Seoul (dpa) – North Korea said Sunday the future of inter-Korean relations depended on Seoul's attitude toward condolences over the death of leader Kim Jong Il. Pyongyang's first official response to the South followed Seoul's decision to express sympathy to the North Korean people but not to send an official delegation to the funeral on Wednesday. Kim died last week after leading the North for 17 years. Pyongyang criticized the South Korean government for attempting to “quench the hot wind for condolatory visits,” according to state-run Korean Central News Agency. “Their obstructions will entail unpredictable catastrophic consequences to the North-South relations,” the state media said. “The nation will finally test the morality of the South Korean authorities as well as sincerity of their call for improvement of the North-South relations.” The South's unification ministry issued permits for the wives of late President Kim Dae-jung and late Hyundai Group chairman Chung Mong-hun to travel to the North, but rejected requests from other groups, Yonhap News Agency said. Pyongyang regarded Seoul's condolence message offering sympathy for its people as an attempt “to break the single-minded unity of people” in the North, it said. The two Koreas are technically at war since their 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, rather than a peace treaty. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/zDeIO Tags: Kim Jong-il, North Korea, South Korea Section: East Asia
