calendar>>December 7. 2010 Juch 99

Koreans Called upon to Abide by Three Principles of National Reunification

Pyongyang, December 7 (KCNA) -- The three principles of national reunification--independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity--which the north and the south solemnly declared at home and abroad through the historic July 4 joint statement have served as a cornerstone of national reunification as it clarified the basic stand and ways of solving the issue of Korea’s reunification on the principle of national independence.

Rodong Sinmun Tuesday says this in a signed article.

The June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration serve as declarations for national independence, peaceful reunification and the great national unity and a great programme for national reunification in the new century as they fully embody the three principles of national reunification, the article notes, and goes on:

The provisions of the declarations are based on the above-said three principles.

In the declarations the north and the south promised each other to independently settle the issue of national reunification by their concerted efforts as they are responsible for settling the issue of reunification, and subordinate everything to it, attaching importance to the dignity and interests of the nation. This means providing a sure guarantee for independently solving the issue of national reunification by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation free from any foreign interference.

It is of great historical importance for the north and the south to have decided to closely cooperate with each other in their efforts to put end to their military and hostile relations and ease tension and ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula and to settle all issues arising in improving the inter-Korean relations and achieving the reunification of the country through dialogues and negotiations. This also indicates a basic way of peacefully achieving national reunification free from any struggle between compatriots.

In the declarations the north and the south also decided to definitely turn the inter-Korean relations into those of mutual respect and trust irrespective of ideology and system and settle the issues of inter-Korean relations in conformity with reconciliation, cooperation and reunification. This paved a wide avenue for achieving the great unity of the entire nation under the banners of patriotism and national reunification, transcending the interests of all classes and strata irrespective of ideology and system, political view and religious belief, concludes the article.