The letter, published in North Korea's state media, comes weeks before South Korea is due to hold joint² military drills with the US.

 

South Korea dismissed the letter as having a "hidden motive³".

 

Correspondents say that tensions on the Korean peninsula traditionally rise ahead of the annual drills, which Pyongyang has condemned⁴ as provocative⁵（挑拨的）.

 

Last year, the military exercises, known as "Foal Eagle", led to an unusually sharp and protracted⁶ surge in tensions. The North threatened pre-emptive nuclear strikes, as nuclear-capable US stealth bombers⁷ flew practice runs over the peninsula.

 

The military drills scheduled for next month are a source of great irritation⁸ to the North, which sees them as aggressive preparations for war. 

 

While North Korea is appearing to offer reconciliation, its rhetoric⁹ has been accompanied by thinly-veiled threats not to "rashly reject" the proposals, the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul reports.

 

The question on many minds is what the North will do when the drills go ahead, our correspondent adds.

 

 

"What is important for paving a wide avenue for mending North-South relations is to make a bold decision to stop all hostile military acts, the biggest hurdle¹⁰ stoking distrust and confrontation," the letter from North Korea's National Defence Commission (NDC) said.

 

"The DPRK [North Korea] has already unilaterally（单方面地） opted¹¹ for halting all acts of getting on the nerves of South Korea and slandering¹² it."

 

"Regretfully, the South Korean authorities still remain unchanged in [their] improper¹³ attitude and negative stand," it said, adding that the South "should not thoughtlessly doubt, misinterpret and rashly reject our sincere, important proposal".

 

The letter was apparently¹⁴ sent by special order of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It calls on the South to take a bold decision to "stop all hostile military acts" and prevent "impending¹⁵（即将发生的） nuclear disasters". 

 

South Korean defence ministry¹⁶ spokesman Wi Yong-seop said: "The most important military tactic¹⁷ is to figure out the enemy's hidden motive."

 

He added that existing tensions were the result of "North Korea's military provocations¹⁸" and that "the current situation can be resolved if North Korea stops threatening and hostile rhetoric".

点击收听单词发音