This action brought to daylight the dishonest intention of the Lee Myung Bak group to eliminate progressive figures of the reunification movement one after another by branding the activities of Rev. Han who visited the north with the determination to give continuity to the trend of the June 15 era as illegal ones, the statement noted.

It termed the Lee group's crackdown upon Rev. Han a blatant negation of the north-south joint declarations and suppression of the reunification movement.

Han only gave his impressions and behaved as a reverend during his visit to Pyongyang but the south Korean authorities incriminated them and are going to impose heavy penalty upon him on the charge of violating the ill-famed NSL, the statement noted, and went on:

His patriotic activities can neither be considered as enemy-benefiting ones nor become a target of suppression on the charge of violating the NSL under any circumstances.

The south Korean authorities should immediately retract the legal action against him and set him free at once.

All the fellow countrymen at home and abroad should remain increasingly vigilant against the sinister intention of the group of traitors to eliminate the pro-reunification patriotic forces in south Korea and resolutely hold in check and frustrate its treacherous and anti-reunification moves in unity.

The federation expresses expectation that the progressive priests of south Korea would express support and solidarity with the just action of Rev. Han out of conscience of Christians and positively come out in the movement for his release.

If the group of traitors finally takes a legal action against his just activities for reunification despite the protest and warnings of the public at home and abroad, it will stand cursed and denounced by all Koreans for being a group of anti-reunification elements.