朝鲜欲与韩国“和解”
North Korea has sent an open letter to the South calling for reconciliation and an end to "hostile military acts".
朝鲜向韩国递交了一封结束“敌对军事行动”的和解公开信。
The letter, published in North Korea's state media, comes weeks before South Korea is due to hold joint military drills with the US.
South Korea dismissed the letter as having a "hidden motive".
Correspondents say that tensions on the Korean peninsula traditionally rise ahead of the annual drills, which Pyongyang has condemned as provocative（挑拨的）.
Last year, the military exercises, known as "Foal Eagle", led to an unusually sharp and protracted surge in tensions. The North threatened pre-emptive nuclear strikes, as nuclear-capable US stealth bombers flew practice runs over the peninsula.
The military drills scheduled for next month are a source of great irritation to the North, which sees them as aggressive preparations for war.
While North Korea is appearing to offer reconciliation, its rhetoric 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.
'Getting on nerves'
"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 hurdle 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） opted for halting all acts of getting on the nerves of South Korea and slandering it."
"Regretfully, the South Korean authorities still remain unchanged in [their] improper 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 apparently 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 "impending（即将发生的） nuclear disasters".
South Korean defence ministry spokesman Wi Yong-seop said: "The most important military tactic is to figure out the enemy's hidden motive."
He added that existing tensions were the result of "North Korea's military provocations" and that "the current situation can be resolved if North Korea stops threatening and hostile rhetoric".