Badge of honour to comrade Kim Jong Il from Russia

Pyongyang, January 17 (KCNA) -- The great leader comrade Kim Jong Il was presented with a badge of honour by the Russian academy of natural sciences on his 55th birthday. A meeting for conveying the badge and its certificate was held in Moscow on January 15. The academy's president, oleg kuznetsov, asked the DPRK ambassador to Russia to convey a congratulatory letter, a badge of honour of the academy and its certificate to comrade Kim Jong Il. The oval badge has a laurel, symbolic of victory and glory, inscribed on the left margin and an oak branch, symbolic of strength and resolution, on the right margin. On the upper part of the badge is a ribbon wrapping the laurel and oak branch, which bears letters "in praise of merits". The badge is made of gold and silver. Seen on the first page of the certificate are golden letters "academy of natural sciences of the Russian federation. Feb. 16, 1997." the certificate also carries letters reading: "the standing committee of the academy of natural sciences awards a badge of honour of the academy to comrade Kim Jong Il, leader of the democratic people's republic of Korea, 'in praise of feats he has performed for science and economic development,' according to the jan. 6, 1997 decision no. 94. Registration no. 005." the academy's president said the presentation of the badge of honour and certificate, the highest commendation of his academy, represents the Russian scientists' boundless respect for him and their confidence in the cause he is leading.


Strike continues in S. Korea

Pyongyang, January 17 (KCNA) -- More than 15,000 unionists of the "Korean confederation of trade unions" in ulsan, most of them being under the influence of the federation of trade unions for hyundai group subsidiaries, held a rally to win a victory in the third-stage general strike for repeal of the recently-revised "labor laws" and the "law on the agency for national security planning" on January 15, a radio report from seoul said. The "Korean confederatioin of trade unions" said that some 350,000 workers of more than 380 trade unions will go on a strike on jan. 16 in denunciation of the retrogressive revision of the laws by the traitorous Kim Young Sam clique. That day upwards of 15,000 unionists of the ulsan headquarters of the "Korean confederation of trade unions", including those of the federation of trade unions for hyundai group subsidiaries held a rally for the nullification of the revised "labor laws." more than 2,000 unionists of the "federation of press unions" held a rally in seoul and marched through streets together with the unionists of the hankuk ilbo and 19 other newspaper offices throughout south Korea and the unionists of the yonhap news agency launched a strike for a limited time. On the 15th of January, about 550 lawyers throughout south Korea in a statement branded the secretive passage of the "labor laws" and the "law on the ansp" as an outrage never witnessed in the history of "constitutional government" and called for the complete nullification of them. On January 16, some 120 professors of seoul national university called a press conference and released a statement on the situation for repeal of the "ansp law" and "labor laws" recently revised against democracy. In another development, the south Korean opposition "national congress for new politics" and the "united liberal democrats" held a joint struggle committee meeting on January 15 and declared that they would wage a more powerful struggle if the "government power" is used for the repression of the strikers.


Head of ILO warns S. Korean authority

Pyongyang, January 17 (KCNA) -- The head of the international labor organisation appealed to the south Korean "government" Wednesday to respect unions' right of association, according to a foreign news report. He told reporters that he sent a letter to the traitor Kim Young Sam urging him to respect the labor standards south Korea accepted on joining the ilo in 1991. The head of the ilo said that if the situation is not resolved before the next scheduled meeting of the ilo committee on the freedom of association in march, the issue would be dealt with by the organization's governing body then.


Press Review

Pyongyang, January 17 (KCNA) -- Rodong sinmun today highlights a report that the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il sent thanks to officials and working people for doing good for society and the Collective. It is reported in the paper that comrade Kim Jong Il was presented with a badge of honour from the Russian academy of natural sciences on the occasion of his 55th birthday. It carries an article on the great leader president Kim Il Sung's idea of attaching importance to Young people and the achievements made under his leadership on the 51st anniversary of the democratic youth league founded by him. Papers frontpage a report that over 350,000 workers of 380 odd trade unions joined the strike against the traitorous Kim Young Sam clique's revision of the "laws" on thursday in south Korea. Papers inform the readers that mass media of many countries give wide publicity to the south Korean workers' struggle. Rodong sinmun introduces efforts for innovation in education this year marking the 20th anniversary of the publication of the theses on socialist education. The paper gives accounts of the farming preparations for this year. Papers, in commentaries, denounce the repressive campaign of the Kim Young Sam group to destroy the strike of the south Korean workers. Rodong sinmun carries an article stressing that the revised "labour laws" are fascist laws to kill the south Korean workers. Minju joson prints an article titled "the three charters of the country's reunification are important guidelines all the nation should defend and maintain". Rodong sinmun runs an article titled "the U.S.-Japan military alliance bringing dangerous cloud".


Fascist murderer hell-bent on suppression of strikers

Pyongyang, January 17 (KCNA) -- The Kim Young Sam fascist clique held a "meeting of ministers of home affairs, justice, trade and industry and three other labor-related ministers" on January 15 and decided to adopt a strong countermeasure" involving all means, describing the general strike of the workers as "illegal". Papers here today comment on this. A news analyst of Rodong sinmun says: by brutally suppressing the peaceful strikers and even labor union leaders from abroad the Kim Young Sam group reveal their true Colors as a herd of wolves thirsty for blood. A few days ago the traitor Kim Young Sam said that he would take a "special step" as soon as possible for the removal of the working people's worries and uneasiness and for the improvement of their living conditions. But behind the scene the fascist clique hatched a plot and gave instructions to suppress the strikers. His act shows that his utterances are a trick to appease the angry people and that he has no intention to meet the workers' demands. His suppression of the members of international labor union organisations betrays his true Colors as an international fascist gangster. Sabre-rattling suppression is not almighty. It will only give rise to stronger protests. Minju joson says that the fascist clique's brutal suppression will only invite stronger protests of the workers and people of other social standings and precipitate their self-destruction.


