S. Korean Puppet Group Urged to Release Unreasonably Detained Pro-Reunification Patriots

Pyongyang, January 6 (KCNA) -- The North Headquarters of the Pan-national Alliance for Korea's Reunification released a statement on Friday lashing out at the south Korean puppet group for imposing severe penalties on pro-reunification patriots including the chairman of the South Headquarters of the alliance during the mourning period at a court.

It said:

The south Korean authorities on Dec. 22 last year brought to a trial Chairman Ri Kyu Jae and two other leading members of the South Headquarters of the Pan-national Alliance for Korea's Reunification (Pomminryon) to impose severe penalties upon them after labeling their activities for implementation of the north-south joint declarations and legitimate contacts with the north as "enemy-benefiting" ones.

The trial ended up putting in custody the chairman and the former secretary-general of the Headquarters.

Upon hearing the sad news of the demise of leader Kim Jong Il which came like a bolt from the blue, the South Headquarters of Pomminryon sent before any others a message expressing deep condolences and elders of the organization formed a mourners' group and set out on a visit to Pyongyang, holding placard "We go to the north to express condolences in spirit of June 15".

When heavily-armed puppet soldiers blocked their way, they offered strong resistance, shouting "We are on way to Pyongyang to mourn the passing of Chairman of the National Defence Commission Kim Jong Il. Step aside".

Such activities of the South Headquarters of Pomminryon were quite natural because they were an eruption of its boundless reverence for the father of the nation who brought about a new phase of independent reunification by providing the historic June 15 joint declaration and October 4 declaration and a manifestation of its firm will to share sorrow with compatriots.

The North Headquarters of Pomminryon vehemently denounces the puppet group's fascist suppression as an immoral behavior towards the great loss to the nation and the most hideous crimes against ethics and an unpardonable challenge to the Koreans aspiring after reunification, missing the father of the nation very much.

The bitter tears shed by the Koreans are by no means tears of grief and all Koreans will, therefore, convert the present sorrow into towering indignation and thus punish the group of traitors without fail.

No matter how desperately the puppet group may work, it can never bar Pomminryon, a vanguard organization of the movement for national reunification, from courageously paving the rugged path for independent reunification under the banner of "By the Korean nation itself".

The group should immediately release the unreasonably detained members of the South Headquarters of Pomminryon and other pro-reunification patriots. -0