Photo of the venue at the People’s Palace of Culture in Pyongyang where a joint conference on implementing New Day Speech tasks for reunification was held on January 18, 2017. The photo appeared on the bottom right of page two of the January 19, 2017 edition of the WPK daily newspaper Rodong Sinmun (Photo: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).
A joint conference focused on implementing the tasks for reunification outlined in Kim Jong Un’s (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) New Year’s Day Address was held at the People’s Palace of Culture in Pyongyang on January 18 (Wednesday). The joint conference gathered DPRK Government officials, senior officials of the DPRK’s three political parties, senior officials and representatives of inter-Korean, social and workers organizations. Attending the conference were Supreme People’s Assembly [SPA] Presidium President Kim Yong Nam (Kim Yo’ng-nam), Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Vice Chairman for Intelligence and South Korean Affairs and Director of the WPK United Front Department [UFD] Kim Yong Chol (Kim Yo’ng-ch’o’l), DPRK Vice Premier and State Planning Commission Ro Tu Chol (Ro Tu-ch’o’l) Korea Social Democratic Party Central Committee Chairman Kim Yong Dae (Kim Yo’ng-tae), Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League Central Committee 1st Secretary Jon Yong Nam (Cho’n Yo’ng-nam) along with functionaries of the North Side Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration, the Pan-National Alliance for Korea’s Reunification and the Pan-National Alliance of Youth and Students for Korea’s Reunification.
The conference’s agenda was “on opening up a broad avenue to independent reunification by the concerted efforts of all Koreans this year of significance, true to the New Year Address of respected Supreme Leader Comrade Kim Jong Un.” Chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country of the DPRK Ri Son Gon (Ri Son-ko’n) delivered a report. Speeches were delivered by Kim Yong Dae, Jon Yong Nam and Chairman of the Religious Believers Council or Korea Kang Ji Yong (Kang Chi-yo’ng).
The report and speeches noted that Jong Un “in his New Year Address called for opening up a broad avenue to independent reunification by the concerted efforts of all Koreans this year marking the 45th anniversary of the July 4 Joint Statement and the 10th anniversary of the October 4 Declaration and indicated overall tasks and ways to put the proposal into practice.” The reporter and speakers “fully supported and approved the line and policy of national reunification advanced by the Supreme Leader in his New Year Address as an immortal grand program for accomplishing the cause of the country’s reunification by pooling will and efforts of all Koreans.” The report and supporting speeches “stressed the need for all Koreans in the north and the south and abroad to accelerate the nationwide grand march towards reunification by their united efforts and thus glorify this year as a very significant year in bringing about a new phase of independent reunification.”
The conference approved a pan-Korean appeal. The appeal, alitany noted that 2017 is the anniversary of the July 4 Joint Statement and the 10th anniversary of the October 4 Declaration and, according to KCNA said:
Let us positively struggle to implement the line and policy of independent reunification full of ardent patriotism, cherishing the high pride and great honor of being members of Kim Il Sung’s (Kim Il-so’ng) nation!
All Koreans should vigorously pave the road of reunification under the uplifted banner of national independence and great unity!
Let us resolutely oppose and reject all war drills wrecking peace and stability on the Korean peninsula!
Let all Koreans in the north and the south and abroad unequivocally support the reunification by federal formula transcending differences in ideology and social system and carry on the positive struggle to realize it!
Let us wage a nation-wide struggle to improve the north-south relations and root out the source of acute military conflict between them and danger of a war!
Let us resolutely smash the anti-DPRK confrontation moves of the south Korean authorities, the main factor of deteriorating the north-south relations and cancer-like entity standing in the way of their improvement!
Let all Koreans who love peace energetically wage a nation-wide sacred struggle for defusing the military conflict and the danger of a war between the north and the south and building peace mechanism!
The south Korean authorities should not thoughtlessly take issue with the DPRK’s exercise of the right to self-defense but respond to the latter’s sincere efforts to prevent the military conflict between the north and the south and ease the tension!
They should halt at once the reckless arms buildup and anti-north war drills escalating the tension on the Korean peninsula!
Let us bring a pan-national grand meeting for reunification to success to usher in a heyday of the nation-wide reunification movement!
Let all Koreans in the north and the south and abroad achieve solidarity, alliance and unity on the principle of subordinating everything to the country’s reunification, the cause common to the nation!
Let us positively struggle to realize the pan-national grand meeting for reunification to be attended by political parties and organizations including the authorities of the north and the south and compatriots from all walks of life at home and abroad!
Let us resolutely frustrate the challenges of the anti-reunification forces at home and abroad going against the nation’s desire for reunification!
Let us deal a heavy blow at the U.S. domination and interference aimed to carry out the strategy to dominate Asia-Pacific while keeping south Korea under its occupation forever!
Let us hold high the torch of justice and resolutely wipe out the group of traitors who block the road of reunification, leaving the interests of the nation to the tender mercy of outside forces after failing to discern the principal enemy of the nation!
The U.S. should clearly face up to the inexhaustible might of the DPRK and the trend of the times and make a courageous decision to roll back its anachronistic hostile policy toward the DPRK!
It should roll back at once its national estrangement policy aimed to instigate the confrontational maniacs forsaken by the public to perpetuate the division!
The international community setting store by independence and peace should lift up the voices opposing the U.S. and its vassal forces standing in the way of peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula!
The DPRK’s government, political parties and organizations once again ardently appealed to all Koreans in the north and the south and abroad to turn out as one in the sacred struggle to glorify 2017, the year promising great changes, as a significant year of bringing about a new phase of independent reunification in hearty response to the patriotic call of the peerlessly great man
Filed under: Central Committee, Central Military Committee, Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF), Council for the Reconciliation of Tangun's Nation, Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, DPRK Cabinet, DPRK External Relations, DPRK Intelligence Community, Executive Policy Bureau, Gen. Kim Yong Chol, ideological slogans, Information Section, Inter-Korean Relations, Jon Yong Nam (KISYL), July 4 1972 Joint Statement, Kang Ji Yong, Kim Family, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, Kim Yong Dae, Kim Yong Nam, KJI/KJU Ideological Works, Korean Social Democratic Party, Korean Workers' Party (KWP), National Peace Committee of Korea, National Reconciliation Council, October 4 Declaration, Party elders, party life, Political Bureau, Propaganda and Agitation Department, Religious Believers Council, Ri Son Gon (CPRC), Ro Tu Chol, State Affairs Commission, State Planning Commission (SPC), Supreme People's Assembly, United Front Department, Workers' and Social Organizations