Services held to commemorate day of buddha's attainment of great wisdom

Pyongyang, January 17 (KCNA) -- Services were held at the temples throughout the northern half of Korea on January 16 to commemorate the day of buddha's attainment of great wisdom. Present there were clergymen of the central committee, provincial, city and county committees of the Korean buddhist federation, resident priests of temples, priests and laymen. The speakers expressed their firm pledge to conduct various brisk activities for the greater prosperity of the country and the motherland and thus discharge the mission and duty befitting a buddhist. They referred to the danger of the reckless act of the south Korean authorities who are hell-bent on the dependence on outsiders, flunkeyist treacheries and new war preparations, obsessed by the illusion of "unification through northward invasion", and expressed their willingness to conduct powerful activities to smash the reckless moves of the separatist warmaniacs, achieve national independence, safeguard peace and create favorable climate for the independent and peaceful reunification of the country. They called upon all the buddhists in the north, south and abroad to make tangible contributions in hearty response to the 10-point programme of the great unity of the whole nation under the banner of national independence and peaceful reunification, with the firm faith that the day of national reunification is sure to come as they are led by the great leader of the nation general Kim Jong Il.


Very reasonable and realistic reunification formula

Pyongyang, January 17 (KCNA) -- The workers' party of Korea and the DPRK government declared once again that there is no change in the position this year, too, to reunify the country by means of confederacy with the three principles as the guideline. It is because the confederacy formula is the way of achieving national reunification with confidence at the earliest date under the situation in which two different ideologies and systems exist in the north and the south of Korea. The great leader president Kim Il Sung, in his historic report at the sixth congress of the WPK in October 1980, advanced the proposal for founding the democratic confederal republic of koryo as a reunification formula based on confederacy. This reunification formula is to reunify the country by means of founding a pan-national unified state representing all parties, all groups and all the members of the nation from all walks of life, while leaving the two systems and two governments existing in the north and south as they are, a confederal state in which the two regional governments of the north and the south are represented on an equal footing. Comprehensively expounded in the proposal are all the problems arising in founding and running the unified state such as the principles and way for the formation of the confederal state, its character and function, duties of a unified government and regional governments and their correlation and policy of the confederal state. Now that two different systems and two governments have existed in the north and the south and either of them refuses to concede its own, it conforms to the present reality to achieve reunification by means of confederacy. The way for the people in the north and the south to reunify the country at the earliest date by reconciling and uniting themselves as the same nation is only the confederacy formula based on one nation, one state, two systems and two governments.


Execution of fascist laws cannot be tolerated

Pyongyang, January 17 (KCNA) -- Ri Hong Gu, "Chairman of the new Korea party" in South Korea, called a press conference on jan. 16, at which he let loose a string of shameless remarks that the revision of the "labour laws" was an inevitable choice for economic restoration and a new leap" and the government has no intention to remake the "labour laws" at the present juncture, a seoul-based radio report said. On January 15, the puppet minister of labour, jin yom, said over television and radio that "it is not proper to remake the revised labour laws before their execution". Thus the Kim Young Sam group undisguisedly revealed their intention to legalize and execute the anti-social, fascist labour laws at any cost. If the revised "labour laws" are executed, the south Korean workers' elementary democratic freedom and rights will be totally violated and they will be forced into hardships and a subhuman life. So, the workers and other people in south Korea are valiantly struggling to push through their demands in defiance of the sword-brandishing by the fascist clique. The south Korean economy is saddled with foreign debts of more than 100 billion dollars and its foreign trade deficit ran into a record high of above 23 billion dollars last year. This is because the traitor Kim Young Sam has pursued a flunkeyist and anti-social economic policy after he took office. After his assumption of office he opened the rice market, though any preceding dictator dared not do it. He led the whole of the south Korean economy to catastrophe. The Kim Young Sam group are describing the revised "labour laws" as ones for "economic restoration" and a "new leap". This only brings their anti-social Colors. History shows that those resorting to the fascist laws can never remain long. The Kim Young Sam group will be overthrown by the massive struggle of the people.


Korean-Russians support S. Korean strikers

Moscow, January 17 (KCNA) -- Chairman of the Russian united confederation of Koreans Ri tong Chol and chairman of the Moscow united confederation of Koreans ro Yong jin released a joint statement on January 14 supporting the escalating massive protests in south Korea against the amended "laws on labor affairs and the agency for national security planning". The statement said the amendments fully betrayed the political baseness and inhumanity of the traitor Kim Young sam, who ignors any formalities, with no sense of morality and honor, trying to prop up his regime and seeking his own interests. He must promptly repeal the evil laws and accede to the strikers' just demand, instead of trying to assuage their deep-rooted discontent and wrath, it urged. It expressed the belief that the south Korean people will continue their struggle in close unity, undaunted by any suppression and appeasement, so as to have their just demand met without fail.



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