A pro-Pyongyang newspaper based in Japan has warned that worsening inter-Korean tension could reverse progress made toward North Korea's nuclear dismantlement.

The Choson Sinbo said Monday the words and actions of the Lee Myung-bak administration could aggravate confrontation between South and North. It warned that this could hinder the positive developments since the resumption of the six-party nuclear talks.

The paper published by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryeon, blasted the new South Korean administration. In particular, it criticized Seoul's stated intent to link cross-border ties with the nuclear issue and accused the South of ignoring last October's inter-Korean summit declaration.

In addition, the Choson Sinbo denounced remarks by the new chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, adding that his statement last week about preemptive strikes on North Korean nuclear sites reflected Seoul's disposition and policy direction.