The statement said:

On Feb. 12, Japanese Prime Minister Abe said that the vice-chairmen of the Chongryon Central Standing Committee are "of the stand of substantially assisting the north Korean authorities as their members" and announced that Japan will prohibit their reentry as a step of additional "sanctions".

The Japanese reactionaries' desperate action constitutes a serious challenge to the DPRK's dignity and sovereignty, and a crime against humanity and international law.

They, backed by the brigandish U.S. imperialists, groundlessly pulled up the DPRK whenever there were events demonstrating its national defence capability and set Chongryon as the first target of their hostile policy toward the DPRK.

They have made desperate efforts to tighten "sanctions" against the DPRK through UN and inflict its own additional "sanctions". They practiced vicious politically-motivated persecution against officials of Chongryon and Koreans in Japan. Their ultimate goal is to cut off kinship between the motherland and compatriots of Chongryon and put pressure upon the DPRK.

Indeed, they are the most vicious group of brutes in terms of politics and morality.

The officials of the General Association of Koreans in China and all Koreans in China will turn out as one in the struggle to check and frustrate the frantic suppression racket of the Japanese reactionaries who are running amuck to stifle Chongryon, the statement concluded.