The Foundation Day of Korea is the birthday of our nation and the significant day when sage king Tangun, the ancestral father of our nation, commenced enlightenment and built its country by bringing the logic of Heaven to the land and humankind in the idea of becoming benefactors and building a paradise.

We, descendants of Tangun, and compatriots of the same nation and blood, should perform a sacrificial rite to the God in the spirit of preserving the national identity in great unity and usher in a new era of Korea and pave the way for peace and reunification.

It is important, indeed, to pray for the improvement of the north-south relations, which deteriorated to the worst phase in recent years, rev up the spirit of independent reunification and once again reconfirm the true meaning of the Foundation Day of Korea, the birthday of the nation built by Tangun, in particular.

The idea of "By our nation itself" is the spirit achieved by the consensus of the whole nation and a banner of reunification to be firmly upheld no matter how the situation may change.

Koreans should become one under the banner of the idea of "By our nation itself" irrespective of religion, ism, class and stratum. Only then can they display the potential energy of Tangun's nation.

We make the following pledge to all the compatriots in the north, the south and abroad, reflecting the will to exalt the pride and self-respect of Tangun's nation by achieving the country's reunification by the concerted efforts of the north and the south of Korea on the occasion of the Foundation Day of Korea:

First, we should achieve independence through the self-development of Tangun's nation.

We should be aware that history, philosophy and traditional culture are the roots from which to lead humankind to becoming benefactors and building a paradise.

We should bring back the original appearance of Tangun's nation in the spirit of reunifying the divided land.

Second, we should terminate the division of the nation in the spirit and principle of independence, self-development and self-support and defuse all the contradictions and tension.

We should inherit the spirit of the June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration, products of national consensus, take the lead in implementing them, boost reconciliation and cooperation between the north and the south and, at the same time, confirm the homogeneity of the nation and set right the spirit of the nation.

Commemorating the significant Foundation Day all the compatriots in the north, the south and abroad should recollect the patriotic spirit displayed by our ancestors, give play to the traits of worship of Heaven, ancestral king and love for the people so as to become one with the will enshrined in the Foundation Day of Korea and bring earlier the country's reunification.