These are very dangerous military provocations to scuttle the hard-won phase of detente and escalate the tension on the Korean Peninsula to an extreme pitch once again, Minju Joson Wednesday says in a commentary. It goes on:

It admits of no argument that the war drumbeats made by them at a time when there is a substantial move for improvement of the north-south relations are not helpful to defusing the tension on the peninsula and improving the inter-Korean relations but are harmful to them.

The improvement of the north-south relations and military provocations can never go together.

The reality goes to prove that if the south Korean authorities do not stop the military confrontation rackets, big obstacles, paying lip-service to "dialogue" and "cooperation" as now, the joint press release will be reduced to an empty paper and a grave phase of confrontation be brought to the north-south relations again.

Now that a climate for improving the relations has been created in the wake of the north-south high-level urgent contact and the publication of the joint press release, what is important at present is to respect the spirit of the north-south agreement and refrain from any provocative behavior rattling the nerves of the dialogue partner, obstructive to its implementation.