Washington has said it cannot accept North Korea’s demand for U.S. troops stationed in South Korea to pull out, saying it is “especially unacceptable.”

State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stated at a press briefing that the U.S. has repeatedly said it will not accept preconditions North Korea has been demanding for resuming talks. She added that the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea "in particular would be unacceptable."

North Korea demanded in its New Year’s joint editorial that U.S. troops be pulled out of South Korea, saying they were an obstacle to keeping peace on the Korean Peninsula.