PYONGYANG, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Sunday South Korea should resist U.S. attempt to use DPRK's nuclear issue as a pretext to prevent inter-Korean relations from improving.

The official daily Rodong Sinmun said in an article that South Korean authorities must keep an independent stand and put an end to the U.S. interference in the national reunification issue, warning Seoul against "playing into the hands of U.S." over the issue.

"The U.S. recently has gone desperate in its unjust interference to prevent the relations between the north and the south from making improvement," said the official daily of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

"The U.S. has neither justification nor face to meddle in the issue of the inter-Korean relations and reunification issue under the pretext of 'nuclear threat from the north,' as it is a chieftain of national division of Korea," it said.

During a recent visit to Washington by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to strengthen military alliance with Seoul to counter Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.