#news : DPRK accuses S. Korea of aggravating north-south relations

PYONGYANG, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Wednesday denounced artillery fire by South Korea as a deterioration of the north-south relations, the official news agency KCNA reported.

The Central Committee of the Red Cross Society of the DPRK issued a statement on Wednesday, accusing South Korea of "derailing the process for improving the inter-Korean relations, scuttling the inter-Korean Red Cross talks and driving the situation to the brink of war by pursuing its policy of confrontation with the DPRK."

Besides, the Red Cross of South Korea should be responsible for having "scuttled such humanitarian undertakings as the normalization of the reunion of separated families and relatives," as it is "a waiting maid" of the South Korean authorities, declaring the indefinite postponement of the talks.

South Korea's anti-reunification acts are intolerable, as it vitiated the atmosphere for improving the inter-Korean relations and drove the situation to the "brink of war," the statement said.

The "traitors will never be able to escape severer punishment by the nation," the statement said.

According to the KCNA, South Korea fired toward the waters of the DPRK with dozens of shells around Yonphyong Islet in the west coast at 1:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

The DPRK's army immediately fired back against South Korea's military provocation with determined military measures, said the report.

The Supreme Command of Korean People's Army (KPA) of the DPRK issued a statement on Tuesday, warning the south side that the DPRK will take merciless military counter-actions against it without any hesitation if South Korea dared to intrude into the waters of the DPRK.

According to South Korean media, Yonphyong Islet suffered artillery fire from the DPRK on Tuesday, and several South Korean soldiers and civilians were reportedly killed.

It is reported that a military exercise named "Hoguk" was being held by South Korea in the nearby waters from Nov. 22 to Nov. 30.

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