Ro visited Pyongyang to take part in events to pay respects to leader Kim Jong Il on the 100th day since his demise.

In the meantime, the secretary general of the organization was also detained and prosecuted for the unjust reason that he planned and spearheaded Ro's "secret entry" to the DPRK and "return home."

A spokesman for the North Headquarters of Pomminryon in a statement on August 17 called it an intolerable mockery and insult to the mind-set of the south Korean people respecting the father of the Korean nation.

The statement said:

Ro's Pyongyang visit was an extremely just conduct, reflection of his bitter sorrow over the untimely demise of the nation's father.

Pomminryon is the nation-wide umbrella organization for the reunification movement consisting of different organizations and figures of various social standings in the north and the south and overseas standing for independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity.

It is a body in which the three parties -- the north, the south and overseas -- discuss the issues related to the national reunification movement, make decisions on them and take joint actions with the equal qualifications, rights and duties.

To describe the reunification-oriented activities of the South Headquarters of Pomminryon as "secret entry" and "sympathy", therefore, betrays the south Korean puppet regime's ignorance of the elementary common knowledge about the three-party solidarity movement.

Ro's meeting with the chairman of the North Headquarters of Pomminryon during his stay in Pyongyang was part of the normal activities of Pomminryon as the umbrella body.

However, the regime incriminated this act. This clearly shows the traitorous nature of the regime which is opposed to reunification and meeting between compatriots.

The recent anti-DPRK conspiratorial action taken by the regime was prompted by its black-hearted intention to stamp out the progressive movement bodies such as the South Headquarters of Pomminryon and provide a way-out to the conservative forces which are now driven into a tight corner for their whole gamut of corruptions and irregularities, moves for confrontation with fellow countrymen and traitorous actions sycophantic towards the U.S.

It was also motivated by the base attempt to create an atmosphere helpful for the conservatives' stay in power.

The south Korean regime is hatching all kinds of plots after putting into custody the core members of the South Headquarters of Pomminryon including Ro and its secretary general.

Such actions of the regime were aimed to label the South Headquarters of Pomminryon as a "pro-north and enemy-benefiting" one and disorganize it with Ro's case as a momentum. So, it is absolutely intolerable.

If the regime persistently resorts to the moves to totally deny the north-south joint declarations and suppress the pro-reunification movement of the south Koreans despite the protest and condemnation of all the Koreans, it will face a severe punishment by the nation.

We, the North Headquarters of Pomminryon, strongly call on the organizations and people of different social strata in south Korea seeking national reconciliation, unity and independent reunification to step up actions to force the regime and the prosecution to halt their crackdown upon the members of the South Headquarters at once and release all the pro-reunification champions including Ro and the secretary general who were arrested for no reason.