Present there were representatives of political parties and civic and social organizations of south Korea including the Unified Progressive Party, South Headquarters of the Pan-national Alliance for Korea's Reunification, Association for Supporting Prisoners of Conscience of the Family Movement for Realizing Democracy, Solidarity for Democracy, People's Life, Peaceful Reunification and Sovereignty, Solidarity for Progress, Women's Solidarity and the Youth Solidarity.

At the seminar speakers said that in order to turn the confrontational north-south relations into the ones of reconciliation and cooperation, it is necessary for the south Korean authorities to totally stop slandering the other side and all military hostile acts including the projected military drills with the U.S.

A statement was read out there.

The statement accused the south Korean authorities of openly revealing their wild ambition to "collapse" the other side while crying out for the "unification under the liberal democratic system" and, at the same time, of planning to stage large-scale joint military exercises.

It urged the authorities to terminate all the politically-motivated and military acts of antagonizing the other side and opt for mending inter-Korean relations and ensuring peace.

It also demanded them actively pave the way for peace and reunification through the lift of the "May 24 step", resumption of the tour of Mt. Kumgang, dialogues with the north and NGO exchanges.

It urged the U.S. to opt for achieving peace on the Korean peninsula.

It is necessary to cancel the projected joint military drills targeting the north, to begin with, as it will escalate the military tensions, the statement noted.

It called on people of various circles to make every possible effort to defuse the danger of war, mend inter-Korean relations and achieve peace on the peninsula.