Establishing fundamental principles of reunification

President Kim Il Sung put forward the three principles of national reunification when inter-Korean high-level political talks was held in Pyongyang in May, 1972.  

On May 3, the President had conversation with the south Korean delegate who is on a visit to Pyongyang to take part in the high-level political talks between the north and the south of Korea.

If we fail to reunify the country as soon as possible and allow national division to continue, our nation may become a plaything of the great powers and be divided into two forever and we should reunify the country as soon as possible and hand over a unified country to posterity, said the President to the south Korean delegate.

He continued that in order to reunify the country, it is necessary to establish the fundamental principles correctly, which can provide the basis for the solution of the reunification question, only when there are fundamental principles agreed upon by the north and the south, can the two sides make joint efforts for reunification and successfully solve all problems concerning it.

He stressed that reunification question should on all accounts be settled independently without foreign interference and peacefully on the principle of promoting great national unity.

At the day, he spoke logically the essential content and justness of the three principles of national reunification he had matured one after another.

Enchanted with his personality, the south Korean delegate was greatly moved by instructions of the President fraught with logicalness and patriotism.

The south Korean delegate affirmed he positively support the three principles and maybe the south Korean chief executive would give his approval to it. He gave his word that he would regard the three principles as a pillar of reunification.

The three principles of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity is a precious fruition of tireless efforts and convincing will of independent reunification of the President who made indefatigable energies to hand down a reunified country to the Korean nation. 

The July 4 Joint Statement was published in July, 1972. Its main content is the three principles of national reunification-independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity. It is a grand program of reunification common to the nation agreed between the north and the south of Korea.

On the day the Korean people exclaimed that it is a new turning point in putting an end to tragedy of division and hastening the cause of national reunification, the dawn of Korea’s reunification and a mammoth stride of independent reunification.

Thanks to the President’s three principles of national reunification, the Korean nation could expedite the movement for reunification, pushing aside myriad of difficulties. The Korean nation brought about miraculous reality of the June 15 reunification era during which the both sides witnessed unprecedented successes in inter-Korean relations.