The statement said:

The appeal of the joint meeting is an expression of the steadfast stand of the DPRK and its unshakable patriotic will for reunification to bring about a great change in the inter-Korean relations this significant year marking the 70th anniversary of national liberation.

It is a nation-wide call which all Koreans, be authorities, civilians, politicians, businessmen, persons of culture and religionists, can sympathize with and accept if they take to heart the pain resulting from the national division which has lasted for seven decades and truly hope for the nation's reconciliation and unity and the country's peace and independent reunification.

The north side committee fully supports the appeal of the joint.

All Koreans at home and abroad should turn out as one in the nation-wide struggle to usher in another June 15 era in which the enthusiasm for national concord and independent reunification will run high across the country in hearty response to the patriotic appeal of the joint meeting to carry out the tasks for national reunification set forth by supreme leader Kim Jong Un in his historic New Year address.

The north side committee will make every possible effort to give play to strong enthusiasm for independent reunification across Korea and in all places where Koreans live and mark with splendor the 70th anniversary of national liberation as a grand festival of the nation to go down in history by boosting the solidarity among compatriots in the north and the south and abroad and briskly holding meetings for reunification among organizations in different sectors and circles under the uplifted banner of By Our Nation Itself.

We express firm belief that all political parties, organizations and personages in south Korea and abroad will give play once again to the spirit displayed on the day of the country's liberation when it shook with hurrah for independence, the enthusiasm for reunification which ran high in the June 15 era, transcending the differences in ideology, political view and ism in hearty response to the appeal of the joint meeting and thus make a positive contribution to glorifying this year as the year for bringing about a great turn to open up a broad avenue to independent reunification.