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June 15, 2012 - No. 90 12th Anniversary of Historic North-South Joint Declaration Victory to the Korean People's
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12th
Anniversary
of
Historic
North-South
Joint
Declaration
• Victory to the Korean People's Just Struggle
for Reunification!
• Interview with Spokesperson from Canadian
6.15 Committee
• Contributions of Kim Il Sung to Korean
Reunification - Philip Fernandez
12th Anniversary of Historic North-South Joint Declaration
Victory to the Korean People's
Just Struggle for Reunification!
Left: Leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Il (left) and south Korean President Kim Dae Jung
warmly greet one another in Pyongyang, June 15, 2000.
June 15, 2012 marks the 12th anniversary of the signing of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration between north and south Korea. This historic event was decisive in giving impetus to the movement for the reunification of Korea which is the ardent desire of the Korean people.
 Inter-Korean rail travel is restored, May 17, 2007. |
Korea was divided through force of arms in 1945 by the
United States. This division was exacerbated when the U.S. instigated
the Korean War. Since then, the U.S. has maintained a hostile
atmosphere and tension by its ongoing refusal to sign a peace
treaty with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DPRK) according to the terms of the Armistice Agreement which ended
the fighting in the Korean War. The signing of such a treaty will not
only contribute to peace on the Korean peninsula, but will stabilize
the
region which would favour not only the Korean people but also the
peoples of
East Asia and the world.
Great strides towards unification were achieved from
2000 to 2007 in an all-sided manner because both sides were guided by
the spirit of genuine openness and cooperation codified in the June 15
Joint Declaration. Unfortunately, when the Lee Myung Bak government
took office in south Korea, the U.S. managed to have a hostile spirit
introduced once again in relations with the DPRK. The possibility
for progress has been forestalled by recent actions on the part of the
U.S. and south Korea to deliberately wreck the movement for
reunification.
Despite this setback, the DPRK continues to calmly hold firm to the
historic task of reunification. The onus is on the U.S. and south Korea
to bring themselves to order and demonstrate through words and deeds a
sincerity towards proposals for peace and a just reunification such as
the
DPRK has put forward since 1953, and which Koreans in the north, south
and overseas have consistently demanded.
The U.S. imperialists are opposed to the Korean
reunification movement because it will thwart their geopolitical aims
in Asia and their policy to contain China. For this reason they exert
brutal pressure on the DPRK. They keep the warmongering going at fever
pitch. Countries such as Japan -- which has yet to pay war
reparations to Korea for its wanton crimes when it colonized Korea and
during WWII -- as well as now Canada, do yeoman's service when it comes
to slandering the DPRK so as to isolate it and justify aggression
against it.
Furthermore a reunified Korea will be an economic powerhouse, a champion for the independence and self-determination of all nations and peoples and a nail in the coffin of Anglo-American imperialism.
 Historic Inter-Korean Summit, with south Korean President Roh Moo Hyun (left) and Kim Jong Il, October 3, 2007. |
Since coming to power in 2008, the U.S. puppet regime of Lee Myung Bak has scuttled talks between north and south Korea and tried to roll back all the gains that have been achieved in strengthening relations between north and south Korea since the signing of the Joint Declaration. The Lee government continues state-violence and terror against south Korean patriots who are active in the reunification and peace movements. At present, this reactionary government is suppressing the people of Jeju Island who have organized months of mass actions opposing the building of a deep-water U.S. naval base for Korean and U.S. guided missile equipped Aegis destroyers, submarines and aircraft carriers at the village of Gangjeong. Hundreds of people have been arrested and jailed.
In the face of the treachery of the Lee Myung Bak government of the south, the Korean people continue to be steadfast and resolute. They are relying on their own political unity, and pushing forward their nation-building project of creating one unified Korea based on their own efforts, peacefully and without outside interference.
On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the signing of the historic June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) re-affirms its confidence that the Korean people in the north, south and overseas will achieve reunification and calls on the Canadian people to step up their support for the Korean people in their just cause.
Hail the 12th Anniversary of the
North-South Joint Declaration!
U.S. Troops Out of Korea!
Korea Is One!
Interview with Spokesperson from
Canadian 6.15 Committee
Monument to the Three Charters for National Reunification (or Reunification Arch), Pyongyang, DPRK. The twin women symbolize the union of the two Koreas. The three charters consist of "the three principles of national reunification (independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity), the proposal for founding the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo and the ten-point program of the great unity of the whole nation."
On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the signing
of the Historic June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, TML
interviewed H.P. Chung a spokesperson of the 6.15 Committee in Canada.
***
TML: This is the 12th anniversary of the June 15 North South Joint Declaration signed between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea. Could you tell us what is the significance of this agreement in terms of the Korean reunification movement?
