Hyon In Thaek, minister of "Unification" of south Korea, got so reckless over the nuclear issue that he went the lengths of defiling even the will of the DPRK to improve the inter-Korean relations, asserting that "the north's desire to see improved inter-Korean relations while keeping nuclear weapons is little short of trying to catch a fish on a tree."

Rodong Sinmun Saturday observes in a signed commentary carried in this regard:

The nuclear row kicked off by the south Korean authorities while groundlessly linking the inter-Korean relations with the nuclear issue is a blatant challenge and provocation to the DPRK which has made sincere efforts for national reconciliation, unity and peace and the reunification of the country.

It is preposterous for the south Korean authorities to raise the solution to the nuclear issue as a precondition for improving the inter-Korean relations while spreading the story that the nuclear issue is an obstacle to improving the inter-Korean relations.

The settlement of the inter-Korean relations would help solve the nuclear issue, an assertion quite contrary to the above-said remarks of the south Korean authorities including Hyon In Thaek.

The south Korean authorities are claiming that they are a "party to the nuclear negotiations," raising a hue and cry over what they call "nuclear threat". This is nothing but a futile armchair talk ignoring the reality.

The inter-Korean relations have not got rid of the state of confrontation and the situation on the Korean Peninsula has reached the brink of war despite the magnanimity and good faith of the DPRK. The south Korean authorities are entirely to blame for this dangerous development as they are joining foreign forces in their anti-DPRK nuclear racket.

If they persistently stand in the way of improving the inter-Korean relations over the nuclear issue quite contrary to the trend of the times, they will not be able to escape a bitter setback and a stern judgment by history.