N. Korea urges S. Korea to lift sanctions, cancel military drills with U.S.

North Korea is calling on South Korea to lift a handful of sanctions on Pyongyang and to cancel an upcoming joint military exercise with the United States.
In a statement released Thursday, the North's agency in charge of inter-Korean relations said South Korea should remove "unreasonable institutional mechanisms blocking the contact, visits, cooperation and exchange between the north and the south."
The committee also said the upcoming Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills between Seoul and Washington must be cancelled as they will push the situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of war.
North Korea, however, remained tight-lipped on South Korea's recent proposal for high-level talks next week to discuss a range of urgent issues.