North Korean state-run media on Thursday urged South Korea to “completely remove” domestic legal and institutional barriers to cooperation between the two, describing them as the “fundamental cause” of slow progress in inter-Korean relations.

In an editorial written by an unnamed reporter, outer-track outlet Uriminzokkiri said that inter-Korean cooperation projects in the fields of forestry and healthcare among others, as well as rail and road connection and modernization had “not proceeded smoothly.”

“What is the fundamental cause of slow progress and no achievement in cooperation and exchange projects between the North and the South?” the article asked.

Although “interference and the scheme