The statement said the relations between the north and the south of Korea could never be improved through confrontation. They have precedents for having solved problems through dialogue and negotiations and they already adopted good principles and declarations.

The July 4 joint statement was made public in Juche 61 (1972) based on three principles -- independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity.

Historic summit meetings and talks between the north and south were held in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007 to adopt the June 15 joint declaration and October 4 declaration.

They led to wide-ranging contacts and visits between the two sides, adding to the desire of the nation for the reunification.

The latest statement mirrors a strong will of the whole nation to ensure peace in the Korean peninsula and open a decisive phase of national reunification without fail this year, the first of the second decade of the 21st century.