The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) accused South Korea of raising the "abductees" issue, calling it "another vicious political provocation," the official KCNA news agency reported Friday.

A spokesman for the National Reconciliation Council released a statement on Friday blasting South Korea for its announcement that Seoul would "probe into the truth behind the abduction of South Koreans by the north during the war time," the KCNA said.

The "abductees" are those who came to the care of the DPRK of their own accord and South Korea is using them for their propaganda purpose, the statement said.

The campaign of South Korea is aimed at diverting elsewhere public opinion, getting rid of its isolation and crisis and saving its policy for confrontation with the DPRK from total failure, it said.

The statement also urged South Korea to immediately stop "such ridiculous racket," which would only throw obstacles in the way of solving the issue of the separated families and relatives.

According to the report, South Korea decided to set up an organization with Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik as its chairman to investigate the issues of "abductees," with an aim to bring them back to South Korea.