North Korea calls on US to halt military exercises

HANOI, Vietnam — A North Korean spokesman said the US should halt sanctions and military exercises with South Korea if it wants a nuclear-free peninsula. "If the US is really interested in the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, it should halt the military exercises and sanctions that destroy the mood for dialogue," North Korean spokesman Ri Tong Il told reporters in Hanoi on Thursday. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Wednesday the US would impose new sanctions on the reclusive North four months after the sinking of a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors and has been blamed on Pyongyang. The North has denied involvement. The allies announced they would hold four days of joint military exercises starting Sunday. — AP