BY OUR NATION ITSELF

On June 15, 2000, the North-South Joint Declaration, regarded by the Korean people as a milestone for their reunification, was made public in Pyongyang, DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea).

Nearly 15 years have passed since then. However, the ideal of By Our Nation Itself, the fundamental spirit of the joint declaration, has been an unchangeable banner of Korea’s reunification.

The ideal is run through with the thoroughgoing spirit of independence.

As is generally known, Korea was divided not by any internal contradiction within the Korean nation, but was enforced by foreign forces.

Having occupied south Korea under the guise of “liberator” after World War II, the US has ceaselessly strengthened its military rule over south Korea with an ambition to dominate the whole of Korea and the rest of the Asian Continent. Outwardly it has pretended to be interested in the reunification issue of the Korean nation, but has not wished them to take the road of reconciliation, unity and reunification and laid one obstacle after another on the road of their reunification movement. This has created serious challenges for Korea’s reunification and forced its people to suffer the tragedy of national division.

The history of national division spanning nearly 70 years vividly shows that the independent development and reunification of the Korean nation cannot be realized without putting an end to domination and interference by foreign forces.

The reunification question of the country must be solved by the efforts of the Korean people, its masters, and in accordance with their opinion and demand. In other words, it is a question related with the right to national self-determination. There is no reason for outside forces to interfere with it. This is just the raison d’etre of the ideal of By Our Nation Itself.

The ideal which embodies the thoroughgoing spirit of independence of the nation is most reasonable and righteous in view of the situation on the Korean peninsula divided by outside forces and of the essential nature of the issue of re-linking the bloodline of the nation.

The ideal reflects the Korean nation’s will to defend peace.

All the Korean people are desirous of putting an end at the earliest date to the sharp military confrontation for several decades between the north and the south and of achieving peace and reunification.

However, owing to the active participation by the south Korean authorities in the tenacious isolate-and-stifle policy and military threat of the US against the DPRK, military confrontation and tension, instead of peace and stability, constantly prevail on the Korean peninsula. In January this year the DPRK National Defence Commission made crucial proposals to the south Korean authorities on adopting practical measures to cease extensively all military hostilities against the other side. Nevertheless, the US and south Korea further increased the tension in the region by conducting large-scale Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint military exercises from the end of February.

Had the south Korean authorities not followed outside forces who are intent to do harm to their fellow countrymen and had they rejected the joint military exercises with the US and not allowed their land, sky and sea to be turned into venues of war games by US troops, in other words, had they respected the ideal of By Our Nation Itself, the situation on the Korean peninsula would not have faced such a crisis as it is today.

Peace and security on the Korean peninsula is linked to peace and security in the world. If another war breaks out on the Korean peninsula, it will inevitably be developed into a thermonuclear war mankind have never experienced. It will spill over into the wide areas of the world imposing great losses and calamities upon mankind. The US will never be safe either.

The ideal of By Our Nation Itself also reflects the spirit of great national unity.

The eye-opening and impressive events that took place on the Korean peninsula after the publication of the June 15 Joint Declaration eloquently prove that reunification of Korea can be fully achieved only when the whole nation is united.

The railways and roads were re-linked and the air and sea routes opened between the north and the south of Korea, making breakthroughs in the walls of division. Inter-Korean high-level political and military negotiations and over 20 rounds of ministerial-level talks discussed matters of common interest of the nation to reach agreement. An industrial park was established in Kaesong situated near the Military Demarcation Line as a symbol of economic cooperation and exchange between the two sides. A tourist route to Mt. Kumgang, a world-famous mountain in the north, was opened for south Koreans.

Reunion of separated families and their relatives in the north and the south took place on several occasions. Joint entrance of the players from the north and south in international matches flying the flag of reunification and joint cheering by people from both sides touched the heartstrings of the world people. The world realized the Korean people are of one blood with one language and culture and it must be reunified.

The demonstration of great national unity by the north and the south of Korea, which had been hostile to and confronted to each other for over half a century is the fruition of the ideal of By Our Nation Itself advanced by the June 15 Joint Declaration.

The international society wishes the north and the south of Korea to be faithful to the last to this ideal, the major spirit of the June 15 Joint Declaration.

On the way of defending and achieving this ideal lie the reunification and common prosperity of the Korean nation and peace and security of the region and the rest of the world.

“A CRIMINAL ON PAROLE”

Most recently, China’s People’s Daily described Japan, a defeated nation in the Second World War, as “a criminal on parole.” If Japan honestly repents of its past crime, it will be given time to reform itself, but if not, the duration of parole will be infinite, it added.

TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT “RELEASED CONVICTS”

Germany and Japan started the Second World War inflicting immeasurable misery and distress on mankind. After their defeat in the war, they committed themselves never to repeat their past crimes before the international community.

However, what they did after the war was quite different.

Germany enacted the federal law on compensation for victims by Nazis and pledged before the international community that it would make reparation for not only those who had been killed in the war but also those who had suffered mental and material losses.

