daily News on Facebook for the latest Maine news.</s>TOKYO -- North Korea's recent moves to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula are evidence of its confidence and national strength, not a sign of weakness, according to its state-run media.

The attack against criticism of its diplomatic efforts is surprising because North Korea's media have yet to report virtually any of the activity. Only U.S. and South Korean officials have said Kim Jong Un plans to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in by May.

The commentary by the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday acknowledged only that the North has started a "dialogue peace offensive." It criticized current and former officials and experts in the U.S. and Japan, along with conservatives in South Korea, for suggesting Pyongyang is feeling the sting of increasingly tough sanctions.

"The great change in the North-South relations is not an accidental one but a noble fruition made thanks to the DPRK's proactive measure, warm compatriotism and will for defending peace," the commentary said, using the acronym for North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Such an event as today could be possible as the DPRK's dignity has remarkably risen and it has strong might."

Kim and Moon have made major steps to reduce tensions that reached dangerously high levels last year.

Kim sent his younger sister to attend the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea last month and invited him to Pyongyang for what would be only the third North-South summit, following meetings in 2000 and 2007. The South Korean government was also key in brokering the plan for Kim and Trump to meet. Washington and Pyongyang have no diplomatic relations and no U.S. president has ever sat down with a North Korean leader.

Tuesday's KCNA commentary did not mention the North's nuclear weapons program, which Pyongyang often cites as the main source of its military strength. South Korean officials who met with Kim in Pyongyang to discuss the upcoming summits said he indicated he is willing to discuss denuclearization, though there has been no confirmation of that from Pyongyang.

The commentary specifically denied claims North Korea made an about-face with no concessions from Washington because Trump's "maximum pressure" strategy had pushed it to the point beyond which it can no longer sustain itself.

It also lashed out at calls for sustained pressure on the North and skepticism that the activity is a ruse intended to merely gain time or drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington.

"The economy of the DPRK is rising," it claimed, adding that advances in science and technology around the country are "promising the bright future for the improvement of the people's living standard."

"The dialogue peace offensive of the DPRK is an expression of self-confidence as it has acquired everything it desires," it said.

The commentary called on all parties involved to act with "prudence, self-control and patience."</s>North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament will hold a rare session next month, state media said Thursday, as a dramatic diplomatic thaw with South Korea and the US gains pace.

The hermit state's legislative body meets only once or twice a year, mostly for day-long sessions to approve budgets or other decisions deemed necessary by the ruling Workers' Party.

"The sixth session of the 13th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will be convened in Pyongyang on April 11," the official KCNA news agency said.

It gave no other details, including the session's agenda. Such meetings are carefully monitored by observers for any changes to economic policy or a reshuffle of high-ranking officials.

The announcement comes after a rapid rapprochement on the Korean peninsula kicked off with the recent Winter Olympics.

Pyongyang has not confirmed or even directly mentioned two proposed summits -- North-South talks followed by a face-to-face meet between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un -- with its silence raising concerns over its intentions.

But on Tuesday the North acknowledged the "dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation" while denying suggestions it was forced to the negotiating table by sanctions following its missile and nuclear tests.

The South has proposed high-level talks next week between the neighbours to discuss details of an inter-Korean summit in late April, including the meeting's date and agenda.

Seoul is also sending a troupe of K-pop performers to Pyongyang for a four-day visit, officials have said, to stage the first performances by South Korean acts in the North since 2007.

The South and the US have announced a plan to resume annual joint military exercises on April 1, with its main drill shortened by a month -- in an apparent conciliatory gesture over an event that infuriates the North.</s>SEOUL, March 20 (UPI) -- North Korea says now is only the beginning of inter-Korean relations as well as its ties with the United States, lashing out at skepticism from right-wing critics in South Korea.

On Tuesday, the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency published a commentary warning against "misleading reports through ridiculous nonsense," mainly targeting conservative groups in South Korea, who remain skeptical of the North's sudden willingness to hold talks with Seoul and Washington, as well as its commitment to denuclearization.

Right-wing politicians have stressed that Pyongyang has lied time and time again about its nuclear weapons, pulling out of international agreements and continuing to pursue nuclear and missile development.

They have also accused the liberal Moon Administration of attempting to use the dialogue momentum as a means to sway voters ahead of the June local government elections.

"Their useless gossip is the same as lying down and spitting, only embarrassing authorities who accepted our peace-loving request," the KCNA said. "We cannot look on as they mislead the public with absurd claims."

It also reaffirmed the North's self-professed completion of nuclear forces, saying the regime had "created the miracle of history in constructing a strong socialist nation, firmly crushing the schemes of enemy forces such as the United States."

It emphasized that critics must stop their "immature obstruction of the truth" and open their eyes to the calls for peace on the Korean Peninsula as well as the improvement of U.S-North relations.

The news agency did not directly mention either of the regime's upcoming summits with South Korea and the United States.

The reason may be that the North hasn't yet initiated ideological education for its citizens as it has done in the past ahead of summits with South Korea, Hankook Ilbo reported.

However, there are slight signs of change in tone in North Korean media reports, as they appear to have refrained from directly mentioning the regime's nuclear development.

They have also began referring to U.S. President Donald Trump as the "U.S. leader," as opposed to "the lunatic" as they called him earlier this year.</s>TOKYO — North Korea’s recent moves to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula are evidence of its confidence and national strength, not a sign of weakness, according to its state-run media.

The attack against criticism of its diplomatic efforts is surprising because North Korea’s media have yet to report virtually any of the activity. Only U.S. and South Korean officials have said Kim Jong Un plans to meet with President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in by May.

The commentary by the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday acknowledged only that the North has started a “dialogue peace offensive.” It criticized current and former officials and experts in the U.S. and Japan, along with conservatives in South Korea, for suggesting Pyongyang is feeling the sting of increasingly tough sanctions.

“The great change in the North-South relations is not an accidental one but a noble fruition made thanks to the DPRK’s proactive measure, warm compatriotism and will for defending peace,” the commentary said, using the acronym for North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “Such an event as today could be possible as the DPRK’s dignity has remarkably risen and it has strong might.”

Kim and Moon have made major steps to reduce tensions that reached dangerously high levels last year.

Kim sent his younger sister to attend the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea last month and invited him to Pyongyang for what would be only the third North-South summit, following meetings in 2000 and 2007. The South Korean government was also key in brokering the plan for Kim and Trump to meet. Washington and Pyongyang have no diplomatic relations and no U.S. president has ever sat down with a North Korean leader.

Tuesday’s KCNA commentary did not mention the North’s nuclear weapons program, which Pyongyang often cites as the main source of its military strength. South Korean officials who met with Kim in Pyongyang to discuss the upcoming summits said he indicated he is willing to discuss denuclearization, though there has been no confirmation of that from Pyongyang.

The commentary specifically denied claims North Korea made an about-face with no concessions from Washington because Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy had pushed it to the point beyond which it can no longer sustain itself.

It also lashed out at calls for sustained pressure on the North and skepticism that the activity is a ruse intended to merely gain time or drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington.

“The economy of the DPRK is rising,” it claimed, adding that advances in science and technology around the country are “promising the bright future for the improvement of the people’s living standard.”

“The dialogue peace offensive of the DPRK is an expression of self-confidence as it has acquired everything it desires,” it said.

The commentary called on all parties involved to act with “prudence, self-control and patience.”
North Korean state media KCNA claims that, as a result of its nuclear weapons program, there has been "dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation" with South Korea, and "a sign of change" from the United States.