NSC urges N. Korea not to escalate tensions over allies' defense drills

SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top national security officials stressed Thursday that North Korea should refrain from taking actions to escalate tensions on the peninsula, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

They analyzed North Korea's move in connection with the upcoming joint military exercise with the United States and checked plans for response under various scenarios during a weekly meeting of the standing committee of the National Security Council (NSC).

Its members reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in Korea.

Senior North Korean officials have publicly warned of a "serious" security crisis, criticizing the allies' plan to kick off annual drills next week as scheduled.

In apparent protest, Pyongyang has been unresponsive to Seoul's daily hotline calls that were restored last month.

In the NSC session, presided over by Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential office, attendees "closely analyzed North Korea's move linked with the South Korea-U.S. combined training as well as South-North Korea, North Korea-U.S. and North Korea-China relations," Cheong Wa Dae said.

They also checked the response posture of South Korea's related authorities and agreed on the need for cooperation with the other countries concerned for the early resumption of dialogue with North Korea, it added.

lcd@yna.co.kr
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