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. . .In its last message, North Korea blamed the United States for the longstanding conflict and issued an emotional appeal for reunification.

"We, from one blood and using one language, can no longer live separated and we must put the earliest possible end to the tragedy of national division," the broadcast said. It was reported by Yonhap, South Korea's national news agency.

"The imperialist United States is the root cause of suffering and misfortune that our people are experiencing," it said. "We should take a firm attitude to oppose the pro-U.S. traitorous forces and move forward in the direction of national cooperation."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&ncid=731&e=10&u=/ap/20040615/ap_on_re_as/koreas_propaganda

North Korea Says Koreas Are 'One Blood'

Tue Jun 15, 2:32 PM ET

By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer

SEOUL, South Korea - With warm words for South Korea, North Korean loudspeakers blared a final propaganda message that reverberated across the demilitarized zone just before midnight: "We, from one blood and using one language, can no longer live separated."

The last broadcast in decades of strident exchanges included harsh words for the United States — "the root cause of suffering and misfortune that our people are experiencing."

The two Koreas agreed to halt the broadcasts beginning Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of a summit between their leaders. The war of words along the heavily fortified no-man's-land dates to the 1950-53 Korean War that devastated the peninsula and left tens of thousands of troops arrayed along the frontier.

In its last message, North Korea (news - web sites) blamed the United States for the longstanding conflict and issued an emotional appeal for reunification.

"We, from one blood and using one language, can no longer live separated and we must put the earliest possible end to the tragedy of national division," the broadcast said. It was reported by Yonhap, South Korea's national news agency.

"The imperialist United States is the root cause of suffering and misfortune that our people are experiencing," it said. "We should take a firm attitude to oppose the pro-U.S. traitorous forces and move forward in the direction of national cooperation."

The broadcast ended with an emotional appeal: "Let's embrace each other, laughing and crying out of joy and emotion, on the day of national unification."

The United States is South Korea's closest ally and has about 37,000 troops stationed in the South in a legacy of the Korean War. Over the decades, North Korea has often tried — largely without success — to drive a wedge in the alliance between Seoul and Washington.

The North's last broadcast began at 11:30 p.m. Monday and ended half an hour later.

South Korea also halted broadcasts at about the same time.

"Now, we announce the historic fact that our voice of freedom broadcasts, which we have aired for 42 years since 1962, are being brought to closure according to the results of inter-Korean working-level military contacts," South Korea said in its last broadcast.

"In conclusion, we sincerely thank the (North) Korean People's Army soldiers who have wished for a peaceful reunification of the nation and listened to our voice of freedom broadcasts until now, and we pray for your permanent happiness," it said.

The North and South also plan to dismantle propaganda billboards along their border in coming weeks. Still, hundreds of thousands of troops remain deployed along the border; the two Koreas have never signed a peace treaty.

The South has used towering electronic billboards to beam weather reports, news and salutations to its communist neighbor. The North rejoined with signs of its own, relaying such messages as "Let's Establish a Confederate Nation!"

When the broadcasts started, one of the main goals of both sides was to tempt soldiers to defect across the 2 1/2-mile-wide Demilitarized Zone, a Cold War vestige strewn with mine fields, barbed wire and tank traps.

Today, the border propaganda seems outdated and ineffective, which is likely a major reason the two sides abandoned it. The two Koreas get their message across far more regularly than they did in the past anyway, whether through official talks or economic and cultural contacts.

Despite the reconciliation efforts, tension remains high over North Korea's efforts to develop nuclear weapons. A third round of six-nation talks on the nuclear standoff is to take place next week in Beijing.

Washington wants North Korea to dismantle its nuclear programs in a verifiable and irreversible manner, while the North says it wants economic aid and security guarantees in exchange for concessions on the nuclear issue.