■ On that day of shock and emotion, the historic South-North Joint Statement was announced. 41 years ago today, on July 4, 1972. Lee Hu-rak, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, surprised people by saying that he had visited Pyongyang and agreed with the North on the three principles of peaceful unification (independence, peace, and national unity). At a time when tensions were at their highest since the Korean War due to North Korea’s successive military provocations, high-ranking officials from the South and the North met for the first time in four and a half centuries since the division and took a big step toward peaceful unification. At the same time, the 7.4 South-North Joint Statement, which was simultaneously announced in Pyongyang, shocked and moved both the South and the North. Let’s look back on the historical significance of the 7.4 South-North Joint Statement, which opened the door to inter-Korean dialogue and made us dream of the day of national unification once again. ■ The changing world situation, the concerns of North and South Korean leaders who must adapt - From the US's 'Nixon Doctrine' to Park Chung-hee's 'August 15 Declaration' In order to honorably withdraw from the Vietnam War, where he was on the defensive, US President Nixon announced the so-called [Nixon Doctrine], which stated that "Asia's problems are Asia's responsibility." In order to achieve the end of the Vietnam War, which had been his election promise, he secretly sent US Secretary of State Kissinger to Beijing, and in February 1972, Nixon himself visited China to normalize diplomatic relations with China. Around the time when the Cold War world order was shifting to an era of détente, the US finally played the card of reducing US troops stationed in Korea. President Park Chung-hee felt a sense of crisis as national security was concerned about the unexpected change in the situation. When the United States also recommended inter-Korean dialogue to ease tensions, President Park Geun-hye took the initiative in inter-Korean dialogue by proposing to the North “an inter-Korean meeting for peaceful unification and a competition of systems in good faith” in her Liberation Day speech on August 15, 1970. North Korea’s Kim Il-sung, who was flustered by the changes in the world situation, also judged that he could turn the détente wave to his advantage and proposed to meet with anyone in the South, which led to the seedlings of the July 4th North-South Joint Statement. From the era of confrontation without dialogue to the era of confrontation with dialogue, we will look at the situation in which the South and the North met and entered into dialogue within the world situation at the time of the July 4th North-South Joint Statement. ■ Lee Hu-rak’s secret trip to Pyongyang, urgent exchanges leading up to the announcement of the July 4th North-South Joint Statement When the inter-Korean Red Cross talks to promote reunions of separated families had been at a standstill for several months due to sharp differences in positions, President Park Chung-hee made another decision. It was decided to send Lee Hu-rak, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to Pyongyang. To this end, South Korea's Hong Jin-ui secretly crossed the Military Demarcation Line to Pyongyang for the first time since the division, and North Korea's Kim Duk-hyun also came to Seoul to make preliminary preparations for the high-level inter-Korean talks. Finally, Lee Hu-rak's trip to Pyongyang took place on May 2, 1972. Lee Hu-rak met with Organization Department Director Kim Young-ju in Pyongyang, and on the last night of the three-night, four-day trip, he dramatically met with Kim Il-sung and discussed the gist of the July 4th North-South Joint Statement. The visit to Pyongyang by the head of the South Korean Intelligence Service. Lee Hu-rak prepared cyanide in preparation for a potentially dangerous secret trip to Pyongyang. Why did the South take such a risk? ■ The July 4th North-South Joint Statement is still valid The three principles of peaceful unification: independence, peace, and national unity, stated in the July 4th North-South Joint Statement. These are principles of national unification that are still valid even after 41 years. Although the inter-Korean dialogue ended after 2 years and 1 month due to the North's unilateral refusal to talk, the historical significance of the first meeting between high-ranking officials from the two Koreas and the agreement on the principles of peaceful unification cannot be faded. The 'origin' and 'archetype' of inter-Korean dialogue: independence, peace, and national unity. The dramatic 7.4 South-North Joint Statement made by the South and the North on July 4, 1972 was the first meeting between the South and the North in 4 and a half centuries since their division, and at the same time, a great step forward toward peaceful unification. ※