Message from the President of the [Democratic] People's Republic of Korea and the Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Il Sung, to the President of the [SF] Republic [of Yugoslavia], Josip Broz Tito.

Pyongyang, February 6, 1978

Esteemed Comrade Josip Broz Tito,

I would like to extend my cordial brotherly greetings to you, expressing my satisfaction with the friendly and cooperative relations between the two Parties and peoples of Korea and Yugoslavia favourably developing with each passing day in various fields.

I would look back with a deep emotion upon the significant meetings and talks with you in Ljubljana in 1975 and in Pyongyang in August last year.

I think our meetings on two occasions have greatly contributed to demonstrating the might of the friendship and solidarity between Korea and Yugoslavia and strengthening unity and cohesion of the socialist forces and the Non-Aligned Movement.

I heartily rejoice over the fact that you are energetically leading the Yugoslav people in their work of the socialist construction and conducting a lot of foreign activities in good health in spite of your advanced age since your visit to our country and warmly congratulate you.

During the period our country has witnessed successful fulfilment of the national economic plan for 1977 and entered the road of carrying out the new long-term plan and everything goes very smoothly.

But the situation in south Korea still remains complex and obstacles lie on the way of national reunification.

As you remember, at a time of our talks in Pyongyang last year we agreed upon sending a letter or some person from me to Comrade Tito in future, when we have something to inform you of the question of Korea’s reunification.

Expressing my profound thanks to Comrade Tito for your great concern you have directed so far to the Korean question and you positive activities for us and the conviction that you will, this year, too, continue to make great efforts to help us in our work, I am dispatching to you Comrade Kim Yong Nam, Alternate Member of the Political Committee of the Central Committee, with my personal letter in order to inform you of some questions concerning the reunification of Korea.

As you well know, our Party and Government have consistently held and is holding that the Korean question should be solved by peaceful means.

But Pak Jung Hi [sic; Park Chung Hee] of south Korea attempted to realize the “unification by prevailing over Communism”, doggedly opposing our proposals for reunification, and is, of late, committing “two Koreas” plot in an undisguised manner as they failed in that attempt.

He is claiming “cross recognition” by big countries in order to create international climate for the creation of “two Koreas” and intending to bring to success the “simultaneous admission into the U.N.” and “separate admission into the U.N.” in an attempt to legalize “two Koreas” internationally. At the same time he is clamouring about the “equilibrium of strength theory” in order to back the permanent division of Korea by force of arms.

Owing to such splitting machinations and war rackets on the part of Pak Jung Hi our cause of reunification is undergoing grave trials.

Therefore we cannot even think of peace and security, let alone the creation of favourable atmosphere for the peaceful reunification of our fatherland, so long as there exists Pak Jung Hi.

As for Pak Jung Hi, he is a war-maniac who can commit war adventure at any time.

He is strongly opposed to the pullback of the US troops, the main stumbling block to the Korean reunification, reinforcing armed forces, while clamouring about every day all sours of military exercise.

He even has gone so far as to develop nuclear weapons by himself, complaining to the United States of refusing to give nuclear weapons.

It vividly shows that Pak Jung Hi is a very dangerous element who can provoke a nuclear war without hesitation and commit any reckless play with fire.

Pak Jung Hi is a traitor who has betrayed the country and nation for his own ease and long-term power.

He is arresting and imprisoning at random the patriotic people of south Korea demanding freedom and democracy, and severely trampling upon human rights. Today among the south Korean people dissatisfaction at him is growing as the days go by and the anti- Pak Jung Hi trend is further increased.

Pak Jung Hi is extremely isolated and rejected internally and externally for his war policy, repression policy and treacherous acts.

Dissatisfaction at Pak Jung Hi is increasing and the voice calling for policy is getting higher even within the United States.

The United States seems to regard Pak Jung Hi as a reliable figure, but, in fact, he is an out and out pro-Japanese element brought up by the Japanese militarists.

Pak Jung Hi is more relying on Japan than the United States and maintains close adhesion with the former in all political, economic and military fields, keeping it secret to the United States.

Pak Jung Hi outwardly pretends to follow the United States but his real intention is to keep his long period power with the support of the United States and to reinforce the armed forces by receiving military aid from the United States.

And he intends to bring in the Japanese militarist forces following the withdrawal of the US troops.

It is an already well-known fact that the Japanese, too, are watching for a chance of an undisguised aggression on south Korea.

As seen above, Pak Jung Hi is the dyed-in-the wool pro-Japanese and bellicose element and traitor and fascist.

