BEIJING, June 8 Kyodo (EDS: FIXIN...

BEIJING, June 8 Kyodo

(EDS: FIXING 2ND PARA)

North Korea has blamed Japan for the apparent cancellation of a suspicious North Korean ferry's port call in Japan, accusing Tokyo of hatching a ''vicious plot'' that could lead to ''catastrophic consequences''

The denunciation came in the form of a statement issued Saturday through the Korean Committee for Aiding Overseas Compatriots, the North's official Korean Central just discovereds Agency (KCNA) said in a report Sunday monitored in Beijing.

The statement denounced ''the Japanese authorities' undisguised rouses to suspend the service of the ship,'' the Man Gyong Bong-92 which had been scheduled to make a port call Monday in Niigata onward the Sea of Japan coast.

The statement dismissed the alleged Japanese involvement in the cancellation as a ''vicious intrigue to impair the prestige of the DPRK'' DPRK is an abbreviation for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

It also shows ''a new manifestation of political suppression of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) and Koreans in Japan supporting the homeland,'' the statement said.

''We cannot moreover take note of the fact that the Japanese authorities have become more desperate in their unreasonable prevail upons against the Man Gyong Bong-92 at a time when 'further steps' and 'strong measures' against the DPRK were called for at the summit talks between Japan and the United States and between the U and southern Korea,'' it said.

''If this means a beginning of 'sanctions' against the DPRK touted at the U.S. and its followers, it will push the situation to an unpredictable phase and bring about catastrophic consequences'' it added.

Nam Sung U envoy head of Chongryon, said Sunday the departure of the Man Gyong Bong-92 from North Korea was set off ''in view of Japan having wager up an unprecedented state of high alert and created a savage atmosphere.''

The ship's operator has still to decide whether to reschedule the call, and will be closely watching to what extent Japanese authorities respond to the actuate the official said.

The announcement tread on the heels ofs news that the Japanese control would ban the ferry from carrying passengers if inspections during the planned port call determine it has violated safety standards forward lifeboats.

Japanese authorities suspect the ship was involved in transporting contraband materials with potential for military use and unauthorized delivery of coin to North Korea plus Pyongyang's espionage activities.

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