(VOVworld) – The Republic of Korea (RoK) on Sunday expressed strong regret after the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) said there will be no inter-Korean dialogue unless Seoul's anti-DPRK leaflet drop is suspended.

On October 25, a group of South Korean conservative activists tried to float balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets dispersion across the Korean border (Photo: Lim Byung-sik)

The RoK’s Unification Ministry said the DPRK mistakenly believes the RoK government to be a protector and supporter of civic groups distributing anti-DPRK leaflets, and said the RoK strongly regrets the situation. The Ministry said it will deal sternly with any provocation intended to harm South Koreans. The Ministry’s remarks came a day after the DPRK’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said the DPRK will not hold any dialogue with Seoul “as long as a reckless leaflet scattering operation goes on”. The committee said the Park Geun-hye administration will “have to pay a dear price” for botching the hard-won opportunity to improve the relationship between the two Koreas.