H.P. Chung: The Korean people have been fighting since the Second World War to reunify their divided country. Many proposals have been made by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 1945 to encourage Koreans to unite as one by setting aside their political and other differences, and working together peacefully, independently and through their own efforts, so that Korea can be reunified. It is the right of the Korean people to have a united country. The June 15 North-South Joint Declaration is a road map for the reunification process. It provides broad guidelines and principles which assist the Korean people to achieve reunification.
When the Declaration was signed in 2000, it brought happiness to the Korean people and support from all progressive humanity. It enabled increased contact and cooperation between the north and south in many fields including culture, tourism, the economy and so on. The Declaration remains an important historic document to enable Koreans to work together despite the difficulties being imposed by the Lee Myung Bak government in the south, which is a government beholden to U.S. interests, not the interests of Koreans.
TML: How does the overseas Korean patriotic community contribute to the reunification movement?
HPC: From the very beginning of the fight for Korean reunification, President Kim Il Sung, the founder of modern Korea, involved overseas Koreans. He said that the Korean people are one people with one language, culture and history and it is everyone's duty, including Koreans living overseas, to help unite their divided country, which was divided by military force by the U.S. against the wishes of the Korean nation. In his untiring efforts to reunite Korea, he corresponded with many Korean patriots and organizations to enlist their support and inspire them to action.
The overseas Korean patriotic community plays a big role in the reunification movement particularly now as the reunification movement in south Korea is being suppressed. The activities of the Korean patriotic community in Canada, the U.S., Germany, Australia and other countries, particularly Japan, not only champion the Korean reunification movement in these countries, but by their activities help to educate the people of these countries about the Korean reunification movement. This has the positive effect of helping to isolate the Lee government in the south and to encourage the Korean patriots in the south who are facing the brutal dictatorship and anti-communist suppression of the U.S.-backed Lee government.
TML: Today, the south Korean government is doing everything it can to criminalize the Korean reunification movement. It is suppressing this movement in the south. Why?
 2011 protest at Jeju Island against construction of U.S. naval base. |
HPC: Many people in the south feel that the government is a puppet government of the U.S. Even the wartime commandership of the south Korean military is in the hands of the U.S. army chief who is stationed in Seoul. The U.S., from the time it occupied Korea after the Second World War, has worked to establish a large military presence in south Korea. This is to use south Korea as a military base to launch war against the DPRK and China as well as to control all of East Asia and the world. As you may know, the U.S. is building a large U.S. naval base in Jeju Island and this is being opposed by Koreans from all walks of life. This naval base is going to be used by the U.S. to control the waters around the Korean peninsula and East Asia. The Korean reunification movement is opposed to the U.S. military presence in south Korea because the removal of the U.S. military is the precondition to the peaceful, independent reunification of Korea. This is why the unpopular U.S. puppet government of Lee Myung Bak is purchasing large quantities of military equipment from the U.S. using the "threat" from the DPRK as the excuse and suppressing the Korean patriots in the south who are fighting for reunification. South Korea is one of the most militarized parts of the world and this poses a grave danger to the Korean people and all humanity.
TML: Can you speak about the recent meeting of the Korean reunification activists in Shenyang, China and what happened there?
HPC: Actually that meeting did not take
place. After the Joint Declaration of 2000, Korean reunification
organizations from the north, south and overseas met quite regularly to
exchange information and to discuss and make plans to advance Korean
reunification. On May 24, 2010, the Lee Myung
Bak government declared that all meetings with northern compatriots
would henceforth be prohibited except for limited contacts and
interaction concerning the Kaesong Industrial Zone. At the same time, a
systematic campaign was begun by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency
to create bogus "reunification"
organizations to try and sabotage the reunification movement in the
south. These agents also tried to usurp the leadership of the Joint
Committee of the north, south and overseas 6.15 committees. This was
opposed by the overseas committees including the Canadian delegates.
As a result of these intrigues, the south Korean side announced at the last minute that they would not participate in the reunification conference that was to be held in Shenyang, China on April 20 and 21 this year. This was after the overseas delegates had made their way to Shenyang at great cost. Because the south was not attending the conference, the delegates from the north also decided not to participate. This sabotage by the south Korean government has only increased our resolve to fight harder for Korean reunification. Despite these setbacks, the Korean reunification is not going to go back to the pre-2000 days. We are moving forward. And we very much appreciate the continuing support of the peace- and justice-loving Canadian people in our sacred cause.
Contributions of Kim Il Sung to Korean Reunification
A unified Korea is depicted in a floral tribute to President Kim Il Sung on the centenary of his birth,
highlighting his central role is laying the foundation for this work.
