PYONGYANG, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday accused South Korea of passing sentence on a former pro-DPRK high official, the official news agency reported.

    This action is "an unpardonable criminal act of hamstringing inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation and playing down the national significance of the historic Pyongyang Summit," the KoreaAsia-Pacific Peace Committee said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

    South Korean judicial authorities recently sentenced a former Minister of Culture and Tourism Pak Ji-won, who had been prosecuted for "involvement in the mailing of money to the North,"to three years in prison.

    Pak visited Pyongyang as a secret envoy of the former PresidentKim Dae-jung who paid a historic visit in 2000. The visit was widely regarded as a milestone in inter-Korean history as it pavedthe way for peaceful cooperation and exchanges in various areas between the two sides.

    The DPRK described the sentence as "another base and vicious political act of terrorism intended to ostracize the main players who contributed to the landmark event of signing the historic north-south joint declaration."

    "The South Korean judicial authorities should unconditionally release the illegally detained figure related to the above-said event," said the statement. Enditem