The C.C., the Red Cross Society of the DPRK Monday released a statement disclosing the truth about the inhuman act perpetrated by the group.

Referring to the brigandish abduction of inhabitants of the DPRK by the puppet forces, the statement said:

31 inhabitants left Tongpho-ri port in Kangryong County, South Hwanghae Province aboard a 5-ton fishing boat (27 hp) on February 5 to gather shellfish. They anchored their boat close to the Jincho lighthouse near Tak Islet and Taesuap Islet in the waters off Pupho of Kangryong County under the control of the DPRK due to bad weather. But when they found themselves in danger, they lifted anchor and made desperate efforts to get rid of the unfavorable situation.

It was exactly at that time that three high speed boats of the south Korean puppet navy appeared all of a sudden and threw hooks on the fishing boat, pulling it to their boats in a twinkle of an eye.

The crewmen and inhabitants of the DPRK repeatedly told the soldiers of the puppet army that they went adrift owing to the bad weather and they were in the waters under the control of the DPRK at that time.

But the soldiers of the puppet army, paying no heed to their assertion, recklessly jumped over the fishing boat before breaking the gate and windows of the steering room with butts and clubs and mercilessly beating the inhabitants. They tried to pull the boat and flee away southward in a bid to forcibly transfer the inhabitants to warships of the puppet army which had been on standby.

When the inhabitants made a strong protest against such act, chanting "We will stay on our boat until our death. We will go back home," the soldiers of the puppet army threatened them with arms. After pouncing upon the inhabitants in group, the soldiers of the puppet army transferred them to one of their warships before taking flight towards Inchon.

More than 10 warships of the puppet navy were combat-ready in the nearby waters at that time.

The truth that the fishing boat was in the waters under the control of the DPRK is clearly proved by the fact that the puppet soldiers kidnapped the fishing boat and inhabitants before taking them southward for a long while and transferring them to their warship.

The inhabitants of the DPRK never crossed the "northern limit line", an illegal line.

They explained in detail how they went adrift from the outset and were unanimous in demanding that they be repatriated to the DPRK, the statement said.

Bringing to light the puppet group's mean operation to force the inhabitants to "defect" to the south, the statement went on:

The authorities of Chongwadae, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Unification admitted that the inhabitants and boat of the DPRK went adrift due to the bad weather and all the 31 inhabitants wished to return home. South Korean media reported as it happened.

However, the puppet group kept them in custody for more than 50 days in south Korea, refusing to send them back to the north. It talked about "investigation" after forming a "joint investigation group".

Then they were busy with a sinister operation to force the detainees to "defect" to the south.

When the inhabitants did not comply with their demand, they threatened and blackmailed against them. They took girls to a secluded room before pressurizing them to "defect" to the south. They made no scruple of threatening them with sexual abuses and insulting them.

Craftily taking advantage of family relations, they told the parents of the children that they wished to stay in the south while telling the children the same lie that their parents wanted to remain there. This was aimed to create distrust and discord between kinsmen and put them to extreme psychological and mental torture.

Finally they let human scum persuade the inhabitants to "defect" to the south and plugged even agents for psychological warfare of the U.S. imperialist aggression forces into the "defection operation".

The statement dismissed the "will for defection" allegedly expressed by four detainees as a fabrication.

It went on:

When inhabitants of the DPRK made a request to meet the four people, the puppet group told the lie that "they can meet with each other in Haeju as they would be repatriated via Panmunjom and the four people would go back aboard their boat." They even did not allow the elder brother to meet his younger brother who was among the four people.

Needless to say, the puppet group behaved so for fear of the truth about the above-said operation being brought to light.

The statement referred in detail to the fact that the group used the unexpected disaster the inhabitants met for its sinister purpose of confrontation.

The group insisted on discussions of the issue of the confirmation of face-to-face meeting after the repatriation of 27 inhabitants and the repatriation of 27 inhabitants via Panmunjom.

The DPRK side sent a notice again accusing the south side of its unreasonable attitude and demanding that it send back all the detainees aboard their boat through West Sea of Korea and allow the face-to-face meeting. But the south side's authorities were opposed to the demand.

The aim sought by the puppet group through this provocation was to escalate confrontation with fellow countrymen, scuttle the north-south dialogue and chill the atmosphere of improving the inter-Korean relations.

The group's operation was prompted by its sinister intention to hurt the high prestige of the DPRK and disturb the mind-set of its people.

The Red Cross of south Korea had better not to allow itself to serve the purpose of the puppet group's despicable policy of confrontation with compatriots and to be reduced to a plaything.