As already reported, the director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army (KPA) and his party visited Inchon on Oct. 4 to encourage the DPRK players who proved very successful at the 17th Asian Games and take part in their closing ceremony. They met the prime minister, the chief of the "security office" of Chongwadae, minister of Unification and other high-ranking officials of the south side and urged them to make a great stride for peace and reunification of the nation by revving the good atmosphere in which Koreans in the north and the south gathered in Inchon as part of the one nation. They proposed opening the second round of high-level contact for solving the pending issues between the north and the south and improving the bedeviled inter-Korean relations at a convenient time late in October or early in November.

Noting that the success made during their visit was big but it is no more than a lane, they clarified the stand to turn this lane into a wide avenue through frequent visits and open the gate to improved inter-Korean relations.

Officials concerned of the south side fully supported the view of the north side, saying they would pool efforts to take the lead in improving the inter-Korean ties just as the north and the south proved very successful at the games by jointly cheering the players.

The Inchon meeting of authorities of the north and the south caused great sensation at home and abroad and all Koreans and the whole world were very pleased that a dramatic occasion presented itself for mending the inter-Korean relations.

However, this good atmosphere was completely spoiled by the puppet group in less than three days, the statement said, and went on:

The puppet group sparked off an armed clash on October 7 by opening fire at warships of the north side in the hotspot waters in the West Sea of Korea. It hurled human scum into a leaflet-scattering operation on Oct. 10, the founding anniversary of the glorious Workers' Party of Korea, extremely getting on the nerves of the DPRK.

The south Korean chief executive who traveled West European countries from Oct. 15 let loose a string of malignant vitriol pulling up the DPRK over its "nukes", "human rights" and "people's living" at an international conference and meetings with "heads of state" of various countries, lashing the Korean people into great furry.

On Oct. 18 and 19 the puppet military gangsters perpetrated such grave military provocation as firing at random at servicemen of the north on their routine guard duty in the area of the north side along the Military Demarcation Line, causing a dangerous skirmish between both sides.

When the DPRK side proposed an emergency contact to put the situation under control, the puppet group was compelled to come out for contact after delaying it with various excuses and behaved very arrogantly. It turned down all constructive proposals of the DPRK, bringing the contact to a breakdown.

The world people were stunned and all Koreans greatly disappointed by those astonishing developments in just 15 days since the meeting in Inchon.

The provocations made by the puppet group are a challenge and insult to the sincere efforts of the DPRK. They raised a question as to whether the promise the south side's authorities made to the north side was true or not.

During his Inchon visit, the director of the KPA General Political Bureau fully showed the sincerity of the DPRK and made every possible effort for improving the inter-Korean relations.

But the south side remained unchanged in its attitude contrary to the north's sincerity and became evermore undisguised in its confrontational outbursts and behavior.

The Koreans should no longer allow the anti-reunification forces at home and abroad to trifle with the inter-Korean ties related to the prospect of the nation.

The reality proves that no matter what good agreement is reached thanks to the effort of one side, it is bound to be brought to naught in the absence of response from the other side.

This is a serious lesson taught not only by the present situation but by the history of the inter-Korean relations.

The historic June 4 joint statement was ditched even before the ink got dry on the signed document and the June 15 joint declaration and October 4 declaration provided by the top leaders of the north and the south were reduced to dead papers soon after the regime change in south Korea.

The same can be said of the promises made by authorities of both sides in Inchon.

The south Korean authorities should not deliberately mock and insult the bold decision, magnanimity and sincere efforts shown by the DPRK side during the Inchon visit but opt for repairing the north-south relations for peace and reunification, away from their shortsighted and narrow-minded conception of confrontation.

No one but the north and the south should create the opportunity of mending the inter-Korean ties.

The authorities have the most important role to play in setting right the wrong history of inter-Korean relations, though belatedly.

No issue will remain insolvable when the authorities have firm will.

If the south side's authorities have true will to settle the north-south relations and negotiate, they should refrain from perpetrating provocative acts of vitiating the atmosphere and stemming the trend of the times.

Lip-service to "two way strategy" of "dialogue" and "pressure" would not work on anybody but this would only lead to self-destruction.

The inter-Korean ties are now standing at the crossroads: To make the seeds of hard-won inter-Korean dialogue sprout or allow the confrontation to reach an extreme phase and spark off a war.

Now is time for everybody to have his or her sincerity examined before the times, nation and history through practical actions.

There is no reason to fail to open the second round of the north-south high-level contact, if the south Korean authorities take a responsible measure for preventing such provocative acts as rattling the nerves of the other side and sparking off an armed clash.

However, the DPRK will never allow any act of challenging the dignity of the supreme leadership and the social system in the DPRK in a bid to stand in confrontation with it to the last but decisively counter any provocation with merciless retaliation.

If the north-south relations are put into uncontrollable catastrophe due to the anachronistic confrontational racket of the south Korean authorities despite the DPRK's repeated warnings, they will be held fully accountable for it.

The south Korean authorities had better think twice about their every move, bearing in mind that the north-south relations are at the crucial crossroads.