North Korea on Tuesday urged the United States to take steps to fundamentally end the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula.

The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, said in a commentary that Washington is to blame for the current crisis and as such it must make the first move to resolve the impasse.

Speculations that Pyongyang wants to use its nuclear capability as a bargaining chip in negotiations are based on ignorance of the true intent of the country, it added.

“Our strong stance (on the nuclear issue) is to end the nuclear intimidation tactics employed by the United States and its followers and use it as a tool to win the war of national unification,” the daily said. (Yonhap News)