The KCNA recently scolded the South for, as only they could say, ‘international tourism of tunnels:’

A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland in a statement on Sept. 23 denounced the south Korean authorities’ recent moves for international tourism of tunnels as a blatant challenge to the sincere efforts of the DPRK for peace and reunification of the country and as a traitorous act to make money by abusing national division…

Some irony here in that the tunnels in question were dug by the North Koreans to infiltrate troops and equipment under the DMZ and well into the South in the event of a Northern attack. Several have been discovered since 1974, and they are now tourist attractions on the Southern side of the DMZ (get your 10 percent-off coupon), along with Panmunjom (JSA) and the Unification Observatories on either cost (east and west). These tourist facilities also sell a few North Korean products, including alcohol:

More irony in that the DPRK is criticizing anyone for trying to, ‘make money by abusing national division.’ But there’s more:

… if the south Korean authorities have true willingness to fundamentally remove the root cause of mistrust and confrontation between the north and the south and implement the June 15 joint declaration. For national unity and reunification the south Korean authorities and bellicose forces should unconditionally stop their farce for tourism of the tunnels which lays an obstacle in the implementation of the joint declaration and the improvement of the inter-Korean relations… [emphasis added]

There you have it – the tunnel tours have been holding up implementation of the 15 June 2000 accord reached between former ROK President Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il.

Unfortunately the tunnel tours are in the hands of imperialist capitalists in the South, no doubt star pupils of U.S. flunkyism, so there will not likely be a chance for Southerners to learn the joys of Juch’e and being a subject of the iron-willed brilliant commander, the Eternal President of the DPRK, the Great Leader, Comrade Kim Il-sung (I’ve been reading way too many quotes from DPRK literature lately).