At the conference the Headquarters accused the Seoul Central District Court of staging a trial at which it sentenced Vice-Chairman Ro Su Hui and Secretary General Won Jin Uk of the Headquarters to 4 and 3 years in prison and the same term of suspension of qualification respectively.

Ro's visit to the north was prompted by his will to express profound condolences over the great loss to the compatriots and share sorrow with them in a bid to pave the way for national conciliation, unity and reunification, the organization noted.

The court took such actions, accusing him of his visit to Pyongyang though his behavior was entirely just in the light of human ethics and morality and traditional beautiful manners and customs of the nation and from the standpoint of national reconciliation and unity.

The authorities will never escape a judgment by history for taking such harsh legal actions, it warned.

Strongly protesting this ruling, it urged the "government" authorities to immediately release its vice-chairman and secretary general.