The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday called on South Korea to halt joint exercises with the United States and wage a dynamic struggle to force U.S. troops out of the Korean Peninsula.

At Thursday's meeting of the government, political parties and organizations of the DPRK, Pyongyang appealed to fellow countrymen to conduct a dynamic patriotic movement for independent reunification, peace against war and great national unity.

"The biggest obstacle against the national reunification is the hostile attempt of domination and intervention from a foreign force," Yang Hyong-sop, vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly said in a report.

"If the U.S. truly wants to improve relations with the DPRK and co-exist with it in peace, it should make a fundamental switchover in its policy towards the DPRK and show it in practice," Yang said.

Yang urged all Koreans to cooperate with each other; put the interests of the nation above all; and actively back the patriotic movement for reunification, bringing it to a new phase in 2006.

He also proposed to hold a grand festival for national reunification with representatives of people from the DPRK and S. Korea and abroad attending, on the sixth anniversary of the 6.15 joint declaration this year.

Source: Xinhua