While keeping quiet on Seoul's proposal for high-level talks next week, Pyongyang has called for changes in the South's North Korea policies.
 
The North’s Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland made the call in a statement issued on Thursday, or a day ahead of Independence Day, stressing the need to improve ties between the two Koreas.
 
North Korea urged for the withdrawal of U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula in the statement, as it called on South Korea to scrap its policy on relying on outside forces. 
 
The statement also urged the South to implement existing inter-Korean accords, saying that all principles related to unification and improving South-North ties are in those agreements.
 
Regarding Seoul’s annual military drills with Washington, Pyongyang called for ending the so-called May 24 sanctions slapped on the North after it torpedoed the South’s Cheonan naval vessel in 2010.
 
It said such sanctions are blocking inter-Korean contacts, exchanges and cooperation, calling the measures unreasonable.
 
The North also proposed in the statement that the two Koreas handle realistic issues to improve their relations on the occasion of Independence Day.
 
On the North's comments, a unification ministry official in Seoul said if Pyongyang is sincere about improving bilateral relations it must accept Seoul’s proposal for talks and engage in a dialogue to resolve pending inter-Korean issues.

Seoul's defense ministry also said it will conduct the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise with the U.S. next week as scheduled, since the joint drill is an annual event of defensive nature.