Today, the tension on the Korean peninsula has become aggravated, war danger increased, and in south Korea the situation remains disturbed, democracy obliterated, there prevail disorder and unrest, and the peace in Korea and her peaceful reunification remain unaccomplished; all these are the result of the anti-popular rule practiced by Pak Jung Hi. In other works, the root cause of all the misfortunes in Korea is attributable to the Pak Jung Hi’s fascist rule.

The continued US abetting of Pak Jung Hi constitutes the main cause of impairing the US dignity and of its being exposed to the blames of the world people.

If the United States truly wants peace in Korea and in the Asian region, it should remove Pak Jung Hi.

In his place, a patriotic and democratic personage, whoever he may be, should be placed in “power”, who respects human rights in south Korea and does not want split and war.

If the United States removes Pak Jung Hi and puts a democratic personage in “power”, everything will go safe and sound and, in particular, there will be no need a t all to concern about the developments arising following the US troops withdrawal, I think.

Now the United States says that if the US troops withdraw, a riot will break out in south Korea and that in this event we will “invade the south”. This is no more than a pretext for the United States to refuse the withdrawal of its troops from south Korea.

All the struggles that have been under way to so far in south Korea were anti-Pak Jung Hi, anti- dictatorship and anti-fascist struggles. Therefore, when the United States removes Pak Jung Hi and places another person in “power” and then pulls out its troops, there will never happen such kind of things in south Korea.

At present, on the Korean peninsula there exists not “the threat of southward aggression” from the north, but actually the threat of northward aggression from the south.

We have already made it clear on several occasions that we have no intention of “invading the south”.

Much more, when Pak Jung Hi falls down and a democratic personage assumes his office and consequently a favorable climate to peaceful settlement of the Korean question is provided, why does the United States worry, presuming that we will solve the question by means of war?

Furthermore, if the United States concludes a peace agreement through direct talks with us we have already proposed, and withdraws its troops from south Korea, peace will be guaranteed on the Korean peninsula and accordingly, the US prestige will not be discounted.

After the conclusion of a peace agreement between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States and the withdrawal of the US forces from south Korea, we intend, first of all, to undertake concrete measures together with the south Korean authorities to reduce by a big margin the military forces, cease the arms race and to ease the military confrontation and tension.

And when the atmosphere of mutual trust is created in this way, as a step forward, we intend to institute a north-south confederation while leaving intact the present socio-political systems established in the north and south of Korea.

Therefore, as the United States makes a great noise about the ‘”threat of southward aggression” so the threat of “communization” of south Korea or the impairment of their interests and what not are only the tricks designed to justify the US military occupation of south Korea and the permanent division of Korea.

With the institution of the proposed confederation, we only seek to prevent the permanent division of the nation, reunite its severed blood-vein and keep alive the inherent national characters formed through the time-honoured history.

We will not force our socialist system on south Korea and south Korean “regime” will be left to act of its own accord.

The introduction of the confederation will help remove the misunderstanding and distrust between the north and south, stabilize the south Korean society and eliminate the tension and war threat on Korean peninsula.

This will prove favorable to the peace and security in Asia as a while and in the Pacific region.

We call for an independent accomplishment of the peaceful reunification of the country and even after the national reunification we will continue to be independent.

To follow the road of independence is the main policy invariably maintained by our Party and Government.

With the correct understanding of all the above-mentioned, the United States should, among other things, get rid of Pak Jung Hi, conclude a peace agreement with us and withdraw its troops and military equipment from south Korea.

This will make everything go well and eliminate grounds on which we and the United States fall out with each other.

This is our policy I want to inform you in connection with the “two Koreas” plot by the internal and external splittists.

I hope that this year, too, during your visits to foreign countries you will widely impart this policy of ours to the people of those countries and particularly lucidly explain to them that while Pak Jung Hi, a pro-Japanese, bellicose element, a fascist and traitor to the nation, remains in “power”, peace and security, to say nothing of the Korean reunification, cannot be ensured and that if the United States removes him and withdraws its troops from south Korea, everything will go smoothly.

In conclusion, convinced that very excellent relations of friendship and cooperation existing between the two Parties and two peoples of Korea and Yugoslavia will be further consolidated and developed in future, I wholeheartedly wish you good health as well as great successes in your responsible work for the socialist construction of the country and the strengthening and development of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

KIM IL SUNG

General Secretary

Central Committee

Workers’ Party of Korea