S. Korea downplays Pyongyang's threats to cancel talks

South Korea said Friday it believes North Korea remains committed to improving relations despite strongly criticizing Seoul over ongoing US-South Korean military drills and insisting it will not return to inter-Korean talks unless its grievances are resolved.

South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Baek Tae-hyun said Seoul expects Pyongyang to faithfully abide by the agreements between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in their summit last month. The Korean leaders had issued a vague vow on the "complete denuclearization" of the peninsula and pledged permanent peace.

"We are just at the starting point and we will not stop or waver as we move forward for peace in the Korean Peninsula," said Baek.

North Korea has taken repeated proverbial shots at Washington and Seoul since canceling a high-level meeting with South Korea on Wednesday and threatening to scrap next month's historic summit between its leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, saying it won't be unilaterally pressured into relinquishing its nuclear weapons.