Rodong Sinmun Wednesday says this in a signed article.

Citing facts to prove that the Korean people have been subject to tragedy and disgrace of national division for more than half a century owing to the U.S. imperialists' presence in south Korea, the article goes on:

The U.S. forces present in south Korea are the leftovers of the Cold War. The U.S., however, far from pulling them out of south Korea, has intensified the military presence and domination over it and frantically pursued the policy of stifling the DPRK by relying on those forces. This is completely unjustifiable.

The pullback of foreign forces has become an international trend at present and growing stronger as never before are the world voices calling for the respect for the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of countries and nations. The U.S. moves to maintain and intensify its forces' presence in south Korea, quite contrary to the trend of the times, clearly prove that it remains unchanged in its wild ambition of aggression.

The U.S. forces present in south Korea are the hotbed of a war on the Korean Peninsula and a root cause of threatening and destroying the peace and security in Northeast Asia and, furthermore, the rest of the world. The pullback of the U.S. forces from south Korea would provide decisively favorable conditions for the peace and security in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia.

The U.S. forces, a cancer-like entity, should be withdrawn from south Korea at an early date for the peace and security in the Korean Peninsula which are directly related to the peace and security of the rest of Northeast Asia and other parts of the world.

The U.S. should no longer insist on the anachronistic policy of its forces' presence in south Korea and its hostile policy towards the DPRK but make an earliest switchover in its policy. This serves as a touchstone judging whether it is willing to ensure the peace on the Korean Peninsula and improve the DPRK-U.S. relations.