The statement said it is the sacred national duty of all Koreans and an urgent demand of the era to pave a broad avenue to independent reunification without fail this year which marks the 45th anniversary of the July 4 joint statement and the 10th anniversary of the Oct. 4 declaration.

The General Association and all Koreans in China fully support the said appeal, regarding it as a patriotic call reflecting the nation's wishes and will to improve the inter-Korean relations and make a decisive breakthrough for national reunification, it said, adding:

The proposal for independent reunification advanced by respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un at the Seventh Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea is the most aboveboard and realistic offer as it reflects the strong desire of all the compatriots to enjoy a happy life on a reunified land for all ages.

If the north and the south are at variance and pitted against each other, it will only spell war, do harm to the Koreans and profit outsiders.

The south Korean authorities should immediately respond to the DPRK's patriotic appeal, well aware of the nation's aspiration and will to reunify the country that has grown strong from the outset of the year.

The General Association and all Koreans in China will turn out in the struggle to glorify 2017 as a meaningful year, in which a fresh phase of independent reunification will be brought about, true to the tasks of national reunification set forth by Kim Jong Un in his New Year Address, the statement concluded.