Commemorating (the demise of) the June 15 Joint Declaration

[This letter was received by CanKor from Pyongyang under the subject line: “11th Anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration”. The following DPRK organizations appended their signatures: Korean National Peace Committee, Korean Committee for Solidarity with the World’s People, Asian African People’s Solidarity, Korean Democratic Lawyer’s Association, and Korean Anti War Peace Physicians. –CanKor.]

Arch of Reunification, Pyongyang (Image via Wikipedia)

Dear Friends,

As you know, the Korean people greet the 11th anniversary of the historic June 15 Joint Declaration under the grim situation where confrontation between the reunification champions and the separatists has reached an extreme point.

The inter-Korean summit and the adoption of the June 15 Joint Declaration in June 2000, the first of its kind since the country was divided, were a great event that turned the history of division and confrontation lasting for more than half a century into the history of reconciliation, unity and reunification in the new century. This brought all Koreans and the whole world into great shock, enthusiasm, cheers and admiration.

The June 15 event and consequently the amazing development of the north-south relations showed that there is nothing impossible to do on earth when the Koreans join their hands and that the Korean nation can successfully break the walls of confrontation and division and achieve peace and reunification on its own efforts.

Conversation #12

In which Weingartner challenges Pak’s claim that his faith in the Juche idea qualifies him as an atheist. [This episode has been greatly enhanced by a discussion among Korea experts in the Koreanstudies mailing list.]

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Pak Kim Li: I apologize that I had to cancel our last appointment. My life is not my own, you know.

Erich Heinz Weingartner: So I understand.

PKL: As much as I enjoy talking to you, you aren’t exactly my number one priority.

EHW: Which is a pity. But neither are you my first priority.

PKL: I’m not? That surprises me. Writing about the DPRK has become quite the cottage industry in the West as far as I can tell.

EHW: Yes, except that it pays very poorly.

PKL: You should consider the ideological satisfaction that you get in the process.