North Korea wants a peace treaty to replace the 1953 armistice signed at the end of the Korean War.

In a Tuesday editorial, the Rodong Shinmun, the official daily of the North's Workers' Party, said signing a permanent peace treaty is necessary to resolve the nuclear issue, reiterating the North's call for a "courageous" U.S. decision.

The statement is Pyongyang's first official position on the nuclear issue since the six-way talks entered a three-week recess.

On July 22nd, the North Korean Foreign Ministry made the same request to the United States, saying the building of a peace mechanism is a process needed by Pyongyang and Washington to ensure a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.