PYONGYANG, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday called for a "patriotic drive" to implement a peace and development declaration jointly issued by the DPRK and South Korea last year.

The Oct. 4 declaration, signed by top DPRK leader Kim Jong-il and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, is a solemn declaration heralding a new era of independent reunification and peace and prosperity between the DPRK and South Korea, Rodong Sinmun, a leading official newspaper, said.

The declaration "clarifies tasks and ways for solving all problems for developing inter-Korean relations, securing durable peace and achieving common prosperity of the nation," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted the article as saying.

All compatriots from the DPRK and South Korea "should join the patriotic drive to implement the October 4 declaration," it added.

"Anyone who loves the country and the nation and wants national reunification should support and defend the October 4 declaration and strive to implement it," it said.

Under the Oct. 4 declaration, the DPRK and South Korea promise to work together to establish a permanent peace mechanism to replace the current truce status on the peninsula and achieve common prosperity through expanding economic cooperation.