Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Telephone Message to Head of S. Side Delegation to Inter-Korean Ministerial Talks

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

   Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- Kwon Ho Ung, head of the north side's delegation to the inter-Korean ministerial talks, Friday sent the following telephone message to Ri Jong Sok, chief delegate of the south side's delegation: We sent notice to your side on May 24, informing it of our stand in connection with the circumstances that made it impossible to conduct the north-south trial train operation as scheduled amidst the attention and expectation of people at home and abroad.
    Your side, however, set in motion authorities, those concerned of ruling and opposition parties, "experts on north Korean affairs" and media to create impression that the north side was to blame for the failure to conduct the trial train operation. Your side went the lengths of even sending a "notice" to our side in a bid to shirk off the responsibility for it.
    I am compelled to clarify once again our side's stand on the failure to conduct the trial operation.
    The blame for the failure to have that trial operation entirely rests with your side.
    It was mainly because your military totally sidestepped the solution of pending issues, priorities in ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula.
    Your side will not deny the fact that it is a vital matter directly linked with the destiny of the nation to take a military step for guaranteeing peace under the present situation that the U.S. moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK have reached the extremes and huge armed forces of both sides are standing in acute confrontation with each other.
    As our side has stressed several times on various occasions including the general-level military talks, the primary task for guaranteeing peace on the Korean Peninsula at present is to correctly fix a sea boundary urgent for preventing military clashes in the waters of the West Sea.
    The two military clashes in the waters of the West Sea which caused many casualties and drove the inter-Korean relations into deadlock in the past period clearly show that a solution to this matter presents itself as the most urgent issue in the inter-Korean relations.
    But the military of your side evaded the settlement of the issue for the groundless reason despite our repeated proposals and patient efforts, thus keeping the north and the south from taking security steps in any field.
    What we cannot but take a serious view of is that the ultra-right conservative forces of the "Grand National Party" of your side held a "ceremony" of burning the flag of the DPRK, a dignified symbol of our state, in front of Kwanghwamun of Seoul and in Phyongthaek while taking issue with our side in a far-fetched way just a few days before the trial train operation between the north and the south which was scheduled as an experimental work for inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation.
    This unpardonable serious provocation was openly committed in broad daylight at the tacit connivance of your police authorities.
    This most serious provocation against our side compels us to interpret it as a clear confirmation in practice of your side's lack of will to get reconciled and cooperate with our side.
    The development was so serious that your side dared not make public it and has kept it under wraps.
    We take note of the fact that such provocative incidents took place whenever the inter-Korean relations made progress, and express deep regret at such most reckless and dangerous provocation of your side, an indication of its disregard and insult to its dialogue partner.
    We cannot but call to account such clumsy attitude taken by your side as talking about the issue of providing "raw materials and other supplies for light industry" and "materials for railways," when arguing about the blame for the failure to conduct the trial train operation.
    Your side should be responsible for what it has said.
    We have so far lived our own way and will go this way in the future, too.
    We hold that if your side is to question who is to blame for the abortive trial train operation, it should take to task nobody but the military authorities of your side and the ultra-right conservatives of the "Grand National Party" and should be bold enough to properly settle their crimes.
    Availing myself of this opportunity, I strongly urge your side to honestly apologize for such crime as defaming our national flag and sternly punish those responsible for it.