Since the early days after the war, it has made systematic reparations for war-damaged countries, organizations and persons: then in 2000 it founded the “Memory, Responsibility & Future” Fund and, in cooperation with international NGOs, paid by 2006 4 337 billion euros to 1.6 million people from over 100 countries, who were forced to labour during the war.

Afterwards, it has made the Ministry of Foreign Affairs report to the Parliament on the fund’s work every year, and thus continued the compensation without letup. By 2010 it paid all compensation for forced labourers under Nazi regime during the Second World War.

Maintaining a hard-line stance towards the moves of neo-Nazis who are inspiring the Nazi ideology, the German government ensures that the rising generation and people of the country are always mindful of its sinful past.

But, what is the stance of Japan?

In retrospect, Japanese imperialism reduced many women of different countries into sex slaves, massacred innocent people and plundered a lot of wealth. According to Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun, the compensation money Asian countries claimed from Japan amounted to 19 300 billion yen and the amount would be increased.

Japan, however, does not so much as admit its past crimes. The ruling forces of Japan avail themselves of every opportunity to embellish its acts of aggression and war, saying that the war was a righteous war for protecting and liberating Asians from Whites’ aggression and rule.

The Japanese weekly Asia Journal, deploring the Japanese authorities’ persistence in denying the criminal past, commented:

Japanese are a brazen-faced nation in the world that is most reluctant to make sincere apology.

 “Repeated Crimes of Reported Criminals” Must Be Prevented

After the Second World War, Japan, ascribing its defeat in the war to its weak power, has put it forward as its political target and strategic line to become a military giant and made efforts to build up its Self-Defence Forces strong enough for overseas aggression.

Entering the 1990s, it ranked second in the world in military expenditure and has maintained the place since.

Today, its Maritime Self-Defence Force is next to the United States in combat efficiency—the second place in the world rankings—and is now in pursuance of the “ocean attack” strategy. It is in world’s top ranking in its antisubmarine and minesweeping capacity and the combat efficiency of its conventional submarines; main warships develop further into large-scale, attack-oriented and IT-based ones; and helicopter carriers are being built.

What causes greater anxiety is that Japanese politics go Rightist and militarist.

Japanese political figures are inspiring society with enthusiasm for visiting Yasukuni Shrine which houses the name tablets of Tojo Hideki and other war criminals, regarding the visit as an important political issue. Their effort to put the shrine visit on a duty-bound and regular basis is aimed at implanting into the Japanese people, especially young people, a sense of pride in Japan’s past aggressive history, revenge for the defeat in the war and its long-cherished ambition for domination over Asia and thus laying out ideological and spiritual bases for achieving militarist purpose.

Clamouring that making a final settlement of postwar politics was Japan’s national policy, they have made desperate attempts to demolish all the legal and institutional provisions that are hindering their militarist overseas aggression.

The House of Representatives of Japan adopted three laws relating to contingency in May 2003, which justify the participation by Japanese SDF in war of overseas aggression and stipulate mobilization of civilians to war effort. In fact, the laws and the past Japan’s “Law on National Mobilization” have much in common. After all, provisions for no-war resolution in Article 9 of the “pacific constitution” have become null and void and Japan could have been provided with a legal basis of becoming a war state.

Its current ruler is clamouring for doing away with the postwar system and revising “pacific constitution” and making a headlong rush towards the justification of Japan’s overseas aggression.

That Japan is now coveting a permanent membership of UN Security Council is inconceivable apart from its wild ambition for militarization. If Japan wins the membership, it will be provided with a foothold for building a military giant and securing overseas expansion.

The international community must keep a watchful eye on Japan, “a criminal on parole,” and never allow it to repeat crimes.

KIM JONG UN GIVES FIELD GUIDANCE TO TAEGWAN GLASS FACTORY

Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, gave field guidance to the Taegwan Glass Factory.

He looked round the room for the education in the revolutionary history and the room dedicated to the history of the factory.

He said the Taegwan Glass Factory is the factory honored with the visit paid by leader Kim Jong Il and the one always in his mind.

He highly appreciated the feats performed by the workers of the factory, recalling that they have upheld the party's policy with shining successes in production for the past more than three decades.

He learned about the performance of the optical measuring instruments newly produced by the factory.

Seeing the instruments working, he said they were very excellent and they were impeccable in any aspect.

He went round the newly built plating production process of the factory.

Watching with deep attention the automatic plating on computerized four assembly lines, he was pleased that the workers were completely freed from harmful labor and they were doing a cheerful work.

He gave the factory an instruction on putting all production processes from designing to processing and assembling on an automatic basis by focusing sustained efforts on the technological updating of all production processes just as it did the plating process.

Underscoring the need to successfully build a hostel and dinning hall so that the workers may work and lead a cultural and emotional life without any inconvenience, he took a benevolent measure.

He watched a performance given by the itinerant art squad of the factory.

He praised it for giving a truthful and appealing performance representing the feelings of the workers of the factory before having a photo taken with the performers.

He expressed expectation and belief that the party members and other workers of the factory would achieve bigger successes in the development of Juche-oriented and modern new products and production.

He was accompanied by Hwang Pyong So, Jang Jong Nam, Pyon In Son, Yun Tong Hyon, Pak Jong Chon and Hong Yong Chil.