Representing such mounting desire for One-Korea, late President Kim Il Sung on October 10, 1980 made an entirely new proposal to reunify Korea as a “Democratic Confederal of Republic of Koryo” (DCRK) - a unified republic transcending the different systems and ideas created before and after the fratricidal Korean War.

(See outline of the DCRK)
(Also see its Acceptability and Workability)

“Our party holds that the country should be reunified by founding a confederal republic through the establishment of a unified national government on condition that the north and the south recognize and tolerate each other's ideas and social systems, a government in which the two sides are represented on an equal footing and under which they exercise regional autonomy respectively with equal rights,” addressed late President Kim Il Sung .

The fresh overtures from Pyongyang concerning the national reunification under the DCRK was warmly welcomed by not only Koreans but also the peace-loving people all over the world, since the emergence of a neutral state free from foreign powers in that part of Asia - a place where East and West meets - would greatly contribute to the peace of Asia and the peace of the world amidst the touch-and-go era of the Cold War, at the time America and the Soviet Union were preoccupied with massive arms build-up encompassing a whole Asia-Pacific rim.

The DPRK specified a concrete 10-point policy platform of the confederal state. The proposed policy platform commits the unified Korea to be independent of any military bloc and strictly neutral, declaring the Korean Peninsula “a nuclear-free zone.”

Today, 45 years after the Korean War, the U.S. keeps its 37,000 troops in south Korea. The U.S. will also to keep about 100,000 troops in Asia and the Pacific - the amount equivalent to the number of GIs in Europe - standing as commanding superpower in the world.

American Defense Secretary William Cohen, who is scheduled to visit Seoul on Jan. 21 on the last leg of his 11-day, seven-country Southeast Asian tour, said that the U.S. Defense Department would rearrange defense contracts between U.S. weapons makers and their Southeast Asian countries: so that these cash-strapped countries “can continue their U.S. weapon purchases,” according to AP reports.

South Korean media speculate that Cohen is likely to deliver the same message to Seoul - a former Asian Tiger that is reduced to a tottering cub under $153 billion in foreign debt.

It is highly recommended that Korea will be unified under the DCRK system, free from American interference, at an early date. The strong American means the continuation of the Korean division.

Following is the 10-point policy platform of the suggested DCRK system (excerpts from the historic address by late President Kim Il Sung on the 6th Congress of WPK Supreme Assembly on October 10-14).

The DCRK should be a neutral nation which does not participate in any political-military alliance or bloc. Since the two parts of the country, north and south, with different ideas and social systems are to be united into a single confederal state, it is necessary and most reasonable in reality that the DCRK should be a neutral state.

The DCRK, as a unified state embracing the whole of the territory and people of our country, should pursue a policy which agrees with the fundamental interests and demands of the entire Korean people. Our Patty deems it appropriate that the DCRK should put forward and carry out the following policy:

The DCRK should be a fully independent and sovereign state and a non-aligned nation which is not a satellite of any other nation and does not depend on any foreign forces.

The DCRK should oppose all forms of foreign interference and dependence on foreign forces, exercise complete sovereignty in its internal and external activities and solve all questions arising in state politics independently to suit the fundamental interests of the Korean nation and the actual conditions of our country.

The DCRK should fully develop a democratic, social and political system which opposes dictatorship and intelligence government and firmly guarantees and defends the liberties and rights of the people.

The confederal state should ensure the freedom of forming political parties and social organizations and their free activities, the freedoms of religious belief, speech, the press, assembly and demonstration, and guarantee the rights of the people in north and south to travel freely across the country and to conduct political, economic and cultural activities freely in any areas.

The confederal government should follow a fair policy which will equally guarantee the interests of the two regions, two systems, different parties, groups, classes and circles in the country without bias to either side. All the policies pursued by the confederal government should proceed from the principle of great national unity and contribute to the uniform development and prosperity of the country through the strengthening of national unity and collaboration.

The confederal government should not question the past records of any organization or individual in the north and the south that works for the development of the unified state, but should join hands with them, and should not allow any form of political reprisal or persecution.

Economic collaboration and exchange between north and south should be realized on the basis of recognizing the different economic systems and diverse economic activities of enterprises in the two parts of the country.

The confederal government should recognize and protect state, cooperative and private property in the north and the south as well as personal effects, and refrain from restricting or encroaching upon the property of capitalists and their business activities so long as they help develop the national economy without engaging in monopolist and comprador activities.

The confederal state should see to it that the north and the south jointly develop and exploit mineral, marine and other natural resources, and further the division of labour and trade extensively on the principles of cooperation and mutual accommodation, while properly coordinating the economic activities of all production units and enterprises in keeping with the interests of different classes and circles.

It will be advisable that the authorities or enterprises in the north and the south organize and run joint companies, common markets and the like rationally.

The confederal state should develop the economies of the north and the south into an organically interlinked independent national economy through extensive collaboration and exchange between the two parts of the country.

The confederal state should ensure that the scientists and technicians in north and south make joint scientific researches and widely exchange their achievements and experiences so as to develop our science and technology quickly.

The confederal state should actively encourage exchange and cooperation between the artists and sportsmen in the north and the south and see to it that the scientists in the two zones jointly discover and take good care of the cultural heritages of our nation and that they study and develop our unique written and spoken language.

Thus, our national culture and arts should be brought into full flower and the unique nature of our people as a homogeneous nation should be preserved. Education is a very important undertaking which decides the fate of the nation. The confederal government should train large numbers of competent technical experts and steadily raise the cultural and intellectual levels of the entire people by developing an educational system of a popular character and giving active state and social support to education work.

Because the territory has been bisected and traffic and communications cut off, our people cannot see or hear from their families and relatives, though living within easy reach. This is a tragedy. Restoring the broken traffic and communications between north and south is the only way to end the national tragedy and fully realize political, economic and cultural exchange and cooperation.

The confederal state should restore the railways and motor roads linking the north and the south and open ship and plane services to realize free traffic by land, sea and air between the two zones. Further, steps should be taken to open telegraph and telephone services and unrestricted postal exchange between all areas of the north and the south.

The confederal, government should see to it that 'the north and the south use the means of transport and the post and telegraphic facilities in common and, further, gradually go over to their joint operation, so that in the future the traffic and communications of the whole country are unified

In all its activities, the confederal state should give preference to the work of stabilizing the lives of people of all social strata including the workers, peasants and other sections of working people and of promoting their welfare. It should provide a decent life to all the people by guaranteeing adequate living conditions for the entire working people in respect of food, clothing and shelter and by raising the living standard of the poor to that of the middle class.

The confederal state should find jobs for all able-bodied people, provide sufficient conditions for work and rest and introduce a wage system, a price policy and an equitable tax system which can ensure a stable livelihood for the working people. Steps, should be taken for various enterprises including small and medium ones to carry on productive activity on a normal basis and to guarantee the working people's livelihood and, in particular, the state should give active support to the husbandry of the poor peasants and fishermen, small merchants and handicraftsmen.

The confederal state should pay deep attention to the education of the working people and the promotion of their health and adopt adequate measures to this end, so that all the working people and their families can receive education and medical assistance.

The confederal state should cut the military strength of both sides to 100,000-150,000 respectively in order to end the military confrontation between north and south and bring the fratricidal strife to a close for good. At the same time, it is imperative to abolish the Military Demarcation Line which comes between the north and the south, dismantle all the military installations in its vicinity, dissolve militia organizations in both parts and forbid military training of civilians.

The confederal state should amalgamate the Korean People's Army and the "national army" of south Korea and form a single combined national army. As a national army of the unified state independent of either side north or south, the combined national army should perform the duty of national defense under the unified leadership of the confederal government.

All the expenses for the upkeep of the combined national army and the defense of the country should be borne in common by the north and the south.

The DCRK should make vigorous efforts to enable all the Korean nationals abroad to enjoy their internationally accepted legal rights and liberties, and give them strong support and encouragement in their struggle for democratic national rights. The confederal government should guarantee the rights for all our overseas compatriots to travel freely to their motherland or to return home and live and act freely at any place they please.

Only when the foreign relations built up by the north and the south before the achievement of national reunification are handled in the right manner, is it possible to adequately ensure both the interests of the whole nation and the interests of the two zones within the framework of the unified state and to enable the confederal state to develop friendly relations with various countries of the world on an equitable footing.

Further, in view of the fact that even after reunification the north and the south will maintain foreign relations separately with other nations on a limited scale, the confederal government needs to coordinate the foreign activities of the two regional governments properly in a unified way.

The DCRK should repeal all treaties and agreements with other countries detrimental to national amity including military treaties concluded separately by the north and the south prior to reunification. Of the foreign relations formed by the north and the south, those relations including economic relations not inimical to the common interests of the nation should be maintained continuously. The confederal state should permit the north and the south to cooperate economically with other countries irrespective of the social system. It should leave intact the capital invested by other nations in south Korea prior to the reunification of the country and continue to ensure their concessions.

The DCRK should permit the governments of the two parts of the country to establish bilateral relations with other countries. The confederal state will have to coordinate properly the foreign relations of the north and the south to make it sure for the two regional governments to keep in step with each other in the foreign activities.

The DCRK should be the only representative of the entire Korean nation in foreign relations. The confederal state should represent the entire Korean nation in the United Nations and other international organizations and will have to send a single delegation to all international functions where the whole nation should be represented. The DCRK should stick to the line of neutrality, follow the policy of nonalignment and develop friendly relations with all nations on the principles of independence, non-interference in internal affairs, equality, mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence. In particular, it should actively develop good neighborly relations with adjacent countries.

The DCRK should be a peace loving nation and pursue a peaceful foreign policy. A unified Korea will not threaten aggression against neighboring countries and any other nations of the world and will not be a party to or cooperate in any international act of aggression.

The confederal state should make the Korean Peninsula a permanent peace zone and nuclear-free zone. To this end, it should prohibit the presence of foreign troops and establishment of foreign military bases in our territory and ban the production, introduction and use of nuclear weapons.

The ten-point policy of the DCRK accurately reflects the common aspirations and demands of the entire Korean nation and illumines the road ahead of a unified Korea

The plan for national reunification and the ten-point political program of the unified state newly proposed by our Party this time will win active support and approval of all the Korean people and receive warm welcome from the people of the world.

Our Party will strive with might and main to put the new plan for national reunification into effect as soon as possible and satisfy the ardent desire of our 50 million brethren to live happily in a unified homeland.

In order to found a confederal republic and bring about national reunification as proposed by our Party, all the Korean nationals in north and south and abroad should fight firmly banded together in a grand national united front under the banner of national reunification, regardless of the difference in ideology, social system, party affiliation and political view.

The road ahead of our Party and people striving for the county's independent and peaceful reunification is still beset with many a difficulty and obstacle. But we will pull through them at all costs and finally accomplish the historic cause of national reunification by the united efforts of the whole nation.

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