Pyongyang, April 17 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il, who had led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with Songun (military-first) politics, performed big feats in the efforts for achieving national reunification and improving relations with other countries.

In the famous work "Let Us Carry Out the Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung's Instruction for National Reunification" he published in August Juche 86 (1997), Kim Jong Il reaffirmed the will of the Workers' Party of Korea to achieve national reunification on any account, indicating the principles and tasks to that effect.

His also published the famous work "Let Us Reunify the Country Independently and Peacefully through the Great Unity of the Entire Nation" in April 1998, calling on the entire Korean people to turn out in the efforts for the reunification.

Thanks to his devoted efforts, an inter-Korean summit was held in Pyongyang in June 2000, the first of its kind in the history of Korea's division, yielding the North-South Joint Declaration, the keynote of which is the idea of reunifying the country by the efforts of the Koreans.

This declaration led to connecting of railways and roads between the north and the south, giving a fresh momentum to national reconciliation and cooperation. In line with the declaration, reunification-related events took place in Pyongyang and Seoul one after another, which helped usher in the June 15 era for reunification.

Another inter-Korean summit was held in 2007, giving a birth to the October 14 declaration, a programme for the implementation of the June 15 north-south joint declaration.

Kim Jong Il had brought about remarkable changes in DPRK's external relations.

Backed by strong military capabilities, he considered sovereignty to be the lifeline in foreign relations in the face of high-handed diplomacy of the imperialists.

Thanks to his admirable diplomatic activities, friendly ties with other countries have stood on a higher level.

DPRK's victory in the standoff with the U.S. made its allies paying attention to improving their relations with the country.

A former Japanese prime minister visited Pyongyang to express apology for the damages and losses Japan had inflicted upon Korea during its colonial rule.

In step with the tendency, many Western nations opted for establishing diplomatic relations with the DPRK.

Organizations to study and disseminate Songun idea has increased and events for friendship and solidarity with the Korean people have taken place on a large scale worldwide.