n Last year North Korea claimed that the policy of confrontation should be discarded and the path of reconciliation, national unity, and reunification should be pursued. However, North Korea continued to hinder inter-Korean relations with its nuclear test, military threats, unilateral suspension of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex(GIC), and slanderous verbal attacks.
n Although North Korea mentioned “improving inter-Korean relations” in its 2014 New Year Address, we cannot but question its sincerity.
l While calling for “an end to slander,” the North is being self-contradictory by denouncing our President’s official overseas trips as “unpatriotic activity” and referring to the South as a “warmonger.”
l Also, North Korea is arguing that we should not create a disturbance on “North Korean sympathizers.” It is an obvious fact, however, that North Korea itself has incited the pro-North Korean groups innumerably through all sorts of channels and directives.
l North Korea is threatening a “dark cloud of nuclear war,” “imminent outbreak of war,” and a possible “deadly nuclear catastrophe” by distorting the facts and misleading public opinion that the blame is on us. Needless to say, it is North Korea who is heightening the nuclear tension as it strengthens its nuclear capabilities and resumes the Yongbyon nuclear reactor in the face of the international community’s consistent concerns and warnings.
n It is North Korea that deteriorated inter-Korean relations with its military provocations, threats, and breach of agreements.
l It is well-known that North Korea aggravated inter-Korean relations and undermined mutual trust: by carrying out military provocations with a long-range missile launch and a nuclear test, by threatening our people with the mention of a ‘sea of flame,’ and by slandering our head of state by name with unmentionable words.
l In fact, North Korea’s National Defense Commission recently sent a fax(Dec.19,2013) and threatened to strike us “without notice.”
l Moreover, just four days before the agreed reunion of the separated families, North Korea unilaterally cancelled the event breaking the hearts of the separated families and disappointing our people. Yet, they are calling for humanitarian principles.
l Also, the North recently took issue with our human rights situation when in fact it executed Jang Song Thaek without proper due process. The international community knows that North Korea is only contradicting itself considering its own human rights situation.
n Peace and reconciliation cannot be acquired with mere words.
l As our government had repeatedly emphasized, North Korea needs to show a sincere attitude to build trust and improve inter-Korean relations. More importantly, we make it clear that North Korea must make sincere efforts towards denuclearization.
//End
