Commenting on this, Rodong Sinmun Saturday says this is an illegal and fascist infringement upon the dignity and human rights of Koreans in Japan and another unpardonable politically-motivated provocation against the dignified DPRK and Chongryon.

It goes on:

The case cooked up by the Japanese reactionaries was aimed at misleading the public opinion by creating impression that Koreans in Japan are committing various "illegal acts" at instructions from the Central Standing Committee of Chongryon.

In a word, it is the revelation of their sinister political intention to impair the authority and prestige of Chongryon and secure a pretext for launching wholesale crackdown upon it by faking up a "shocking case" in which a family member of the senior official of Chongryon is involved.

It is the calculation of the Japanese reactionaries to foster anti-DPRK and anti-Chongryon sentiment in the Japanese society in a bid to quell the strong call of the Korean nation and the international public opinion for clearly liquidating their past crimes and justify their militarization and moves for reinvasion.

The reality clearly proves that the Japanese reactionaries have become ever more vicious in their provocations as they regard the DPRK and Chongryon as a thorn in their flesh and the improvement of the DPRK-Japan relations much touted by them is nothing but a fig-leaf for concealing their cunning intention.

If the Japanese authorities truly wish to see the improved DPRK-Japan relations, they should think twice about the present situation which may totally derail the process for mending them and retract the unreasonable penalties demanded for the above-said compatriots and set them free without delay.