The editorial said:

The accounts of the south-north secret contact opened to the public by the north were shocking. This would give the same great impact on both those who supported the present "government's" policy toward the north and those who oppose it.

The "government's" dual nature, lack of principle, slovenly handling, irritability and the like make people not keep mum. Nevertheless, the response of the "government" including Chongwadae was very insincere. It used again the glossing-over tactics that was employed whenever something happened.

However, the present situation has gone beyond the phase in which a matter might be settled with silence.

The contact brought the population to big puzzlement and confusion before anything else.

Hyon In Thaek, minister of Unification, told the parliamentary interpellation yesterday that the secret contact was aimed to wrest from the north its clear admission and apology over the "Cheonan" warship case and the Yonphyong Island shelling case and promise to prevent the reoccurrence of such cases. But, few people would trust his explanation because it doesn't make sense that the contact was for wresting "apology" only.

What the people want to hear is a detailed explanation about the meaning of a compromise proposal which cannot be interpreted as "apology" when viewed by the north side but as apology when viewed by the south side. The "government's" contradictory and embarrassing attitude only makes the north's assertion plausible.

What the people want to know most at present is what the basis of the "government's" true policy toward the north is. Because the "government's" announcement that it would not be webbed to summit talks proved to be a lie, putting everything in a mess.

There should be an explanation about the suspected intention to use the south-north summit talks for domestic political purposes.

If it is truth that south Korea proposed to have summit talks in Panmunjom late in June, in Pyongyang in August and in Seoul in March next year, one after another, it cannot be interpreted otherwise than political preparations for the general election in April next year.