When the U.S. and its south Korean puppet forces launched brigandish invasion against the young DPRK on June 25, 1950, its army and people immediately went over to a counter-offensive unprecedented in the world history of wars, inflicting a merciless punishment upon the aggressors. In the days of the hard-fought war, they humbled the arrogant U.S. imperialists who boasted of being "the strongest" in the world and honorably protected the sovereignty of the country. Through this they demonstrated the stamina of heroic Korea and recorded a shining page in the history of the anti-imperialist, anti-U.S. struggle of the nation.

The Koreans' glorious history of the struggle against the U.S. and fascism also recorded the June popular uprising which broke out in June 1987. More than five million people from all walks of life took part in the uprising that lasted for 20 days from June 10. During the uprising people throughout south Korea including Seoul, Pusan, Taegu, Kwangju, Mokpho and Jeju waged a heroic struggle against foreign domination and the tyrannical rule of the military fascist junta, chanting slogans "Down with dictatorship," "Let's drive out U.S. imperialists," "national reunification", etc.

The June popular uprising registered a shining page in the history of the south Korean people's struggle against the U.S. and fascism to put an end to the dictatorial rule of outside forces and their stooges and bring about new independent and democratic politics and new life.

Upon hearing news that two schoolgirls were driven over to death by an armored car of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces on June 13, 2002, the south Korean people waged fierce, sacred resistance against the U.S. all the year round, carrying forward the fighting spirit of the June popular resistance fighters. In those days they held anti-U.S. candle light rallies in different places, demanding the pullout of U.S. forces and tearing Stars and Stripes to pieces. This was an eruption of the pent-up hatred and resentment of the people at outside forces and traitors.

June 15, 2000 witnessed the historic Pyongyang summit, the first of its kind in the history of the Korean nation's division for more than half a century. This provided a historic landmark in improving the inter-Korean relations and ushering in a new era of independence and reunification.

The publication of the declaration provided all Koreans with guidelines for settling the issue of national reunification free from foreign interference.

All Koreans rose in a nation-wide struggle to reunify the country through the wisdom and efforts of the Koreans, rejecting outside forces, guided by the idea of "By our nation itself" strictly based on the principle of independence and unity, the core of the national issue.

The period since the adoption of the June 15 joint declaration witnessed epoch-making successes in the efforts to improve the north-south relations and in the movement for national reunification, something hardly imaginable in the past.

The north-south relations of confrontation in the past were replaced by the ties of reconciliation and cooperation while cooperation and exchange were brisk between pro-reunification movement bodies and non-governmental bodies and visits, solidarity and alliance were realized in the north and the south.

The June 15 era of reunification, the new era of independence and reunification, clearly taught all Koreans the truth that they can surely accomplish the historic cause of national reunification should they pool their efforts.

Fully expressed in those days of sacred struggle was the ardent desire of the Koreans to see outside forces withdrawn from this land and achieve independence, democracy and reunification as early as possible.

But the great spirit of the declaration and the cherished desire of the brave participants in the struggle against the U.S. and dictatorship have not come true.

The U.S. forces are still present in south Korea, wantonly violating the sovereignty of the south Koreans.

The U.S. political, economic and military domination over south Korea and meddling in its affairs have become evermore undisguised since Lee Myung Bak came to power, in particular.

The Lee group, sycophantic and subservient to the U.S., singled out stronger alliance with it as a top-priority task from the outset of its office and concluded with its master such traitorous agreements as FTA, selling the interests of the south Koreans to foreign forces lock, stock and barrel.

The Lee group's worst sycophancy and submission to outside forces have caused tragedies. They are allowed to lord it over in south Korea. The U.S. imperialist aggressor forces commit plunder, rape and man killings in streets and villages of south Korea in broad daylight. But they are overlooked by the Lee group.

It has resorted to fascist suppression and enforced an unpopular rule that put even the successive puppet ruling quarters into the shade, reducing south Korea to the world's worst tundra of human rights and a hell on earth.

The Lee Myung Bak group is brutally suppressing not only the progressive forces of south Korea desirous of national reconciliation, unity and reunification but those who struggled for elementary right to existence by branding them as "forces following the north."

Such exciting events as those witnessed by the June 15 era are no longer found in the north-south relations at present due to the moves of the rat-like Lee group totally negating the June 15 joint declaration and going reckless in the moves for confrontation against reunification.

The U.S. and its south Korean puppet forces have become extremely reckless in their moves to unleash the second Korean War.

They are staging ceaseless war maneuvers in various parts of south Korea to start a nuclear war against the DPRK.

They are openly kicking up ruckuses to incite a war atmosphere. Visits to "cemeteries" of those aggressors killed in the last Korean War were arranged to hold memorial services. Even a contest in presenting "war scenarios" was held.

The above-said facts go to prove that it is impossible to achieve elementary democracy in south Korean society, much less accomplishing national reconciliation and unity and the cause of reunification as long as the Lee group of traitors are allowed to stay in power.

The times and history call on all Koreans in the north, the south and overseas to courageously turn out in the anti-U.S. resistance and in the just patriotic struggle for implementing the declaration.

All Koreans are called upon to turn out in a nationwide struggle for making a clean sweep of the Lee group and the clan of the "Saenuri Party".