They were reported to have uttered that "it is necessary for the north to opt for reforms" and "the issues of politics and human rights are serious there".

Rodong Sinmun Tuesday observes in a bylined commentary in this regard:

This is a politically-motivated provocation to the DPRK as it represents an act of rightist capitulation for cooperating with the Lee Myung Bak group in the moves to escalate the confrontation with the DPRK.

It is quite clear that those heavyweights of opposition parties talked such nonsense in a bid to gratify their political greed by joining the conservative ruling forces in their vicious moves to escalate the confrontation with fellow countrymen and the racket for "eliminating the forces following the north."

Whatever their motive might be, their reckless remarks can never be tolerated as they are nothing but a malignant smear campaign against the DPRK and acts of infusing wrong understanding of it into the compatriots in the south.

A politician must judge the trend of the times and the mind-set of the people and ponder over the consequences to be entailed by his utterances.

The south Korean public is calling for progressive politics and a policy for inter-Korean reconciliation.

People would not be open-hearted towards the opportunists who have neither political principle nor have any ability to judge their mind-set and the trend of the times.

Whoever truly wishes to work for the sake of the country and the nation should behave as required by the fellow countrymen and the times and fulfill his or her commitment. This would be a proper way for a politician to fulfill his or her mission on behalf of history and the nation.

Those who join the conservative group in its confrontation hysteria will not be able to escape a miserable fate, after being repudiated and condemned by the people for being its partners.