People's Democracy

Milestone In Korean Reunification

THREE leading papers of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Rodong Sinmun, Joson Inmingum and Chongnyon Jonw carried a joint editorial on the new year 2001 headlined "Let us pave the way for the new century with the stamina with which we triumphantly overcame the arduous march".

The joint editorial says:

We should adorn this year, the first year of the 21^st century as a year of a new leap and a year of overall prosperity by hastening the general march to the socialist paradise.

This year we should make a decisive advance in accomplishing the cause of national reunification. Reunification is patriotism and the way to national prosperity.

There is no more urgent task than achieving national reunification for our nation which has ushered in the new century without putting an end to the division of the country.

The important and principled issue in realising reunification at present is to thoroughly implement the June 15 North-South joint declaration. The joint declaration is a declaration of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity based on the three principles of national reunification.

The North and the South should achieve the reunification of the country in an independent and peaceful way by the concerted efforts of our nation in accordance with the spirit of the historic North-South joint declaration.

The principle of national independence is the fundamental principle in the settlement of the reunification issue.

We should not depend on outside forces but on the efforts of our nation and adhere to the steadfast stand of cooperating with our fellow countrymen, not with outside forces.

The way of realising the peaceful reunification of the country is for the North and the South to unite with each other and build one reunified country, leaving the ideologies and systems as they are.

The north and the South should advance for reunification by the confederation formula based on the commonness of the nation, not the differences, the reconciliation and unity of the whole nation is precisely the reunification we want.

All the Koreans in the North, South and overseas should join the nation-wide struggle for implementing the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, transcending the differences in ideology, systems, political view and religious belief.

All sorts of institutional and legal obstacles going against the great national unity should be removed.