When the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), an opposition party, made an application for contact for exchange with the Korean Social Democratic Party (KSDP) on Nov. 15, the Ministry of Unification of south Korea turned it down under the pretext of "taking into consideration the present south-north relations."

In late September, too, the ministry brushed aside the proposal made by the DLP for a visit to an area of the north side for discussing north-south cooperation with the KSDP and shortly ago, it stymied the Kaesong working contact between the Press Panel of the North Side Committee and the Press Headquarters of the South Side Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration.

The information bulletin terms these actions of the south Korean authorities a blatant challenge to the desire of the fellow countrymen for national harmony, cooperation and reunification and a despicable anti-reunification act of blocking the free discussion and activities of NGOs and figures of all social strata for reunification and pushing the north-south relations to freeze and escalating the confrontation.

These anti-reunification and fascist actions of the south Korean authorities totally suspended not only the tour of Mt. Kumgang but all the NGO cooperation undertakings that had been brisk since the adoption of the June 15 joint declaration and compelled the north, the south and the overseas sides to hold even the event to mark the 10th anniversary of the declaration separately in the north and the south and abroad even though it was scheduled to be held in Pyongyang this year as a common event, the bulletin notes, and goes on:

All facts go to clearly prove that the south Korean authorities pursue only confrontation without an iota of the willingness to mend the north-south relations.

If the south Korean authorities have elementary discretion and sense to measure up the situation, they should opt for dialogue and cooperation, far from persistently turning away from the issue of improving the north-south relations and keeping to the path of confrontation. And they should stop all acts of blocking contact and visits between NGOs and guarantee all parties, factions and people of different strata free discussion and activities for reunification.