It is two years since the authorities took the "May 24 step" which calls for terminating south-north exchange and cooperation, escalating joint war drills with the U.S., resuming the psychological warfare against the north, etc, the statement said, and went on:

This period witnessed such deplorable reality in which military tension between the north and the south was further escalated and all the fruits of cooperation vanished like bubble. All this inflicted great losses upon south Korean businessmen and people.

It was due to the "May 24 step" that the military's bellicose spirit of inciting military conflict has gone beyond the tolerance limit and the offensive nature of the north-targeted military exercises got more pronounced and distrust and confrontation between the north and the south is festering with each passing day.

The statement urged the authorities to face up to the reality and immediately lift the confrontation step in order to put the prevailing situation under control.