The chief of the south Korean presidential state security office acted so shamefully on his recent secret visit to the US.

He met White House National Security Advisor O’Brien, US Secretary of State Pompeo and others who were displeased with the "story about discord in the s. Korea-US alliance" which is getting worse in recent days in a bid to curry favour with them.

In particular, he made such foolish remarks at a press conference that inter-Korean relations cannot merely be those between the south and north of Korea and they are the issue which should be settled through discussion and consultation with neighbouring countries including the US.

We cannot but doubt his sanity.

An internal matter of the Korean nation, in the true sense of the word, which should be settled by the north and south of Korea, the issue of inter-Korean relations is not the one to be solved through dependence on outsiders or with discussion with and help of other countries.

A question we'd like to ask him is if he, who is proud of having devoted his all to the improvement of inter-Korean relations over the past several decades, really does not know that the main key to the settlement of every matter between the north and the south is to resolve them independently by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation.

The recent rhetoric which reduced the sacred north-south relations to the dependant on international relations, in essence, cannot be construed other than the south Korean authorities' wanton denial, perfidy to and an open mockery of the historic June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, its action programme October 4 Declaration, and Panmunjom Declaration and the September Pyongyang Joint Declaration which specified national independence as the fundamental core.

It is a fact well known to the world that today inter-Korean relations have been locked in stalemate because the south Korean authorities bound itself to the US and left its destiny to it to decide and control.

It is a foolish act little short of asking the robber who broke the family property to pieces for help that they are beseeching the very one who is making a mess of the north-south relations to help them without coming to their senses yet.

The rashness with which he once argued for the "theory of driver" and said "the south and north are responsible for the destiny of the Korean peninsula" is nowhere to be found now and he is only cosying up to his master for fear of being cast aside.

It is no wonder that the world people jeered him as an "American poodle steeped in pro-American sentiment to the marrow".

As the chief of the state security office allegedly in charge of diplomatic and security affairs showed such a poor thinking and behaviour, it is not so strange that he was sent away half way through his visit, after being cold-shouldered, disregarded and disgraced by the US.

It is said that shame and humiliation are what one invites oneself.

Without independent thinking, everyone is bound to be fools who run about, unable to discern the time and place and the direction.