DPRK accuses South Korea of deliberately worsening inter-Korean relations

PYONGYANG, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Fatherland Peaceful Reunification Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) issued a statement on Saturday blaming South Korea for deliberately worsening inter-Korean relations, according to the official KCNA news.

The DPRK emphatically condemned the remarks of South Korean officials that the South could make a "preemptive attack" against the DPRK and was working on a contingency plan in the event of leadership troubles in the north. Inducing confrontation in inter-Korean relations showed their "formidable minds", the statement said.

If the South deliberately aroused conflict and war, the DPRK would beat them back with no hesitation, it added.

The South Korean Defense Minister on Wednesday said, if there were obvious signs that the DPRK was going to launch a nuclear attack on the South, it would make a preemptive attack against the DPRK. And a South Korean newspaper said the South Korean government was sketching a contingency plan for what it would do if Pyongyang's leadership collapsed.