Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- The Women's Sub-Committee of the North Side Committee and the Women's Headquarters of the South Side Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration issued the following joint resolution Wednesday:

The Koreans have seen lots of women falling victims throughout history interwoven with the Japanese imperialists' occupation, national division, Korean war and Cold War.

This convinced the people that peace is a vital and crucial matter related to the nation's destiny.

Women from the north and the south attended a seminar on peace in Asia and role of women under the situation where the nation remains divided. They have exerted efforts to sow seeds of peace and bring peace into a reality through cooperation for settling the issue of comfort women for the Imperial Japanese Army and diverse activities for implementing the June 15 joint declaration.

Exchanges between women in the north and the south have stalled and military tensions run high in the West Sea of Korea amid frayed north-south relations.

Women in the north and the south crave for peace on this land.

Hoping that 2012 would become a year of hope in ushering in a new epochal phase for peace and reunification, we, women in the north and the south, pledge as follows:

First, we will make efforts to avert a war and bring peace as a main player for national reconciliation, unity, peace and reunification.

We will do our best to remove the root cause of confrontation and war from this land and leave posterity with lasting peace and reunification.

We will enhance our roles in rejecting all the institutional barriers and theory of confrontation which bar north-south visits, contacts and reunification and harmony but foster discord and distrust.

Second, we will turn out to implement the historic June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration.

The implementation of these declarations guarantees peace of the country, bright prospect of reunification and future of the nation.

The only way-out of removing the acute confrontational phase and ushering in the new phase of peace and reunification lies in implementing the north-south declarations, and this will contribute to peace in Northeast Asia and the rest of the world.

We will uphold the banner of the north-south joint declarations and flatly reject all confrontational moves which lay a stumbling block in the way of people of all social standings including women's organizations in their efforts to implement the declarations.

As clarified in the October 4 declaration, we will intensify solidarity activities to turn the West Sea of Korea fraught with the danger of armed clashes and war into a peaceful sea.

Third, we will actively solidarize for the settlement of the issue of comfort women for the Imperial Japanese Army and for the protection of their rights.

The issue of comfort women has been confirmed as a crime against humanity at the UN and the Japanese government is urged to make apology and reparation.

Wednesday rallies have been held in the south side urging the Japanese government to make repentance, apology and reparation for sexual slavery. The 1,000th rally is due on Dec. 14, 2011. It is regretful that the efforts to hold the 1,000th rally with the attendance of the women from the north and the south could not come true.

We will hold meetings to hear testimonies and seminars related to the sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army so as to urge Japan to make apology and reparation for its crimes against humanity and all hostile acts it has committed against the Korean nation, and will intensify solidarity with the UN and other international organizations as well as overseas organizations to this end.

We will foil Japan's moves of reinvasion aimed to infringe upon the sovereignty of the Korean nation typified by its "territorial claim to Tok Islets" by denying and distorting its past history of aggression.

Women holding half of the population of Korea will do their best for the country's reunification and peace.

We once again affirm our pledge to play a key role in ushering in the bright future of reunification and common prosperity.