With the Day of the Sun coming around, the Korean people are looking back with deep emotion on the immortal exploits performed by President Kim Il Sung, who devoted his heart and soul to the cause of national reunification all through his life.

National reunification was his lifelong cause and ardent desire.

The Korean nation that have lived in one and the same land, carrying on the bloodline of a homogeneous nation and creating a brilliant culture and history must never be divided into two, but become one without fail—this was his unshakable faith and will.

One of the exploits President Kim Il Sung performed in the cause of Korea’s reunification is that he consistently pursued the line of one Korea, the line of reunification and thus maintained the lifeline of the cause of Korea’s reunification.

The problem of Korea’s reunification created by the US occupation of south Korea immediately after Korea’s liberation from the Japanese military rule is in essence the problem of putting an end to the military occupation and interference of the United States in south Korea, establishing the national sovereignty across the whole land of Korea, connecting the broken vein of the nation and achieving the great unity of the whole nation.

With deep insight into the complicated political situation of the divided Korea, the essence of its reunification issue, the unanimous aspirations and wish of all the fellow people, he put forth the country’s reunification as the supreme national task and always pursued the line of one Korea, the line of reunification.

To this end, he initiated holding a joint conference of representatives of the political parties and social organizations of the north and the south of Korea in April 1948. The meeting was a historic national gathering aimed at achieving the great unity of the Korean nation under the banner of reunification and patriotism to save the destiny of the country and nation. In the 1970s, when Korea faced a worsening danger of national division due to anti-reunification manoeuvres at home and abroad, the President made a breakthrough in the inter-Korean negotiations to reunify the country in an independent and peaceful way and through the great unity of the whole nation. Numerous inter-Korean dialogues and negotiations ensued, in which north-south agreements were adopted in conformity with the national aspirations and desire thanks to the painstaking efforts of the President.

He also made public many works, setting the movement for national reunification in motion as a nationwide scale under the banner of national independence, while conducting energetic external activities to strengthen in every way international support for and solidarity with the Korean people’s struggle for national reunification. Guided by him, the Korean people could dynamically carry on the sacred struggle for national unity and independent reunification, frustrating every vicious scheme of the foreign forces and their stooges.

President Kim Il Sung’s another great exploit is that he put forward the three charters for national reunification, a strong mainstay of independent reunification of Korea.

The three charters for national reunification—three principles of national reunification, 10-point programme of the great unity of the whole nation for the reunification of the country, and the proposal for the founding of the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo (DFRK)—serve as the reunification programme common to the Korean nation.

The three principles of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity constitute a cornerstone of reunification as they illuminate the basic standpoint and principles to be adhered to by both north and south of Korea in solving the problem of reunification. The 10-point programme is a political charter which clarifies the goal, ideological foundations, principles and ways for achieving the great national unity. And the proposal for founding the DFRK serves as a blueprint for a reunified state, for it provides the fundamental way for realizing the Korea’s reunification along the most just and fair course on the condition that the north and the south recognize and tolerate each other’s ideas and systems.

The Korean people could therefore launch the struggle for reunification more vigorously with a clear goal and orientation, strong confidence and courage.

President Kim Il Sung prepared a powerful driving force of national reunification by closely rallying the entire nation under the banner of great national unity, thus performing great exploits in the cause of Korea’s reunification.

He put forth subordinating everything to the cause of national reunification, transcending differences in thoughts, ideas, political views and religious beliefs, as the fundamentals of the great national unity. And he embraced with great magnanimity and generosity those with aspirations after reunification, whoever they might be, and led them to the patriotic cause of reunification. Even in his last days he again clarified the problems arising in achieving the great national unity.

His noble idea of loving his country, his nation and his people, his high virtues and his personality fascinated men of religion and business, even those who had spent their whole life against communism and in armed confrontation with the fellow people. Thus they turned out for the sacred cause of national reunification. Grand festivals and pan-national rallies involving all Koreans in the north, the south and abroad took place, followed by the formation of the Pan-national Alliance for Korea’s Reunification, representing the unanimous will of the entire nation, and the Juche-oriented patriotic forces for reunification grew in strength.

The cause of Korea’s reunification President Kim Il Sung pioneered and led is being successfully carried forward by Kim Jong Il.

Kim Jong Il formulated the three principles of national reunification, 10-point programme of great national unity and proposal for the founding of the DFRK, all put forward by the President, as the three charters for Korea’s reunification, and illumined the way for achieving the great unity of the whole nation, the cause of national reunification, as instructed by the President. And he ushered in the June 15 reunification era guided by the idea of “by our nation itself” by adopting the historic north-south June 15 Joint Declaration and October 4 Declaration.

Under the leadership of Kim Jong Il, the exploits President Kim Il Sung performed in the cause of Korea’s reunification will shine for ever and the Korean people will accomplish the cause of national reunification without fail.