South Korean civic groups calling for the peaceful unification of the two Koreas urged both sides to fulfill agreements from the 2018 summit meetings and to prevent a collapse of inter-Korean ties.

A preparatory committee for the 20th anniversary of the June 15 Declaration made at the first inter-Korean summit said on Wednesday that the agreements are a joint asset reflecting the people's aspiration and will for peaceful unification.

Describing the current situation as a serious crisis that could force the two Koreas to return to the time before the declaration, the groups called for efforts to prevent it from being annulled.

The groups criticized the Moon Jae-in administration for not doing enough to fulfill the agreements by neglecting defector-led anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns that triggered the North to threaten retaliation.

They also urged Pyongyang to halt its belligerence and work towards diffusing military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.