Party for Korean schoolchildren from Japan

Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- A party arranged by the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il for the art group of Korean schoolchildren in Japan was held at the Mansudae Art Theatre on Monday evening. Attending the party were Kim Su Jin, director of the education department of the central standing committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon), and members of the art group of Korean schoolchildren in Japan led by Kim Sun Chol, a section chief of the central standing committee of Chongryon, staying in the socialist fatherland. Kim Su Ik, general director of the general bureau of reception for overseas compatriots, Kim Song Chol, secretary of the central committee of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, and other officials concerned were also present. Speeches were made at the party.

Rodong Sinmun blames Kim Young Sam group for increased tension in Korea

Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today comments on the South Korean puppets' shameless allegation that the north's "military threat" has increased tension in the Korean peninsula. The traitor Kim Young Sam of South Korea recently invited the U.S. ambassador, the commander of the U.S.-South Korea combined forces and other americans in South Korea to "Chongwadae" and discussed the north's "possible provocation". Though the South Korean puppets have clamoured about the "threat from the north" for several dozen years, it has never existed, the daily says, and continues: The Kim Young Sam group of warmongers, who have sought confrontation and war against the north in league with aggressive outsiders, are the very one that heightened tension in the Korean peninsula and brought inter-Korean relations to the worst phase. Kim Young Sam said, "The problem between the north and the south can be resolved only by military strength." worse still, he has encouraged the South Koreans to regard the compatriots in the north as "enemy", not as fellow countrymen. The puppets have expanded confrontation with the north outside South Korea. They even officially announced that they would totally sever inter-Korean ties. All the facts indicate that their call for "Improvement of inter-Korean relations", "dialogue" and "peaceful unification" is nothing but a trick to camouflage their bellicose nature as traitors and separatists. With no trick, however, can they flee from the responsibility for the situation of the peninsula, which has been driven to the brink of war.

Powder-reeking behaviour of warmaniacs

Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- The South Korean puppets are driving the situation of the Korean peninsula to a phase of acute confrontation and war from the beginning of the new year. This was illustrated by the January 4 call of the puppet defence minister Kim Tong Jin and other military brasshats at a frontline unit in the central sector of the front to "Examine" the "Winter-time operational preparedness". Earlier, the South Korean puppets carried out a large- scale war rehearsal on the plea of coping with "North's infiltration" and "Provocation". These are very ill-boding military moves. Underlying the moves is a dangerous intrigue to find a way out of the deep-going political crisis in war provocation. The "Civilian government", now in its last year in office, has been isolated and rejected at home and abroad for its moves for confrontation and war and treacheries last year and has now sunk into a hopeless position. To cap it all, the people's struggle against the amendments to the "labour laws" and the "law on the agency for national security planning", which were rammed by the kim Young Sam group through the puppet "National assembly" at the end of last year, has gained in scope this year, sweeping Seoul, Kwangju, Inchon and other areas and driven the "civilian government" to a tight corner. In a bid to dampen the people's struggle against him, the traitor Kim Young Sam in his "nNew year address" called for "Labour-management harmony and compromise" and the "North- south reconciliation and cooperation", but it was a trick to save the ruling crisis and prop up power. As his crafty trick did not work on the people, the traitor Kim Young Sam unprecedentedly manipulated the military brasshats to call at a frontline unit to "Examine" "operational preparedness" and raise outcries over "provocation" and "Infiltration" from the north. But, with such a clumsy drama, can the Kim Young Sam group never conceal their seamy side. The "civilian"-veiled warhawks, while advocating the "Inter-Korean closed-door policy", are trying to find their way out of "Government" crisis in provoking a new war. But, it is a foolish attempt. Now the people and the people's army in the northern half of Korea are sharpening revolutionary vigilance against the puppets' war moves. If the south Korean warmaniacs, bereft of reason, unleash a new war, we will annihilate them at a stroke.

Public security men vow fulfilment of New Year'stasks

Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- Public security men met on monday vowing to effect a fresh upswing in public security and people's security forces duties by carrying out the tasks outlined in the new year joint editorial of the newspapers Rodong Sinmun, Joson Inmingun and Chongnyon Jonwi. At the meeting all the public security men and people's security forces soldiers were urged to make a breakthrough in the march under the slogan "Let us all become victors in this year's 'arduous march' " and take part in the final campaign to finish the "arduous march" victoriously, thus winning a new victory. They were encouraged to devotedly defend the respected general Kim Jong Il, supreme commander, and reliably safeguard the Korean people's singlehearted unity. They were also urged to keep a regular order available in society and further increase the units' combat capabilities.

International Kothongryon issues bulletin

Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- The International United Confederation of Koreans (International Kothongryon) issued the fourth edition of the bulletin "Reunification". Under the title "Great principle for method of national reunification", the bulletin carried the part of national reunification in the New Year Address delivered by the great leader president Kim Il Sung on Jan. 1, 1991. It gave an account of the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il's on-site guidance to the work for building up mt. Chilbo as a pleasure ground for the people on Nov. 2, 1996. The bulletin also printed an article and a song on comrade Kim Jong Suk, an indomitable communist revolutionary fighter.

Lecture on 41st Sudanese Independence Day

Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- A lecture to mark the 41st independence day of the sudan was held here Monday. The lecture was attended by the vice-chairman of the Korea-sudan friendship association, Ri Song Ho, who is also vice-chairman of the committee for cultural relations with foreign countries, members of the association and Pyongyangites. The vice-chairman gave a lecture on the subject "The sudan today".

S. Koreans revere Secy. Kim Jong Il

Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- The Sun Society in South Korea met on the evening of Dec. 30, 1996 to wish the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il good health and a long life and adopt a congratulatory message on the new year, according to the Seoul-based radio voice of national salvation quoting information from the seoul city committee of the national democratic front of South Korea. The message includes an article expressing reverence for general Kim Jong Il under the headlines of "A happy New Year 1997" and "We wish general Kim Jong Il, the destiny of our nation, good health and a long life." The information said that similar meetings were held at some 20 ideology study circles in the city, including the Feb. 16 fellowship society, the saeppyol comrades-in-arms society and the independence society.

S. Korean workers' struggle favored

Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- Workers of the Pyongyang Coal Mining Machine Factory met on January 6 to denounce the kim Young Sam fascist clique for their criminal revision of the "labor laws" and the "law on the agency for national security planning". At the meeting the speakers said that the massive resistance of the South Korean workers and people of other social standings is a patriotic struggle for the abolition of the separatist and fascist laws and the realisation of national reunification through national reconciliation and unity and, at the same time, a righteous and just struggle to get rid of the chains of oppression and achieve true democracy and right to existence. Their death-defying resistance calling for the overthrow of Kim Young Sam is the eruption of wraths and resentment against the puppet who is notorious for treacheries and anti- social crimes never witnessed before, they said, and expressed compatriotic support for them in their struggle.

Floral baskets laid before portraits of Pres. Kim Il Sung and Secy. Kim Jong Il

Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- Peter Persaud, leader of the Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana, and Fred Fredericks, chairman of the United Force of Guyana, respectively visited the DPRK embassy in Georgetown on Dec. 31, 1996 and Jan. 1, 1997 and presented floral baskets before portraits of the great leaders President Kim Il Sung and comrade Kim Jong Il on the New Year. They sincerely wished comrade Kim Jong Il good health and a long life. Terence A. Marryshow, political leader of the Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement of Grenada, and S. Aman, general secretary of the United National Congress of Trinidad and Tobago, visited the embassy on Jan. 1 and presented floral baskets before portraits of president Kim Il Sung and comrade Kim Jong Il.

Overseas Koreans' orgs vow to launch vigorous struggle for national reunification

Moscow, January 5 (KCNA) -- A meeting was co-sponsored in Moscow on new year's day by the united confederation of Koreans in Russia, the united confederation of Koreans in Moscow and the Korean veterans committee in Moscow. The participants laid floral baskets and bunches of flowers before a full-length figure portrait of the great leader president Kim Il Sung and prayed for his eternal life. The speakers said at the meeting that, since they have the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il, the people in the homeland would, in the new year, too, dynamically advance in the spirit of the "Arduous march" and the revolutionary spirit of soldiers and open up a bright vista for the homeland's prosperity. They expressed firm determination to vigorously launch the struggle for realizing national reunification by means of confederation based on the principle of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity, which was put forward by president Kim Il Sung.

South Korea: 200,000 workers go on strike

Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- South Korea's "Confederation of Trade Unions", known as Minju Rochong, held a rally against the amended "laws on labor affairs and the agency for national security planning" in Seoul on monday with unionists under its umbrella, citizens and students, more than 9,000 in all, present, a seoul-based radio reported. A resolution adopted at the rally warned that if the traitor Kim Young Sam does not repeal the "labor law" at a "New year press conference" slated today, trade unions of the public sector would join strikes. Minju rochong announced that some 200,000 workers of about 170 unions went on the second stage of general strikes as of January 6. At a press conference Minju Rochong vowed that if the "Labor law" was not abolished, it would expand the general strikes into an all-people resistance for the disorganization of the "New Korea Party". Meanwhile, another labor group, "Federation of Korean Trade Unions", held rallies in Seoul, Pusan, Taejon, Inchon and three other major areas of South Korea on sunday to have the "labor law" nullified, and the all-people measure committee for democracy also had a rally in seoul against the amended "laws". A foreign media report from seoul said South Korea's major auto makers -- Hyundai, Kia, Daewoo, Ssangryong and Asia -- and Hyundai ship factories have still been idled by strikes.