North Korean officials recently urged South Korea to stop joint military drills with the U.S. “forever,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday.

The statement came following a meeting in Pyongyang by representatives from the DPRK government, political parties, and organizations, aimed at implementing the task of national reunification called for by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his New Year speech.

“They underscored the need to create a peaceful environment on the Korean Peninsula before anything else this year,” a statement, carried by the KCNA, read.

The participants reportedly adopted “an appeal to all Koreans at