Present there were office-bearers of the Central Committee of the Buddhist Federation of Korea and its provincial, city and county committees, priests and monks of temples and believers.

Rituals were made to be followed by speeches.

The speakers said that they are significantly celebrating the birthday of Buddha, 2553 Buddhist Era at the stirring time when all the people turned out as one in the last charge of building a great prosperous and powerful nation with the great national pride of having successfully launched the satellite. They called upon the Buddhists to make tangible contributions to building a great prosperous and powerful nation through substantial participation in various activities.

The inter-Korean relations that had developed on good terms after the publication of the June 15 joint declaration have reached the brink of a war owing to the persistent sycophancy toward the U.S. and the moves for confrontation with the north on the part of the present conservative ruling forces of south Korea, they noted.

They called upon all the Buddhists in the north and the south and abroad to unite in Dharma-minded concord and foil the Lee Myung Bak group's moves for a war and thoroughly preserve and implement the June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration, its practical programme, and thus make substantial contributions to accelerating the country's reunification.

A joint prayer for the country's reunification carrying the unanimous desire of all the Buddhists in the north and the south was read out at the masses.