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DPRK Condemns S. Korea's White Paper as Making Barriers to Reconciliation
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday, December 10, rapped South Korea for naming the DPRK its main enemy in its newly published defense white paper for 2000, saying it has created grave barriers to the inter-Korean reconciliation, cooperation and reunification.
A statement from the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said that South Korea's 2000 defense white paper, published on December 4, runs counter to the spirit of the North- South Joint Declaration signed in June during the historic summit between DPRK leader Kim Jong Il and South Korean President Kim Dae- jung.
The white paper labeled the DPRK as its "main enemy" on the basis of allegations that the North is increasing its combat capability, undertaking long-time infiltrating activities and constituting a military threat to the South, the statement said.
The DPRK's statement also said the South Korean Reunification Ministry has conducted provocative activities of attacking the North's political system through so-called "opinion polls."
It said the South Korean authorities thus poisoned the atmosphere of reconciliation and reunification brought about by the signing of the North-South Joint Declaration, leading the newly-thawed north-south ties back to confrontation.
Stressing the great historic significance of the declaration in pushing ahead the development of the inter-Korean relations and reunification of the country, the DPRK urged the South Korean authorities to thoroughly abandon the old thinking of taking compatriots as their "main enemy."
The statement noted that the north-south talks at various levels and the process of family reunions cannot go on if the South Korean authorities see their counterparts in cooperation and dialogue on the Korea peninsula as their "main enemy."
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