Rodong Sinmun Tuesday says this in a signed article.

It goes on:

The publication of the north-south joint declarations helped the north and the south to turn the relations of distrust and confrontation into those of "By our nation itself" for the promotion of the reconciliation and unity and advance toward the new era of independent reunification, peace and prosperity.

The issue of the inter-Korean relations can be successfully solved only when the Koreans give overriding importance to the dignity and interests of the nation and orientate everything to this end in the spirit of "By our nation itself."

There is no doubt that the reconciliation and unity of the nation will be realized and the movement of national reunification make victorious advance along the orbit of the independence when the north and the south thoroughly embody the idea of "By our nation itself" on the basis of the said declarations.

As clearly expounded in the June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration, the inter-Korean relations should be reunification-oriented for the promotion of the national reconciliation and unity and the main principle of achieving common interests and co-prosperity based on mutual accommodation and mutual support and assistance should be observed in the inter-Korean cooperation for the coordinated development of the nation and the prosperity common to the nation.

The improved inter-Korean relations are a crucial problem related to the destiny of the nation and no one has the right to make it a bargaining chip.