The disgrace imposed by the Japanese imperialists upon the Korean nation can never be wiped off though an old generation is replaced by a new one, the statement said, and went on:

Innocent Koreans were ruthlessly killed and many young and middle-aged people drafted for forced labor and conscription and 200,000 Korean women were forced into sexual slavery at the points of the bayonets of the Japanese imperialists. This long pent-up grudge remains unsettled.

Countless are precious cultural assets and natural resources of the Korean nation plundered by the Japanese imperialists during their occupation of Korea.

Japan, a war criminal state and a state defeated in the war, is under a legal obligation to apologize and repent of its past crimes before the Korean nation. But it is watching for a change to stage a comeback to Korea, covering up and embellishing its past history of aggression. Worse still, it has published the "white paper for defense" for several years in which it raised a "claim to Tok Islets." It is undisguisedly calling for turning itself into a military giant and going nuclear and talking about the right to collective self-defense while revising the "three principles of arms export". Such military moves of Japan go to clearly prove what a dangerous phase Japan's hostility toward the Korean nation and moves for reinvading Korea have reached.

Having emerged overseas aggression forces, Japan is rushing headlong into militarization and overseas expansion while escalating the military tension and instability in Northeast Asia. Such being a hard reality, it is deplorable that south Korea is pushing forward the military cooperation with Japan.

For south Koreans to connive at the past crimes of Japan and pave the way for militarist revival and reinvasion amounts to an act of gravely threatening the peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

The joint statement continued:

Firstly, the Japanese government should apologize and honestly repent of the past crimes committed against the Korean nation.

Japan should officially apologize and repent of the crimes related to sexual slavery for the Imperial Japanese Army, forced labor and conscription, massacres of Koreans, plunder of cultural assets and all other crimes against the Korean nation, human and material losses and plunder.

Secondly, the Japanese government should stop at once the militarist moves for reinvasion including the claim to Tok Islets.

For Japan to insist on "dominium" over Tok Islets, part of the inviolable territory of the Korean nation from historic, geographical and legal point of view, is an unpardonable act, to all intents and purposes, as it means contempt for the Korean nation and encroachment upon the sovereignty of the Korean territory. Lurking behind it are sinister aims to secure economic interests, make Tok Islets and waters around them those of international dispute in a bid to invent a pretext for massive arms buildup and, moreover, provide a forward base and military bridgehead to stage a comeback to Korea and Northeast Asia.

The Korean nation will not allow even the slightest move of Japan to grab Tok Islets but resolutely counter it.

Availing ourselves of this opportunity, we strongly demand the Japanese government stop the vicious political persecution and suppression of Koreans in Japan, the victims of the Japanese imperialists' occupation of Korea and their descendants, and guarantee them their right to existence and national rights.

Thirdly, we will oppose the south Korea-Japan military cooperation increasing the tension in Northeast Asia and thoroughly check it.

We will wage a dynamic struggle in firm solidarity with not only the people of all social standings at home and abroad but the world peace-loving organizations and personages to force Japan to liquidate its past crimes and check its hostile acts against the Korean nation and its militarist moves for reinvasion of Korea.