On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the signing of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, as well as the Centenary of the Birth of Kim Il Sung which is being celebrated in Korea and around the world, it is fitting to review the contributions President Kim Il Sung made to enable the Korean reunification movement.
From the time that Korea was divided against the will and aspirations of the Korean people following their defeat of the Japanese military occupiers of their country, Kim Il Sung provided consistent, timely and decisive leadership, including advancing the three principles of national reunification (May 1972), the Five Point Policy for National Reunification (June 1973) the plan for founding a Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo (October 1980) and the 10-Point Program of the Great Unity of the Whole Nation for the Reunification of the Country (April 1993).
The period following the U.S. partition of Korea at the 38th parallel was a time of grave danger for the Korean people. The U.S. was using the UN to organize a bogus election in south Korea to entrench the division of Korea. To oppose these aims, Kim Il Sung called a historic conference in Pyongyang April 19-23, 1948, which was attended by political parties and organizations from the north and south including many prominent political personalities from the south. At that Joint Conference of Representatives of Political Parties and Public Organizations in North and South Korea, he called on the entire Korean people in the south to rise up as one to thwart the U.S. imperialists' plans to use the UN to orchestrate a fraudulent election to establish a pro-U.S. government in the south and divide Korea into "two Koreas" permanently.
At this conference Kim Il Sung reminded the delegates that the Korean people have a proud 5,000-year history, that they liberated their country from Japanese imperialism through their own efforts and that it is their sovereign right to establish a unified, democratic Korea, by their own efforts, uniting under the banner of the nation, setting aside political differences in order to secure the reunification and independence of their divided country.
 Kim Il Sung addresses the first session of the Supreme People's Assembly of the newly founded DPRK, September 10, 1948. |
He organized another conference of the Korean people in June that year to denounce the UN elections that were carried out illegally against the will of the Korean people on May 10, 1948 in the south and which installed the reactionary anti-communist Syngman Rhee as President of the Republic of Korea (ROK), which was declared in August 15, 1948. At this second conference, plans were made to carry out elections to the Supreme People's Assembly of a united democratic Korea in September 1948 in which close to 80 per cent of the electors from the south and 99 per cent from the north voted. On September 9, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was established with its capital at Pyongyang and Kim Il Sung was elected Premier.
The U.S. refused to recognize the sovereignty of the
Korean people and undertook a campaign of mass terror and violence
against the patriotic forces in the south who had taken up arms to
liberate south Korea from U.S. domination. It was Kim Il Sung who
worked tirelessly to inspire and lead the Korean reunification
movement at this critical juncture.
The U.S. and its allies including Canada launched the Korean War in 1950 in order to drown in blood the Korean people's liberation movement. It was Kim Il Sung who led the Korean People's Army to defeat the U.S. imperialists after a bloody three-year war and force the U.S. to sign the Armistice Agreement, thus upholding the dignity and honour of the Korean nation and safeguarding the future of the Korean people.
During his lifetime, Kim Il Sung advanced several proposals for the reunification of Korea, providing the ideological orientation to enable the reunification movement to find its bearings under all conditions and circumstances. President Kim Il Sung further elaborated these principles and proposals in his 10-Point Programme for National Reunification at the Supreme People's Assembly on April 6, 1993:
"1. A unified state, independent, peaceful and neutral, should be founded through the great unity of the whole nation.
"2. Unity should be based on patriotism and the spirit of national independence.
"3. Unity should be achieved on the principle of promoting co-existence, co-prosperity and common interests and subordinating everything to the cause of national reunification.
"4. All political disputes that foment division and confrontation between fellow countrymen should be ended and unity should be achieved.
"5. The fear of invasion from both south and north, and the ideas of prevailing over communism and communisation should be dispelled, and north and south should believe in each other and unite.
"6. The north and south should value democracy and join hands on the road to national reunification, without rejecting each other because of differences in ideals and principles.
"7. The north and south should protect the material and spiritual wealth of individuals and organisations and encourage their use for the promotion of great national unity.
"8. Understanding, trust and unity should be built up across the nation through contact, exchange visits and dialogue.
"9. The whole nation, north, south and overseas, should strengthen its solidarity for the sake of national reunification.
"10. Those who have contributed to the great unity of the nation and to the cause of national reunification should be honoured."
These principles and proposals created the conditions for the signing in Pyongyang of the historic June 15, 2000, North-South Joint Declaration between Kim Jong Il, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, and President Kim Dae Jung of the ROK.
For these contributions to building a modern Korea and leading and inspiring the Korean reunification movement, and thus contributing to the independence of all nations, self-determination of all peoples and peace, Kim Il Sung is owed a debt by the Korean people and all humanity, a debt that will be paid when Korea is reunited as a modern democratic state.
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