Letter relay continues
Pyongyang, January 30 (KCNA) -- Groups for the relay of letters pledging loyalty to the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il started towards Pyongyang from different parts of the country to celebrate his 55th birthday.
Meetings were held at Panmunjom and on Mt. Janam in Kaesong on January 27 and 28 to see off relay groups representing the public security workers and Kaesong people.
The meetings adopted letters carrying the firm pledge of the public security workers and Kaesong people to remain loyal to comrade Kim Jong Il forever and accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche.
The Ryanggang provincial people's relay group, which had started from the secret camp on Mt. Paektu, handed their letter to the Jagang provincial people's relay group, and the north Hamgyong provincial group, which started from Hoeryong, to the south Hamgyong, Kangwon and north Hwanghae provincial groups.
Those who took over the letters are on their way to Pyongyang.
S. Korean workers' struggle favored worldwide
Pyongyang, January 30 (KCNA) -- The polish league of communists "proletariat" central committee in a statement dated January 24 said that the massive struggle of south Korean trade unions and people for nullification of the evil laws is the eruption of wraths against the present "government," which denies them political rights and subjects them to toilsome work, and a just one for existence and democracy.
The "labor laws" and "law on the agency for national security planning" revised by the south Korean authorities in a retrogressive way, it noted, are anti-national and anti-democratic ones violating democratic freedom and rights of the people. it expressed support and solidarity for the just struggle of south Korean trade unions and people of all walks of life.
The democratic youth league of Ghana and the General Workers' Union of Guyana in statements expressed full support for and firm solidarity with all trade unions of south Korea, including the "Korean Confederation of Trade Unions", in their just struggle for an immediate repeal of the revised "labor laws" and for rights of the workers.
13 members of the British parliament, including Tony Ben and Kean Ribinstown, made public a signed document titled "on rights of trade unions in south Korea" denouncing the south Korean authorities' brutal suppression and supporting the struggle of the workers.
It was distributed as a document of the British parliament.
Secretary Kim Jong Il sends greetings to foreign state leaders
Pyongyang, January 30 (KCNA) -- Secretary Kim Jong Il sent telegrams to foreign state leaders on the New Year 1997.
Among them were Amir of State of Kuwait Jaber al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, king of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej, president and head of state of Mali Alpha Oumar Konare, president of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania Maaouiya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya, president of the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic and secretary general of the Polisario Front Mohamed Abdelaziz, president of the Republic of Sudan Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, president of the Republic of Seychelles France Albert Rene, president of Cote D'ivoire Henri Konan Bedie, president of the Republic of the Congo Pascal Iissouba, president of the Arab Republic of Egypt Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, prime minister of Barbados Owen Arthur, prime minister of Belize Manuel Esquivel and prime minister of Saint Lucia Vaughan Rewis.
Secretary Kim Jong Il also sent a telegram to chairperson of the Pakistan People's Party Benazir Bhutto.
He sent warm congratulations to the state and party leaders and, through them, to the peoples of their countries on the New Year.
Expressing the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between Korea and the countries would further strengthen and develop in the New Year, he wished them greater success in their work for the prosperity of the country.
Secretary Kim Jong Il sent new year's cards to head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Nigeria Sani Abacha, president of the Kazakh Republic Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev and president of the Tajik Republic Emomali Rakhmonov.
Anniversary of DPRK-Moldova ties
Pyongyang, January 30 (KCNA) -- Minju Joson today observes the 5th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Moldova (Jan. 30, 1992).
The paper says in a by-lined article that the ties between the DPRK and Moldova have been boosted in the interest of the two peoples and in accordance with their common desire for independence, friendship and peace since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Moldova enhances cooperation with its neighbours and other friendly countries in accordance with its neutral position in foreign relations, the paper says, and adds the Korean people believe that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries will continue to develop on good terms.
Paper on "suffrage" campaign in Japan
Pyongyang, January 30 (KCNA) -- Some dishonest elements of the south Korean residents' association in Japan are conducting a "suffrage" campaign to naturalize the Koreans in Japan and assimilate them to the Japanese and violate and obliterate the democratic national rights of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) and Koreans in Japan on the instructions and with the backing of the traitor Kim Young Sam.
Denouncing this, Rodong Sinmun in a signed article today says: their "suffrage" farce is an extremely grave anti-national crime to totally deprive the Koreans in Japan of the national soul and make them victims of Japanese politics.
It will entail very grave consequences to the work and life of Chongryon and Koreans in Japan. The "suffrage" farce of the south Korean puppets and the Japanese reactionaries is aimed at making the Koreans in Japan Japanese citizens by naturalizing and assimilating them.
The "suffrage" farce is also aimed at destroying Chongryon and creating grave obstacles in the way of realizing the democratic national rights of Korean citizens in Japan.
If the Koreans in Japan are put in the position of an ethnic minority with Japanese nationality, Chongryon, which is the mouthpiece and protector of their rights and interests, will lose the legal position as the overseas citizens' organisation, and the Koreans in Japan will fall political victims to Japanese laws.
The "suffrage" farce is also a grave act to totally destroy the unity of Koreans in Japan by inveigling them into Japanese politics.
It is aimed at laying obstacles to the political and legal protection and support of the DPRK for the Koreans in Japan.
The Japanese reactionaries and the south Korean puppet clique must give up the anachronistic and anti-national "suffrage" farce at once and take hands off the provocative moves to stifle the DPRK and Chongryon.
Spokesman of DPRK Foreign Ministry on German-Czech declaration
Pyongyang, January 30 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea answered a question put by KCNA on January 30 as regards the recent adoption of a German-Czech declaration on reconciliation, which will enable Germany to completely liquidate the past concerning the second world war.
He told KCNA:
As was already reported, the German-Czech declaration on reconciliation came after bilateral negotiations on Germany's postwar compensation held in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, on January 21.
The declaration gives Germany, which has stepped up postwar compensation to the former soviet union and other East European countries, a chance to fully atone for its past before all countries.
The DPRK and many other countries the world over hail the declaration.
The declaration is the manifestation of Germany's will not to beqeath to next century the issue of atoning for the crimes it committed in the present century= it will make contributions to opening a new phase in developing good neighbour relations among all European countries on the basis of reconciliation and cooperation.
Germany's position and attitude toward its past wartime crimes against humankind make us recall Japan, whose behaviour is quite contrary.
Only the authorities of Japan are still refusing to admit and compensate for its past crimes but justifying them in every way.
That is why the Korean people and the peace loving people in Asia and the rest of the world are shocked at Japan's moral vulgarity and are watching with deep apprehension and sharpened vigilance the movements of Japan, which is seeking to become a political power.
If Japan tries to cover up its past crimes with empty talk and to repeat them as now, it will never get a permanent seat of the U.N. Security Council, still less trust from the world community, but will face isolation.
Japan must take a sincere approach to postwar settlement in no time as Germany did, so that the atonement for its past crimes against humankind may not be postponed into next century. This will be good for Japan itself.
5th anniversary of opening of DPRK-Azerbaijan diplomatic ties marked
Pyongyang, January 30 (KCNA) -- Minju Joson today observes the 5th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Azerbaijan (January 30, 1992).
A signed article of the paper says that since the establishment of the diplomatic relations the people of the two countries have developed friendly and cooperative relations on good terms.
The Republic of Azerbaijan, which joined the United Nations in march 1992, has developed friendly and cooperative relations with other nations of the commonwealth of independent states and other countries.
The Korean people believe that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries will further develop in accordance with their interests and common desire, the paper notes.