South Korea allowing humanitarian assistance and civilian exchanges will not be enough to improve inter-Korean relations, North Korean propaganda outlet Uriminzokkiri said in a commentary on Wednesday.

The statement came two days after Pyongyang refused to allow a visit by a South Korean non-governmental organization (NGO) to discuss a stalled joint project on malaria prevention.

But the North Korean commentary, under the byline Choe Eun Kyung, blamed the “the puppet conservative parties’ confrontation policy” for bringing inter-Korean relations to a “catastrophic state.”

“The North and South relations won’t be improved by allowing ‘humanitarian assistance’ or the civilian exchanges which the puppet