Letter to the Congress of the United States from the Supreme People’s Assembly, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Letter to the Congress of the United States from the Supreme People’s Assembly

The Second Session of the Fifth Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has discussed the question of terminating foreign intervention in our internal affairs with the aim of accelerating the independent, peaceful reunification of our country and sends this letter to both the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States.

As a result of the consistent efforts made by the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for the independent, peaceful national reunification, a dialogue started between north and south Korea in September 1971.

Later, both sides held high-level talks, announced a joint statement whose keynote is the three principles- independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity- and formed a North-South Co-ordination Commission as a joint setup to implement the agreed principles.

This was an epoch-making event that alter the state of freeze between the north and south separated from each other for many years and opened up a new phase for peaceful reunification.

After the announcement of the north-south joint statements we proposed, as a concrete step toward the implementation of the agreements between both sides, to realize collaboration between the north and the south in all fields of politics, economy, culture, military and diplomatic affairs and, in particular, made a five-point proposal for eliminating the present state of military confrontation, that is, the stopping of armament reinforcement and arms race, the withdrawal of foreign troops, the reduction of army strength, the discontinuance of the introduction of weapons from foreign countries and the conclusion of a peace agreement-the most urgent problems in dispelling misunderstanding and distrust and creating an atmosphere of trust between both sides.

However, the south Korean authorities have not made a due response to our peaceable initiative which accords with the desire of all the Korean people, and the dialogue between the north and south has made no further progress at the stage in which the agreements between both sides should be put into practice.

 Facts show that this state of affairs is mainly due to the policies of the U.S. Government authorities who do not want to see Korea reunified peacefully by the Korean people themselves.

 The U.S. Government authorities welcomed the north-south dialogue in words, but in deeds they have obstructed it from the outset, throwing cold water on it. They have instigated the south Korean authorities to take the “position of strength” in negotiation with us, declaring that, although the north-south dialogue is in progress, they would keep their troops in south Korea and “push ahead the modernization programme” for the south Korean army.

Last year, for instance, the United States gave the greatest amount of military “aid” to south Korea, supplied it with large quantities of modern weapons and military equipment, expanded military bases, made incessant military provocations and staged ceaseless military exercises. In this way it stepped up war preparations and further encouraged the south Korean authorities to military confrontation with us.

This position and attitude of the U.S. Government toward Korea go against the desire of all the Korean people to reunify their country peacefully and runs counter to the current rend to the relaxation of tensions and peace.

At a time when north and South Korea had dialogue and the Koreans endeavor to solve their problems peacefully for themselves, why are the U.S. Government authorities intervening and obstructing it?

If the United States should truly hope for the peaceful solution of the Korean question and desire peace in the Far East and the Pacific region, it would have no need to keep its troops in south Korea an longer and deliberately maintain military confrontation with us who advocate peaceful reunification.

We consider that it is high time for the United States to change its policy in the light of the present changed situation, withdraw its troops from south Korea and take a measure to dissolve the “United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea” thereby removing the obstacles for the peaceful reunification of Korea.

The United States should discontinue military “aid” and a supply of weapons and military equipment to south Korea and desist from encouraging the south Korean authorities with military support for the purpose of making Koreans fight Koreans.

If the U.S. Government authorities take such steps, war danger will be removed in Korea and the Korean people will certainly achieve the peaceful reunification of their country by themselves.

Considering that this will conform with the interests of the people of both Korea and the United States and fully [illegible] with the interests of peace, the Supreme People’s assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea witnesses the hope that the U.S. Congress will pay serious attention to our letter and adopt relevant positive measures.

Supreme People’s Assembly Pyongyang

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea April 6, 1973