On the occasion of 16th anniversary of the publication of the historic June 15 Joint Declaration, south Korean people from all walks of life voiced their strong opposition to the south Korean authorities’ policy against the fellow countrymen and expressed their will to improve inter-Korean relations.
A meeting for national reunification took place at Imjin Pavilion in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on June 15, the 16th anniversary of the publication of the June 15 joint declaration, with the participation of 400 people, members of civic bodies and businessmen.
The south Korean authorities’ pursuit of deterioration of inter-Korean relations, sanctions and blockade for abandonment of nuke and missile of north Korea only precipitate tense situation. The authorities’ policy hampering all civilian exchange should be amended, they asserted.
They expressed their will to open pan-national grand reunification meeting and football match between workers of the south and north for reunification initiated and agreed by the Korean nation’s ardent aspiration to bring about the second June 15 reunification era.
After the rally, they marched along the “unification bridge” in heavy rain, holding placards written implementation of the June 15 Joint Declaration, guarantee of civilian exchange, abolition of policy hostile towards north Korea and inter-Korean fence mending.
In his seminar on June 9, Lee Chang-bok, permanent representative of the South Side Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration, stressed that reunification movement is restless and it is the destiny of the nation and our task, charging that the authorities’ flat denial of the south side’s participation in the June 15 national joint event is attributable to their thinking way against reunification.
On June 12, there took place a marathon race for reunification in Cheonju of North Jeolla Province.
They ran 6.15km in high spirits, manifesting their desire to open up a fresh era of independent reunification.
The opposition parties including the Minjoo Party of Korea, and the People’s Party formed a peace mission of the parliament to find a breakthrough for mending frozen inter-Korean relationship and convene south-north parliamentary talks. It demanded the institution of anniversary of June 15 and improvement of inter-Korean ties.
