Noting if the north and the south had advanced straightly along the road indicated by the June 15 joint declaration, a landmark for reunification in the new century, and its practical programme October 4 declaration, the gate to national reunification, the long-cherished desire of all Koreans, would have already been widely opened, the statement said:

But the north-south relations, which had advanced along the road of harmony and prosperity, sustained serious setbacks and reached total catastrophe due to the U.S. persistently seeking to hinder the Korean nation's reunification and the desperate confrontation moves of the pro-American regimes that appeared in succession under its backstage manipulation. The glorious June 15 era has completely gone.

Now that a dramatic regime change has been witnessed in south Korea as a result of the struggle of the public strongly desirous of national reunification and development of the north-south relations, the attention of Koreans and other peoples in the world is focused on the new crucial decision and option to be made by the authorities of the north and the south.

Then, the statement clarified the following principled stand of the DPRK on the development of the north-south relations and the issue of national reunification:

1. Whoever was born on this land should hold higher the banner of independence, the banner of By Our Nation Itself and adopt the transparent stand to dedicate to the improvement of the north-south relations and the sacred cause of national reunification.

If the present south Korean chief executive truly speaks for the candlelight demonstrators and if he has the blood and soul of the nation, he should make a bold decision to part with the disgusting and servile act which would be of no help to maintaining national independence.

The south Korean authorities should make a crucial decision at a crossroads of independence or submission to outsiders and By our nation itself or "south Korea-U.S. alliance", and should never forget that herein lies the prospect for the improvement of the north-south relations and the settlement of the reunification issue.

2. The south Korean authorities should bear in mind that the road to reunification and rosy future of the nation will be opened when they accept promoting national unity as immutable truth, away from confrontation idea hostile toward the compatriots.

Confrontation with the compatriots is the treacherous behavior following the U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK and sanctions and pressure are specific expression of hostility to the latter.

That is why it is just a foolish act and self-deception to call for improved relations while claiming that sanctions and dialogue, pressure and contacts should "go together."

If the south Korean authorities have no will to recognize and respect the north and give up confrontation and hostility to the compatriots, we have no idea to force them to do so.

The confrontation between social systems will finally lead to physical conflict, and then we are compelled to choose reunification by non-peaceful way. Bearing this in mind, the south Korean authorities should take the responsible option.

3. We make it clear once again that it is our invariable stand that measures to remove the acute military tensions on the Korean peninsula should be urgently taken before anything else.

If the south Korean authorities truly want peace, they should not pull up the DPRK's nuclear forces for self-defense, the most dependable and realistic guarantee for peace of the Korean peninsula, but take steps to put a halt to the U.S. aggressive and war-like deeds.

In particular, they should no longer cling to the reckless military provocation aimed to defend the illegal and bogus "northern limit line" in the hotspot waters of the West Sea. And they should go into action to remove the danger of armed conflicts in land, sea and sky including the areas of the Military Demarcation Line and defuse the military tensions.

The DPRK is steadfast in its stand to open up a broad avenue to independent reunification by bringing about a great turn and change in the north-south relations, the statement said, ardently calling upon all compatriots in the north and the south and abroad to more valiantly turn out in the nationwide struggle for ushering in a new history of improved north-south relations and independent reunification.