Message from the President of Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kim Il Sung, to the President of the [Socialist Federal] Republic [of Yugoslavia], Josip Broz Tito

(Translation)

Pyongyang, July 7, 1973

Esteemed Comrade President,

Deeply pleased with the relations of friendship and cooperation developing favorably with each passing day between our two countries, I extend my warmest greetings to Comrade President and your Government and people.

I express my deep thanks to Comrade President and your Government for the positive activities your country carries out in support of our people’s cause of national reunification in the United Nations and other international arena and for the measures of firm solidarity it has taken in support of the letter to the Parliaments and Governments of all countries of the world adopted at the Second Session of the Fifth Supreme People’s Assembly of our country.

I take this opportunity to inform you and you Government of the recent situation prevailing in our country and the five-point policy for independent, peaceful reunification we have newly elucidated.

Today, the division of Korea is causing increasingly greater misfortunes and sufferings to our people who have lived as a homogeneous nation through a long history and throwing obstacles also in the way of maintain and consolidation peace in Asia and the world.

The United States, which has imposed territorial partition and national division upon our people for as long as 28 years, is now trying to make Koreans fight Koreans, permanently freeze the division of Korea and create two Koreas, resorting to a double-dealing tactics.

In step with these machinations of United States, the south Korean authorities are directing all efforts to reinforce their military strength and persistently clinging to their maneuverings to perpetuate the division of the country, clamouring for “confrontation” between the north and the south.

Of late they went so far as to make it as their policy to manufacture two Koreas and to openly declare the line of national division.

Because of all this dialogue between the north and the south is now not making progress the way it should and the bright prospect for national reunification which was opened before our nation when the North-South Joint Statement was published a year ago is again darkening despite our consistent efforts for the independent peaceful reunification.

At a time when unusual moves designed to divide Korea permanently were taking place at home and abroad, we newly elucidated on June 23 last the following policy of independent and peaceful reunification, out of earnest desire to ride out the prevailing difficult situation and realize the long- cherished aspiration of the nation for the peaceful reunification of the fatherland at the earliest possible date.

Firstly; we proposed to remove the state of military confrontation and ease tension between the north and the south.

To remove the state of military confrontation and ease tension between the north and the south is a matter of pressing urgency and vital importance for dispelling misunderstanding and mistrust and deepening mutual understanding and trust between the north and the south, creating the atmosphere for great national unity, improving the relations between the North and the South and achieving the peaceful reunification of the country.

Unless the dagger is taken out of the bosom and laid down, it is impossible to create atmosphere of mutual trust or find satisfactory solution to the question of realizing the collaboration and interchange between the north and the south.

Therefore, as the first step for the achievement of the peaceful reunification of the country, we have more than once proposed to the south Korean authorities to cease arms reinforcement and arms race, make all foreign troops withdraw, reduce armed forces and armaments, stop the introduction of weapons from foreign countries and conclude a peace agreement.

Secondly; we proposed to realize many-sided collaboration and interchange between the north and the south in the political, military, diplomatic, economic and cultural fields.

We think that it is of great importance to realize many-sided collaboration and interchange between the north and the south in rejoining the severed ties of the nation, improving the relations between the north and to south and providing preconditions for reunification.

We once again emphasized that the south Korean authorities should not rely on the outside forces but strive to develop the economy in the interests of our nation through joint exploitation of our country’s natural resources and bring about national collaboration in all fields.

Thirdly; we proposed to enable the masses of people of all strata in the north and the south to participate in the nation-wide patriotic work for national reunification.

We consider that the dialogue between the north and the south should not be confined to the authorities of the north and the south but be held on a nation-wide scale, since the reunification of the fatherland is a question to be solved under all circumstances in conformity with the general will of the entire people in the north and the south Korea.

To this end we proposed to convene a Great National Congress composed of the representatives of the masses of people of all strata, political parties and social organizations in the north and the south and comprehensively discuss and solve the question of the reunification of the country therein conformity with the will and demand of our people.

Fourthly; we put forth the new proposal of instituting a North-South Confederation under the single state name of the Confederal Republic of Koryo.

We think that the most reasonable way to realize the country's reunification is to convene the Great National Congress and achieve great national unity, and on the basis, institute a North-South Confederation, leaving intact the two systems existing in the north and the south for the time being.

In case of the North-South Confederation Republic of Koryo after Koryo, a united state which once existed on our territory and was widely known to the world.

Fifthly; we proposed that the North-South should work together in the sphere of external activities in order to prevent our country from being split into two Koreas permanently as a result of the frozen national division.

Our people are a single nation who has lived with the same culture and the same language through a long history; and they can never live separated in two parts.

We consider that the North-South should take concerted action in the field of international relations, too, in order to prevent our country from being split permanently.

Even when we develop state relations with other countries, too, we resolutely oppose all machinations designed to make use of this to fabricate two Koreas.

We hold that the North-South should not enter the United Nations separately, and consider that if they want to enter the U.N. before the reunification of the country, they should enter it as one state under the single name of the Confederal Republic of Koryo, at least after Confederation is enforced.

But apart from the question of admission to the U.N., if the question on Korea is placed on its agenda for discussion, the representative of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea should naturally be invited to take part in it and speak as the party concerned, we think.

We believe that all these proposal of ours are the most reasonable and realistic ones acceptable to anybody because they mirror the ardent desire of the entire Korean people to prevent the division of the country and fundamentally improve and develop the north-south relations and realize the national reunification at the earliest possible date, and reflect the demand of the present times toward independence and peace.

Now it has become clear of itself who truly wants peace and reunification and who really seeks war and division in Korea.

I express the confidence that your esteemed person, your Government and people led by you will pay deep attention to those developments prevailing in our country and take positive measures of various forms in support of the new policy of the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for realizing the reunification of the country independently without the interference of any outside forces, on a democratic basis and by peaceful means.

Convinced that the relations of friendship between our two countries will develop in various fields in the future, I sincerely wish you good health, happiness as well as fresh success in your noble work.

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

KIM IL SUNG

President

Democratic People’s Republic of

Korea