Pyongyang, June 24 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Chol, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, made public the following statement on June 24:

As was reported, at the preliminary meeting for the fifth meeting of the Seventh Central Military Commission of the WPK held on June 23, the military action plans against the south referred to the fifth meeting by the General Staff of the Korean People's Army was put on hold and a measure was taken to suspend some actions against the south which had been on the way.

Now is a critical moment when we can foresee the prospects of inter-Korean relations from the south Korean authorities' future attitude and approach. Taking the advantage of this, the south Korean minister of "Defense", busied himself to save his face and acted a fool making a bluff. This is very pitiful.

Detente of military tension on the Korean Peninsula can not be expected from the self-restraint and good-faith acts practiced by one side only. It can truly be ensured and guaranteed only by efforts and patience of both sides based on mutual respect and trust.

By availing itself of this opportunity, the south Korean military intentionally tried to give impression that it buckled down to propaganda about "alert posture". On the other hand, it, accentuating its stand to take actions of strongly conflicting military dimension like "thorough-going watch on the north" and "boosting alert posture", groundlessly let out extremely rattling expressions like "provocation" in reference to our action.

At the so-called plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held in the building of the "National Assembly" on June 24, Defense Minister Jong Kyong Du made such thoughtless statement that our military action plan must be completely "withdrawn", not just suspended. We can not but issue a warning against his imprudent behavior.

It is too foolish and inappropriate attempt, if he has an idea to convince others that the south's hard "efforts for crisis control" and "military alert posture" contributed to ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

When the "Defense Ministry" of south Korea practiced indiscreet words and acts similar to the recent ones in the past, we commented that scared dog barks noisier.

It has to think and behave wisely if it does not want to see us using those coarse languages when we state our official stand on the south.

It may sound threatening, but nothing will turn out favorable when our "suspension" becomes "reconsideration".

The south Korean "Defense Ministry's" untimely slip of the tongue must not result in greater crisis in the north-south relations.

It has to realize that self-control is the "key" to tiding over the crisis. -0-