If what was uttered by the responsible man in authority of south Korea meant a switchover in the policy of the south Korean authorities who asserted the unification of systems, this might be viewed as a positive development. But what matters is whether his words are really true and to what extent one can believe them.

Such policy as "no nukes, opening and 3000 dollars" and "co-existence and co-prosperity" touted so far by the south Korean authorities is nothing but an extreme policy for escalating the confrontation designed to swallow up the north through "unification of systems" and "unification through absorption." This is therefore the root cause of bringing the inter-Korean relations to the present catastrophe. This fact admits of no further argument.

On the basis of an analysis of the present reality of the inter-Korean relations, the DPRK put forward a broad-minded and magnanimous proposal for holding active dialogue and negotiations between the north and the south without any precondition this year, the first year of another decade of the 21st century, be they between authorities, non-governmental organizations, ruling and opposition parties, progressives and conservatives. It took practical measures for putting the proposal into practice.

But, the south Korean authorities responded to the goodwill of the DPRK with an undisguised evil intention. They turned the venue of hard-won dialogue into a theater of confrontation, not content with inventing all sorts of pretexts and conditions, throwing a wet blanket over the expectation of the nation and the international community.

South Korea did not hide the fact that its scenario was aimed to cope with "contingency" of somebody and bring down the system. It kicked off the joint military exercises with the U.S. to put it into practice.

Its words that it is ready to meet delegates of the north in any place and anytime without any precondition were a sheer lie.

There is not an iota of reason at present to believe its words that it has no idea of achieving "unification through absorption."

What Kim Hwang Sik said should be proved in practice.

If the south Korean authorities have a true intention to earn trust from the compatriots and improve the inter-Korean relations, they should drop the "policy toward the north" based on the daydream of achieving "unification through absorption".

They should stop pursuing confrontation as a waiting maid of outside forces but respond to the DPRK's proposal for having wide-ranging dialogue from the stand of giving importance to the nation. They should halt the war exercises and confabs designed to bring the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a war and strive to create the atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation.