Statement of the NDFSK Central Committee

Now the south Korean people are indignant with the military authorities that have announced introduction of modern missiles while making desperate preparations for a war against north Korea, challenging to the desire of the nation to open a decisive phase in reunification under the uplifted banner of national independence this year.

The military authorities announced that they will purchase 111 modern tactical ground-to-ground missiles with the range of 300 kilometers from the United States till 2004.

What is more serious is that this missile is a modern lethal one which only the United States has introduced.

In cooperation with the United States, the south Korean military authorities are hell bent on increasing modern war equipment from the beginning of the new year. This is a reckless and dangerous move to scrap the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration and ignite a war against the north at any cost by straining the situation in Korea and driving the inter-Korean relations to confrontation.

The NDFSK Central Committee, in the name of all people, bitterly condemns their move as a never-to-be-condoned arch crime to stifle the fellow countrymen in the north by joining in the US strategy of war against the north and as an anti-national and anti-reunification act challenging the unanimous desire of the 70 million Korean people to achieve the independent reunification of the nation by implementing the joint declaration.

To oppose aggression and war moves and remove the danger of war and achieve reconciliation and unity between the south and the north are urgent tasks for guaranteeing peace in Korea and accelerating the independent reunification of the nation.

Nevertheless, the military authorities, while paying lip service to the implementation of the joint declaration, are aggravating the inter-Korean relations through confrontation and war moves with the backing of the United States. Openly adhering to a theory of "arch enemy" against the fellow countrymen in the north, the south Korean warmongers have intensified war moves against the north, plotting to spend the blood tax collected from the people to purchase up-to-date war equipment.

Due to their reckless move the danger of war grows in Korea, inter-Korean relations have faced a serious crisis and our nation's grand advance toward independent reunification met great difficulty.

Their move to introduce missiles is a deliberate provocation to aggravate the inter-Korean relations and break peace and security in Korea.

They must take the responsibility for the consequences to be entailed therefrom.

Seeing clearly the desire of the entire nation and trend of the times, they must immediately stop the move to purchase lethal weapons and the treacherous act to bar the nation's efforts to implement the joint declaration.

They must abandon the scheme to stifle the fellow countrymen in the north in conspiracy with outside forces.

The US bellicose forces must discard its ill intention to invade the north and pull out its troops from this land, seeing our nation's will for reunification.

All the south Korean people should unite as one to frustrate the war moves of the United States and the south Korean bellicose forces and energetically wage the anti-war and anti-US struggle to ensure peace and security of the nation.

The NDFSK, together with all peoples desirous of peace and reunification, will remove the hotbed of war through resolute anti-war and anti-US struggle, defend security of the nation and accelerate the country's reunification.

Central Committee,

National Democratic Front of South Korea

Seoul

January 14, Juche 91 (2002)