The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has rejected South Korea's regret over the DPRK's decision not to send any cheering squad to the upcoming Incheon Asian Games, accusing the south of "impeding the cheering squad visit".

The DPRK also rejected Seoul's claim that there was only an "oral and informal notification" of the decision, a spokesman for the DPRK's Olympic Committee said in a statement released by the official KCNA news agency Saturday.

The DPRK has formally notified South Korean officials and the organizing committee of the DPRK's decision to cancel the dispatch of a cheering squad when attending lots drawing and an international sports seminar in Incheon on Aug. 20, the statement added.

Son Gwang Ho, vice chairman of the DPRK's Olympic Committee, announced Thursday night that the DPRK has decided not to send any cheering squad to Asiad this time, accusing the South of erecting barriers to its participation.

In response, South Korea expressed regrets Friday over what it called a "unilateral" decision of the DPRK, and denied the DPRK's accusation that "the South side does not want the cheering squad's participation," which it said was a distorted assertion.

The DPRK accused the south of intending to twist the fact and mislead public opinions by claiming the decision to be only a verbal one, according to the statement.

It also blamed Seoul for claiming its cheering visit was aimed at "political propaganda" and refuted Seoul's rhetoric that Pyongyang adopted a "double-dealing tactics of reconciliation and war."

The statement reaffirmed the DPRK's sincerity to send a cheering squad to contribute to improving inter-Korean relations and national solidarity and conciliation. The cheering visit also take into account South Korean people's hopes for meeting the DPRK cheering contingent.

"The DPRK was compelled to give up the decision," as Seoul did not welcome its sincerity, it said.

The DPRK blamed South Korea for the breakdown of the inter-Korean working-level talks on the 17th Asian Games at the truce village of Panmunjom last month. It accused South Korea of "making absurd assertions and behaving recklessly."

At the talks, the South Korean side took issue with the scale of the delegation and the size of the DPRK national flag, and even put forward the expenses issue, which the DPRK side had not mentioned, it said.

The 17th Asian Games will be held in South Korea's western port city of Incheon from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4. The DPRK will send a delegation of 273 people to the Incheon Asiad, composed of officials and 150 athletes, down from the previously announced number of 350. Endi

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