North Korea blamed Seoul for the deterioration of inter-Korean relations Saturday, citing joint military exercises with the United States and a breakdown in talks over the Incheon Asian Games.



The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), said in a commentary that Pyongyang's plan to send a cheerleading squad to the Asiad is to promote goodwill between the two sides, but Seoul has intentionally sabotaged the move and has moved to justify its actions.



The two sides have failed to see eye-to-eye on the cheerleading squad issue, especially in regards to who will pay for the group while in the country.



The paper then said that instead of embracing constructive proposals by fellow Koreans, South Korea has moved to strengthen its ties with foreign powers and has participated in military maneuvers that can only be aimed at invading the North.



The communist country has persistently referred to the Ulchi Freedom Guardian as a dress rehearsal for the invasion of the country and should be discontinued.



It then claimed that the South Korean administration is only interested in dodging challenges to its rule and is not interested in the fate of inter-Korean relations.



"The South must take responsibility for the current impasse in cross-border relations and halt all action that can fuel tensions," the media outlet said.



(Yonhap)