The DPRK’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country (CPRC) on Thursday stressed the importance of “independence,” in a rare “commemorative” statement marking the 47th anniversary of the July 4 North-South Joint Communiqué which warned against submission to foreign powers.

The “commemorative special article (Ronsol)” by the CPRC — which is responsible for inter-Korean relations — was carried on the website of Uriminzokkiri, an external-focused outlet primarily targeting South Korean audiences.

The committee said it had issued the statement, the first of its kind by the organization, to “more vigorously promote the majestic grand march of the 80