Pyongyang, June 25 (KCNA) -- The Mt. Kumgang tour has been suspended owing to misdeeds of the South Korean authorities who seek a sinister political purpose. In this regard, the spokesman for the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee (KAPPC) released a statement today.
The statement said: As already known, the South Korean authorities on June 20 included such ill-intentioned elements as Min Yong Mi in the Mt. Kumgang tour, which had been arranged by the KAPPC and Hyun Dai Business Group out of warm compatriotic feelings, in an attempt to tempt northerners to defect to the south. Worse still, they openly conducted a smear campaign against the north.
This is an unpardonable intentional anti-north misbehaviour made by the South Korean authorities for the purpose of laying obstacles in the way of non-governmental activities sponsored by the KAPPC and the Hyun Dai Business Group and thus frustrating the Mt. Kumgang tour. According to results of an investigation by our competent organ, Min Yong Mi admitted that she preached "defection" during her Mt. Chumming tour and begged for lenient forgiveness for her criminal act.
Her crime should have been judged according to the DPRK law, but the KAPPC decided to send her back to South Korea in consideration of desires of the South Koreans to visit Mt. Kumgang as early as possible and of its relations with the Hyun Dai Business Group. This represents our magnanimous compatriotic measure.
It is also thanks to sincere efforts of the Hyun Dai side that min can return home.
We will warmly welcome South Korean tourists of Mt. Kumgang with compatriotic feelings but will not pardon anyone involved in the anti-north plot of the South Korean authorities as evidenced by the recent case. The South Korean authorities should immediately give up a sinister political attempt to use the Mt. Kumgang tour for an anti-north purpose.
This time, too, the South Korean authorities had been engaged in smear campaign against the north like a thief crying "stop thief " they went the length of alleging that it is a calculated provocation based on leading the examinee to answer questions. We warn once again that they should clearly know they will get nothing from the moves.
We will never tolerate any attempt of the South Korean authorities to attain their ulterior political purpose by poking their noses into the non-governmental tour of Mt. Kumgang which is pushed ahead by the KAPPC and the Hyun Dai Business Group out of warm compatriotic feelings.