Rodong Sinmun Monday says this in a signed article.

Embodied in the joint declaration is the unanimous desire of all Koreans for national independence, the article notes, and goes on:

The joint declaration calls upon the Korean nation in the north and the south to join efforts and independently settle the problem of national reunification by itself as the very one responsible for this problem. The presentation of the idea "By our nation itself" made clear the path of independent reunification in the new century.

Carried in the declaration is the demand of all Koreans for peace and peaceful reunification of the country.

The declaration indicates the ways for preventing military conflicts between the north and the south and realizing the national reunification peacefully, thus powerfully encouraging the Koreans to the struggle for durable peace of the Korean Peninsula and its peaceful reunification.

Reflected in the declaration is all Koreans' will to improve the north-south relations and make a new turning point of unified development of the country and prosperity of the nation through reconciliation and cooperation.

The idea of "By our nation itself" advanced in the joint declaration mirrors the fundamental principles for improvement of the north-south relations and national reunification.

Signal achievements have been made one after another in the development of the inter-Korean relations since the publication of the joint declaration. This is a clear proof of the vitality of "By our nation itself", the most just and patriotic idea for reunification.

By clarifying that the north and the south will develop the national economy in a balanced way and activate cooperation and exchange, the joint declaration opened up a broad avenue for intensifying reconciliation and cooperation based on the idea "By our nation itself".

The joint declaration serves as a milestone for the independent reunification of the nation and a great programme of national reunification.

Independent reunification, peace and prosperity depend on defending and implementing the inter-Korean declarations, the article concludes.