The statement noted with high appreciation that Kim Jong Il worked out grand plans and operations for bringing about a decisive phase in the Korean revolution and the building of a thriving nation by effecting a new great revolutionary surge and wisely led the efforts of the army and the people last year.

It is the shining fruition of his wise leadership that last year the people in the homeland achieved the great victory in defending socialism and building a thriving nation and wrought admirable miracles and innovations in different sectors of the national economy, weathering out the harsh tempest of history, it said.

The statement expressed the determination to closely rally the broad strata of Koreans in China around the association and vigorously arouse them to the patriotic drive for national reunification in keeping pace with the people in the homeland working hard to carry out the militant tasks laid down in the joint New Year editorial.

All Koreans in China will turn out as one in the struggle to resolutely smash the anti-DPRK and anti-reunification moves of the pro-U.S. conservative ruling forces of south Korea and achieve the independent reunification of the country by intensifying the struggle for peace against the U.S. and war, it said.