All the Koreans are feeling relieved as the serious crisis that could have led to an armed conflict between the north and the south was tided over and they are unanimous in their hope that the joint press release that was agreed at the north-south high-level urgent contact would be fulfilled with sincerity to create a new environment for improving the relations and achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula.

A Red Cross working contact is slated to take place for the reunions of separated families and relatives in coming September 7th under the north-south agreement and other preparations are also in the making for the improvement of the north-south relations.

However, the south Korean authorities are repeatedly uttering wild remarks chilling this atmosphere, thereby creating complexity in the north-south relations again.

The south Korean chief executive who set on her foreign trip on Sept. 2 falsified the truth about the recent situation while talking about "provocation by the north in the DMZ" and asserting "tension might escalate any moment". She went the lengths of mentioning the "constructive role" played by someone, a seriously insult to the DPRK, and sophism devoid of elementary political awareness.

As unanimously estimated by the public at home and abroad, the DPRK proposed the north-south high-level urgent contact on its own initiative from a transparent independent stand in reflection of the fundamental interests and the desire of the nation and provided a dramatic occasion of achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula and improving the north-south relations with sincere efforts.

The south Korean chief executive, defying this stark reality, let loose ill words while making eyes at others during her foreign trip. This clearly proves that she pursues north-south confrontation in reliance on someone despite her lip-service to reconciliation and cooperation.

Ill-boding remarks being heard from her juniors are problematic but what is all the more serious are irresponsible remarks the chief executive is unhesitatingly making in breach of the spirit of the north-south agreement and the trend of the times. These are very serious development making it hard to judge issues high on agenda for repairing the north-south relations.

In fact, one may say the north-south relations are like thin ice.

Therefore, the DPRK advised the south Korean authorities to keep and take good control of the north-south ties that were put on the track of reconciliation and detente with much effort and to specially guard against those forces displeased with the process to improve the ties with particular attention.

If the south Korean chief executive has an elementary political insight, she should be careful about her behavior and words that can turn the tide of the situation against will in such a sensitive time as now.

She should also clearly remember that the force promoting the improvement of the north-south ties and preserving peace on the peninsula are the Korean nation itself, not outsiders.

If the south Korean authorities persist in utterances seriously rattling the nerves of the dialogue partner while peddling the internal issue of the nation abroad, the north-south relations cannot but suffer from the repetition of the evil cycle of confrontation.

Whether the hard-won north-south agreement is substantially implemented to pave the path for improving the relations or not and whether the situation again reaches an extreme phase or not entirely depend on the attitude of the south Korean authorities.