(File photo)

PYONGYANG, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Monday called on South Korea to abolish its presidential preparatory committee for reunification set up by the former government.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a commentary that the Preparatory Committee for Unification "has served as a means for executing the policy of confrontation with the fellow countrymen."

The committee worked on "unification through absorption" while scrapping the North-South agreement to set up a special zone for peace and cooperation in the West Sea, to end the current armistice system and build a lasting peace mechanism, said the KCNA.

"As differing ideologies and systems have existed for long in the north and the south, attempt at achieving 'unification of social systems' and 'unification through absorption' by way of extending the system of one party into the other party will only bring conflict," said the commentary.

The official daily Rodong Sinmun also said in an article that the committee hurt the nation's reconciliation and unity and escalated distrust and confrontation.

South Korea launched the 50-member presidential committee for preparing to reunify with the DPRK in July 2014.

Seoul also made a so-called "Dresden Initiative" in the same year, including infrastructure development, natural resources exploration, as well as broader inter-Korean exchanges in non-political areas such as history, culture and sports.