Now all Koreans in the north and the south and abroad are greeting with deep emotion the 17th anniversary of the publication of the historic June 15 joint declaration which ushered in the era of a U-turn in the history of struggle for national reunification full of ups and downs.

They vividly remember the day when the leaders of the north and the south declared the adoption of the June 15 joint declaration, warmly holding their hands. The thunderous cheers of hurray for national reunification which resounded forth across the country at that time are still thrilling all Koreans.

The June 15 joint declaration was adopted to reflect the noble intention and will of all Koreans to bring down with their joint efforts the barrier of division laid by outsiders and to bring reconciliation, unity, peace and prosperity to the land of confrontation where distrust and hostility prevailed. It will remain as the great programme for reunification common to all Koreans, no matter how much water may flow under the bridge.

Had the north and the south taken the path paved by the June 15 joint declaration, a landmark for reunification in the new century, and its practical programme October 4 declaration without vacillation, the gate to national reunification, the long-cherished desire of all Koreans, would have been flung open.

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.

Traitors Lee Myung Bak and Park Geun Hye turned back the clock of history, desperately obstructing the advance of the nation toward reunification, far from sweating for it. Their thrice-cursed crimes can never be pardoned for all ages and they will have to pay dearly for their sins.

Unheard-of all-people resistance broke out in south Korea to put an end to the Park Geun Hye regime. This miserable fate of Park Geun Hye was due punishment meted out on those who betrayed the country to serve the U.S. against the public mindset, and it was a stern warning to them.

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.

All Koreans ardently hope that all evil things caused by the anti-reunification forces' nine years in power would be cured as early as possible and the whole country from Mt Paektu to Mt Halla would again be prevalent with the strong spirit of national reunification.

Out of the firm will to create a new chapter of the development of the north-south relations and national reunification, as unanimously expected and desired by all Koreans in the north and the south and abroad, the Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Country of the DPRK clarifies the following principled stand on the occasion of the 17th anniversary of the June 15 joint declaration:

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.

National independence is a fundament guarantee and a basic principle for the solution of the reunification issue.

As the situation around the Korean peninsula gets more complicated and acuter, we should hold higher the banner of independence in dealing with the issue of the nation, the issue of national reunification, and as outsiders get more undisguised in their intervention and arbitrary practices, we, Koreans, should hold our hands more tightly. This is an absolute truth proven by the practical efforts made for the national reunification.

For the past nine years when south Korea was ruled by the conservative group, the north-south relations plunged into the worst stalemate. It was because the group put the outsiders above the nation and valued cooperation with outsiders more than the nation's interests and openly pursued the policy of submitting to the U.S.

No outsiders ever want the Korean nation getting reunified and growing stronger. This is a serious lesson taught by the long history of the national division.

Following the U.S., the ferocious unwelcome guest and principal enemy standing in the way of settling the reunification issue of the Korean peninsula, being backed by it, would not help achieve the great cause of national reunification. This is proven by the developments of the north-south relations that have undergone turns and twists.

But the new authorities in south Korea, oblivious of this bitter lesson, are making insincere words and acts from the first day of their office, seriously tarnishing the prospect for the north-south relations.

They get themselves busy, talking about "envoy diplomacy" and "telephone diplomacy" while kowtowing to big countries for no good reason. Calling for "strengthened south Korea-U.S. alliance" almost every day, they have buckled down to making preparations for flattering visit to the White House.

Even at this moment, riff-raffs of all descriptions from the U.S. political circle, Congress and military fly into south Korea to tame Chongwadae but the south Korean authorities are only keen on showing hospitality and currying favor with them without saying even a proper word for fear of courting displeasure of their master.

Was any difference made today from the days of Park Geun Hye when she only acted as a woman of pleasure while begging this or that country to help her prop up her regime.

National reunification requires no one's approval nor can it be achieved with the help of others.

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.

Time has changed today and the initiative of settling the reunification issue is in the hands of the Korean nation itself, not any outsiders. The south Korean authorities should clearly understand this.

If one is not able to move even a step at one's own will, being shackled by the chain of sycophancy toward the U.S. despite their lip-service for "new era" and "new politics", one can never be able to solve the north-south relations let alone the reunification issue.

One who takes to flunkeyism would be fool and the nation which follows flunkeyism would ruin. This is a bitter lesson taught by history.

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.

