The statement said that the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors openly disallowed members of the South Side Committee to take part in the joint event expected to be held by the north, south and overseas sides committees on the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the June 15 joint declaration.

The statement bitterly denounced the Lee group, branding the action taken by it again to scuttle the joint national event for reunification and push the situation to the brink of war as another blatant challenge to the north-south joint declaration and a declaration of escalated confrontation with compatriots and anti-reunification activities.

The present situation calls for waging a brave nationwide struggle to sweep away the Lee group, which is getting frantic with the moves to provoke a war, backed by outside forces, bringing the north-south relations to catastrophe, it said.

It declared that the organization would boost solidarity and unity with all pro-reunification organizations at home and abroad and actively join in the struggle to frustrate the confrontation moves of the Lee group of traitors, holding aloft the banner of the June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration.

The organization will wage a more vigorous patriotic movement for reunification this year to resolutely preserve and implement the north-south joint declarations under the banner of "By our nation itself", the statement concluded.