The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) urged Wednesday the South Korean authorities to stop provocation if it wants to start dialogue on the Kaesong industry zone (KIZ), the official news agency KCNA reported.

"We remind the South Korean authorities once again that the prospect of KIZ and the future orientation of the north-south relations entirely depend on their attitude," a spokesman for the General Bureau for Central Guidance to the Development of the Special Zone told KCNA.

The remark is a response to a Tuesday proposal by the South Korea's Ministry of Unification under the instruction of South Korean President Park Geun-hye to hold working-level talks at the truce village of Panmunjom to alleviate the ongoing plight of the 123 South Korean companies that have been forced out of the complex.

"If the south side truly intends to normalize the operation of KIZ, it should not talk about dialogue with unessential issues such as the issue of communications and carrying out of goods but opt for settling basic issues and stop provocative remarks and confrontation racket against the DPRK," said the unidentified spokesman.

He also denounced Seoul for being "bent on nuclear war moves against the DPRK by even drawing on a super-large nuclear-powered carrier from the U.S. mainland."

Tensions have been running high on the Korean Peninsula since the DPRK conducted its third nuclear test on Feb. 12. Pyongyang shut down the inter-Korean industrial complex in early April in protest of U.S.-South Korean military drills and pulled out 53,000 DPRK workers.

South Korea also withdrew its workers starting on April 26 after Pyongyang rejected Seoul's proposal for working-level talks.

The industrial zone, launched in late 2004 under the joint management of South Korea and DPRK as one of the key symbols of economic cooperation between the two sides, is suffering the most serious crisis since it opened.

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