Pyongyang slams Seoul's reaction to border crossing ban

SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Saturday lashed out at South Korea's
reaction to its move restricting inter-Korean border crossings, calling it a
"provocative" action.
Starting Dec. 1, North Korea limited inter-Korean border crossings and allowed
only 880 South Koreans to remain at the Kaesong joint industrial complex, citing
the South's continued "hostile" stance against it.
Seoul expressed regret over Pyongyang's actions and urged Pyongyang to retract
them shortly after they went into effect.
"The puppet authorities (Seoul) are trying to hard to shift the blame for the
deteriorated inter-Korean relations onto the DPRK," the North's Committee for the
Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said in a statement.
DPRK, which stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is the official
name of North Korea. The statement was carried by the North's official Korean
Central News Agency (KCNA).
The North also suspended the Kaesong tour program that South Korea's Hyundai Asan
launched in December last year.
South Korean Unification Minister Kim Ha-Joong said in a forum held here Friday
that it is not Seoul that suspended inter-Korean dialogue and border passages
between the two countries.
ksnam@yna.co.kr
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