북한, 자정넘어 고위급회담 일방적 '취소 통보'... 통일부 '유감'

The North pulled out of that meeting with South Korea just ten hours before it was set to take place.
The North blamed the military exercises by South Korea and the U.S. for supposedly ruining the diplomatic mood.
That's in stark contrast to what the regime had said in recent weeks regarding the drills; for a while it seemed to be more understanding.
Oh Jung-hee reports from the unification ministry in Seoul.

30 minutes past midnight… and only ten hours before the high-level talks were to begin, North Korea notified South Korea abruptly that the meeting was canceled.
Pyongyang also released a lengthy statement through its state media.
It said it couldn't *help* but call off the talks, pointing to a combined air force drill by South Korea and the U.S. called Max Thunder, which started last Friday.
It said the drills are a rehearsal for a "preemptive air strike,” a challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation.
The North claimed that South Korea is breaking the two Koreas' promise to lower military tensions... and therefore Seoul is to blame for the cancellation.
Pyongyang also lashed out at the U.S., saying Washington will have to think carefully about the fate of its own summit with the North,… leaving open the possibility of canceling the Kim-Trump summit as well.
Seoul expressed regret over Pyongyang's decision.

"North Korea made a unilateral decision to postpone the high-level talks right after notifying us of the date, citing our regular joint Air Force drills with the U.S. We regret this action as it does not correspond to the fundamental principles and objectives of the Panmunjom Declaration."

The government added that Seoul is still dedicated to fully carrying out the summit agreement... and urged the North to quickly respond to its call for talks.
South Korea stressed that dialogue will have to continue anyway so the two sides can discuss the issues Pyongyang is now raising.
Seoul is to send a message to North Korea on Wednesday, though it’s not clear what it will say.
When the groundwork for the now-canceled talks was being laid, according to the unification ministry, the North never raised any objections to the Max Thunder exercise or allied drills in general.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.