Rodong Sinmun Thursday observes in a signed commentary in this regard:

This is a brazen-faced action aimed to cover up the crime it committed by deliberately scotching the tour and pass the buck to the north in a bid to calm down the voices of the south Koreans from all walks of life critical of it.

The commentary cites facts to prove that the south Korean conservative group has made desperate efforts to drive the south Korean businesses coming out for tour to bankruptcy, displeased with them even before its seizure of power.

The DPRK made a bold decision to allow south Koreans to tour Mt. Kumgang, taking their wishes to see the mountain into full consideration, even though it is situated in a militarily sensitive area, it says, and goes on:

It also showed such generosity as solving various difficult problems related to the resumption of tour for the national reconciliation and the country's reunification even though the present south Korean authorities pushed the inter-Korean relations to an unpredictable catastrophe.

The south Korean authorities' approach to the issue, however, stands out in sharp contrast to the sincere attitude taken by the DPRK out of patriotism.

As for the working contact for the resumption of tour, the south side behaved so impudently as to persistently cling to the issue of "three conditions" there even though the DPRK already gave a satisfactory answer and full guarantee to it, and went the lengths of walking out of the meeting without fixing the date of the next contact.

The DPRK will never remain a passive onlooker to the moves of the south Korean conservative group to make the issue of the tour of Mt. Kumgang and the Kaesong area, a symbol of reconciliation and cooperation between the north and the south, serve the purpose of realizing its ambition for inter-Korean confrontation but take resolute follow-up measures.

Whether the tour is resumed or blocked forever entirely depends on the attitude of the south Korean authorities.