North Korea denounces South Korean court ruling on activist

North Korea lambasted South Korea Sunday for upholding a jail term of an activist for making an illegal trip to Pyongyang, saying it is an "unethical" ruling by conservatives. South Korea's top court last month confirmed the four-year term for Ro Su-hui, the vice chairman of the South Headquarters of the Pan-national Alliance for Korea's Reunification, for illegally visiting the communist regime to attend a memorial service to mark the 100th day since the death of long-time North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. South Korea's National Security Law prohibits citizens from visiting the North without prior permission or from praising the North. "Such outpourings let loose by the puppet conservative group are the worst demeanors which can be done only by ignorant gangsters bereft of elementary ethics and morality, blinded by confrontation with fellow countrymen," the North's mainstream daily, the Rodong Sinmun, said in an English dispatch. The commentary further criticized the ruling Saenuri Party, saying that "die-hard confrontation maniacs are going reckless, blustering there is a problem (with the ruling). "The reckless moves of the group to escalate the confrontation with fellow countrymen, indifferent to national reconciliation and unity, are a stumbling block lying in the way of mending the inter-Korean relations," it added.