The appeal reads in full:

August 15 is the 68th anniversary of the liberation of our nation from the oppression of the Japanese imperialists.

Our nation suffered all sorts of misfortunes and sufferings for more than 40 years after becoming colonial slaves with its country usurped by the Japanese imperialists. The liberation of Korea on Aug. 15, 1945, an exciting event, was achieved thanks to the anti-Japanese fighters for independence who fought against the Japanese imperialists' brutal suppression with arms at the cost of their lives and the united efforts of all Koreans who turned out under the banner of anti-Japanese struggle. But it was not complete liberation of our nation.

It was because there continued national division due to outside forces' interference.

Korea is still suffering from national division caused by the aggressor outside forces though 68 years have passed since then.

It is because of the U.S. and Japan which brought the Korean nation distress and misfortune through the conclusion of the brigandish and secret "Katsura-Taft Treaty".

It is nearly seven decades since then but Japan is openly revealing its attempt to grab Tok Islets, part of the inalienable territory of Korea. It is suppressing Koreans in Japan, the descendants of those who were forcibly drafted to Japan, working hard to close national schools. Japan is busy perpetrating intolerable provocations to the Koreans and pressing ahead with moves for reinvasion.

The U.S. and Japan which imposed misfortunes and sufferings upon our nation should honestly apologize and reflect on them and make due reparation to our nation.

All Koreans in the north, south and abroad will continue to launch dynamic nationwide struggle to force the U.S. and Japan to make an apology and a thousand-fold reparation for the above-said wrongs done to the Korean nation.

We 70 million Koreans, the descendants of King Tangun, will pool our efforts in the spirit of independence and great national unity to stage a vigorous struggle for implementing the June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration and once again demonstrate before the whole world the will to achieve independent national reunification, recollecting the genuine meaning of Aug. 15, the day of Korea's liberation.

We are confident that the nation will greet a new future when the Koreans unite under the banner of "by our nation itself" irrespective of ideology and ism as one nation that created a proud history spanning 5 000 years.

The north and the south of Korea issued a joint appeal today, making August 15 an occasion of hardening the will for independent reunification, peace and prosperity common to the nation.

August 15 will be a day of holding higher the banner of independent national reunification in the days ahead.

Let us make August 15 an occasion of flinging open the gate of national reunification!

Long live national reunification!