S. Korean authorities must mind their own business

Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Korean Religionists Council made public a statement on Tuesday as

regards the ill-boding movement throwing a chill over the assistance to the north by religionists and other people from all walks

of life in south Korea out of compatriotism and humanitarianism after the contact between Inter-Korean Red Cross

Working-Level delegates held in Beijing, China, some time ago. The spokesman said: The south Korean authorities held a

"Measure meeting for Red Cross Beijing contact" on May 7 and examined relief goods from the religious and other civic

organisations and, at the same time, south Korea's supreme public prosecutor's office on May 8 announced that it would launch

"investigation" into the assistance of civic organisations, which is not passed through the "National Unification Board" or the

"Red Cross", defining it as "illegal activities" and urged them to restrain themselves and change their decision. What is more

serious is that south Korea's Red Cross participated without preparations in the contact between the Inter-Korean Red Cross

Working-Level delegates in Beijing arranged with much effort and talked about "procedures" and "transport method" and is

trying to control the campaign for assistance to the north of the religious and other civic organisations. If they are sincerely

concerned about the misfortune of the fellow countrymen and want to help them, they must give priority to the kinds and

quantity of relief goods, not to procedures. When south Korea was hit by floods in autumn of 1984, our Red Cross society

made clear the kinds and quantity of relief goods and the time of their offering out of the noble compatriotic feelings and the

ideal of humanitarianism and supplied all of them in time without any conditions. South Korea's Red Cross, however, came out

to the contact insincerely and is trying to make relief goods from religious and other civic organisations their own, calling these

organisations in the assistance to the north to account, far from preparing their portions. This is a rude act such as seizing other's

wedding table and a behaviour contrary to noble humanitarian work. The jobs of the authorities, red cross and civic

organisations are different in humanitarian work. We hold that the south Korean authorities should not block the assistance to

the north by religious and other civic organisations and individual businessmen but mind their own business. If they throw a chill

over the assistance to the north by the religious and other civic organisations, they will be denounced by the nation and world

conscience. South Korea's Red Cross must behave with discretion, clearly mindful that putting Red Cross label on the relief

goods of religious organisations on the pretext of the "step" taken by the south Korean authorities cannot be the Red Cross

humanitarian work. We take this opportunity to express the hope that the south Korean religious and other civic organisations

will bitterly oppose and reject the unjust interference by the authorities and the Red Cross and continue the assistance they have

already started.