North Korea: Federal system most feasible road to unification

 North Korea on Friday reiterated its stance that creating a mutually acceptable "federal" system is the only feasible road to unification between the two Koreas. In an article carried by the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), Pyongyang emphasized the legitimacy of its proposal and criticized Seoul's plan that seeks a merging of the two political systems. The daily, monitored in Seoul, pointed out that differences clearly exist in the areas of political ideology and government systems. "Under such circumstances, the only realistic way to achieve unification is the federation system that respects such differences," it said. North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung first proposed the creation of the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo in October 1980, which calls for the establishment of a federal structure that supports two separate leadership and systems. It then claimed that the incumbent Park Geun-hye administration is following in the path of the previous conservative government in regards to its unification policy. It said the so-called trust-building process being pursued by President Park at present aims to push for change in the North. Such a move effectively strives to undermine socialism with the help of foreign powers, it added. The Rodong Sinmun, meanwhile, blasted efforts by the ruling Saenuri Party to pass a bill calling for improved human rights in the North, adding that such a move will do nothing to alleviate the mistrust and bad feelings between the two countries.