Reuters June 16, 2000 - The following is the full text of the agreement signed by the two Koreas late on Wednesday June 14, 2000 as carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), monitored in Tokyo.
The Great Leader Kim Jong-Il and President Kim Dae-Jung signed the North-South Joint Declaration, which reads in full:
True to the noble will of all the fellow countrymen for the peaceful reunification of the country, Chairman Kim Jong-Il of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and President Kim Dae-Jung of the Republic of Korea had a historic meeting and summit in Pyongyang from June 13 to 15, 2000. The heads of the North and the South, considering that the recent meeting and summit, the first of their kind in history of division, are events of weighty importance in promoting mutual understanding, developing inter-Korean relations and achieving peaceful reunification, declare as follows:
1. The North and the South agreed to solve the question of the country's reunification independently by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation responsible for it.
2. The North and the South, recognizing that a proposal for federation of lower stage advanced by the North side and a proposal for confederation put forth by the South side for the reunification of the country have elements in common, agreed to work for the reunification in this direction in the future.
3. The North and the South agreed to settle humanitarian issues, including exchange of visiting groups of separated families and relatives and the issue of unconverted long-term prisoners, as early as possible on the occasion of August 15 this year.
4. The North and the South agreed to promote the balanced development of the national economy through economic cooperation and build mutual confidence by activating cooperation and exchanges in all fields, social, cultural, sports, public health, environmental and so on.
5. The North and the South agreed to hold dialogues between the authorities as soon as possible to implement the above-mentioned agreed points in the near future.
President Kim Dae-Jung cordially invited Chairman Kim Jong-Il
of the DPRK National Defense Commission to visit Seoul and Chairman Kim
Jong-Il agreed to visit Seoul at an appropriate time in the future.
Kim Jong-Il
Chairman National Defense Commission
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Kim Dae-Jung
President
Republic of Korea
(From the China Post, June 16, 2000)