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Seoul's unification ministry demanded Friday the release of two South Koreans being held in North Korea, after Pyongyang accused the detainees of being "heinous terrorists" -- threatening to further derail hopes of meaningful inter-Korean dialogue.
A day earlier, the North had identified the pair as Kim Kuk-gi and Choe Chun-gil -- they are charged with spying on behalf of South Korea.
The South's response did not clarify whether the men were linked to the country's National Intelligence Service, but the unification ministry statement did insist that "it's very regrettable that the North is making such a groundless claim about them."
Ministry spokesperson Lim Byeong-cheol also slammed Pyongyang for showing a lack of respect for human rights and global standards.
North Korea's case against the detainees is built on their apparent confessions to working on behalf of South Korea's state spy agency to gather intelligence and undermine Pyongyang's authority.
The admissions of guilt follow a pattern seen among North Korean prisoners -- including the high-profile American missionary Kenneth Bae before his release last year.
Of the two men paraded by Pyongyang on Thursday, Kim was accused of previously conducting underground Christian activities in China near the border with North Korea.
His background echoes that of another South Korean missionary, Kim Jeong-wook, who has been held in the North since 2013 -- and who also publicly confessed to spying last year.
The two Koreas remain in a state of war as they never signed a peace treaty after their 1950-53 conflict.
www.aa.com.tr/en - Seoul-t'ukpyolsi
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