A spokesman for the North Side Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration in a statement released on Sunday bitterly denounced in the name of all Koreans the group of traitors for unreasonably arresting and detaining Rev. Han for punishment despite the DPRK's warning and concern of public at home and abroad.

All the activities conducted by him throughout his stay in the north can never be a crime under any circumstances as they were entirely just and praiseworthy ones for defending and implementing the north-south joint declaration and achieving reconciliation, unity and reunification of the nation, the statement said, and went on:

Had the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors neither brought the inter-Korean relations to a collapse nor blocked the activities of reunification movement organizations nor pushed the situation to the brink of a war through such hideous anti-DPRK plots as the warship case and exercises for a war of aggression against the north, Rev. Han would not have taken the trouble of making a trip at the risk of his life.

Rev. Han chanted at the top of his voice the slogan "Long live the attainment of reunification and peace in the spirit of By our nation itself," crossing the above-said line is the irresistible echo of the era.

The Lee group should set free at once Rev. Han who had been thrown into behind bars at the point of bayonet and immediately stop the fascist suppression of the reunification movement organizations of people of various circles.

All Koreans at home and abroad should turn out as one in the actions for seeking the release of pro-reunification patriotic personages including the unjustly arrested Rev. Han and holding in check the moves of the puppet group to escalate the confrontation with fellow countrymen.