National reunification is the great cause of rejoining the severed blood ties of the nation and achieving national unity.

The great national unity leads to reunification and reunified powerful country.

It is our consistent will to unite irrespective of ideology, social system, ism and political view for the great intention for national reunification.

The north-south confrontation will be aggravated and the nation cannot dodge conflicts and war if they do not allow the ideas and social systems existing in the north and the south but force upon other side their own regarding them as absolute.

When we go united, we will prosper, but divided, we will lose everything.

Koreans should give up hostility to compatriots and open the new chapter of reconciliation and unity in order to radically improve the north-south relations as desired by the entire nation.

However, the present south Korean authorities fail to pass the "red line" of confrontation drawn during the conservative regime. They claim "the government and army of the north are enemy", expressing the will to continue sanctions and pressure on the north. Even they unhesitatingly reveal the sinister intention to use wicked means and methods for "collapse of social system in the north" sought by the conservative group.

It is something new in its appearance but is the replica of the confrontation policy pursued by the past regime in its main substance.

Far from welcoming the north's measures for bolstering its capability for self-defence recognized by other countries, the south Korean authorities openly seek sanctions and pressure against the north in collusion with the U.S., branding them as "threats and provocations". This is an expression of the will of the present south Korean regime to pursue confrontation policy against the compatriots in the north.

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

That's why calling for improved relations pursuing the "strategy for carrying out sanctions and dialogue, pressure and contacts side by side" is a foolish act and self-deception.

We call for recognizing the opposite side as companion of reunification and joining hands to open the new horizon of national reconciliation and unity, not for visits between few non-governmental organizations shirking the settlement of the fundamental problems.

Such trick is nothing helpful but brings bigger disasters.

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.

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.

Peace and security on the peninsula is a vital issue related to the destiny of our nation and this serves as indispensable premise for national reunification.

Despite our devoted and persevering efforts to ensure the peace on this land, unheard-of acute military tensions in history prevail on the peninsula and no one can guess when and where a nuclear war will break out.

Moreover, the U.S., taken aback by the fact that the pro-American conservative regime fell in south Korea and the entire Korean nation's interest in improved north-south relations and reunification is mounting, is busy staging the largest-ever war maneuvers everyday by introducing huge nuclear war forces into the peninsula and its vicinity to push the military tension to the extremes.

What matters is that the present south Korean authorities, who vociferate about an "epochal turn" for peace on the peninsula during their term of office, are pro-actively joining in the robber-like aggression war moves of the U.S., persistently faulting the fellow countrymen's measures for bolstering their nuclear force.

After its emergence, the new regime of south Korea has caused such dangerous situation unprecedented in history as simultaneous introduction of two nuclear-powered carrier strike groups of the U.S. to the waters off the peninsula. And it has been staging more frantic aggression war exercises against the fellow countrymen, frequently introducing formations of nuclear strategic bombers such as B-1B, nuclear-powered submarine and other nuclear strike means into south Korea.

When viewing the present situation, people at home and abroad unanimously express anxiety that it is hard to escape a disaster of nuclear war, far from expecting "lasting peace and prosperity" touted by the chief executive of south Korea.

Under such grave situation, peace can be ensured only by strength for self-defence enough to beat any formidable enemy at one blow, not concession and submission to the aggressor.

We could no longer allow the U.S. persistent nuclear threat, blackmail and aggression war moves that have continued for centuries, and so we have provided the world's strongest military capability for self-defence with nuclear force as a pivot.

We desire peace more than anybody else and do not want the war disaster to be suffered by our nation again.

However, if the U.S. and its vassal forces finally make reckless attack, we are fully ready to blow up the aggressors and their bulwark with treasured nuclear sword of justice. Our nuclear strike means are so precise that they can destroy not only nearby nuclear strike assets of the U.S. but also gouge out even the aggressors entrenched in its mainland across the ocean.

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.

Now the south Korean authorities should be mindful that they stand at the crossroads of life whether they will leave a proud mark in the nation's history by improving the north-south relations together with us or follow the miserable suit of predecessors, staggering at while reading outsiders' faces.

Now that the DPRK emerged a dignified nuclear and rocket power, steadfast is its stand to open up a broad avenue to independent reunification by bringing about a great turn and change in the north-south relations.

We take this opportunity to ardently call 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 through strict embodiment of the spirit of the June 15 joint declaration.