Recalling that representatives of more than 200 political parties and organizations Wednesday held a joint meeting at which they proposed the authorities to take measures for bringing about a drastic turn in the inter-Korean relations, the editorial went on:

The authorities have allowed neither full-fledged cooperation nor exchange. Worse still, they refused the South Side Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration to have working contact with the north side.

While asserting that "dialogue between authorities should precede", the south Korean authorities set it as preconditions for the north to make an apology for "Cheonan" warship case, etc. the thing absolutely unacceptable to the north side, making it impossible to have any contact.

The authorities stressed the need to meet before solving any issue and then they insisted the controversial problem should be solved before anything else if the north side wants to meet the south side. This incoherent attitude can only be interpreted as urging the north to make a political surrender.

This stance of the "government" which must know this may be a deliberate strategy to shun dialogue, in fact.

If the regime truly wants to settle the inter-Korean relations, it should put forward civilians actively and listen to their voices.