Committee for commemorating Kim Jong Suk's 80th anniversary formed in Bulgaria
Pyongyang, December 18 (KCNA) -- An inaugural meeting of the Bulgarian preparatory committee was held to commemorate the 80th birth anniversary of the communist revolutionary fighter Kim Jong Suk.
Georgi Stoyanov, Chairman of the Bulgaria-Korea Friendship Association, said in his speech that Kim Jong Suk was a revolutionary fighter who devoted her whole life to the liberation of Korea and the freedom and happiness of her people.
Although her life was not long, her exploits will remain forever in the hearts of the Korean people and the progressive peoples all over the world, he stressed.
The Chairman and Secretary General of the preparatory committee were elected at the meeting.
It discussed a plan for colorful events to be held from December 11 to 25.
Indian Embassy officials visit Korean Revolution Museum
Pyongyang, December 18 (KCNA) -- Indian Ambassador to Korea Jagjit Singh Sapra and embassy officials visited the Korean Revolution Museum on December 17 on the occasion of the 80th birth anniversary of the communist revolutionary fighter Kim Jong Suk.
They saw with keen interest historic mementoes and relics showing the brilliant life and enduring exploits of Kim Jong Suk, a heroine of the anti-Japanese war.
After the visit, the Indian Ambassador wrote in the visitor's book that he was very happy to know the great life and exploits of Kim Jong Suk, who devoted herself to the liberation of the country and the building of a new country.
Friendly gathering with Australian guests
Pyongyang, December 18 (KCNA) -- A friendly gathering with family members of the late Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett was held at the Pyongyang International House of Culture on December 17.
Invited were Vessa Burchett, widow of Wilfred Burchett, and his daughter.
Present there were Chon Yon Ok, Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and Chairwoman of the Korea-Australia Friendship Association, and officials concerned.
The participants recollected the deep loving care shown by President Kim Il Sung for Wilfred Burchett and his family members and said that General Kim Jong Il has taken affectionate care of them.
They saw an art performance given by school children and deepened feelings of friendship, singing together.
National meeting of activists of agricultural youth sub-workteams and workteams held
Pyongyang, December 18 (KCNA) -- A National Meeting of Activists of Agricultural Youth Sub-Workteams and Workteams was held here on December 16 and 17.
The first youth sub-workteam was formed 20 years ago with young men and women of a new generation who volunteered to work on a cooperative farm.
The meeting reviewed the achievements and experience in the movement of agricultural youth sub-workteams and workteams, a mass movement to enhance the vanguard role of the young people in socialist rural construction, and discussed the tasks to be carried out in pushing ahead with the movement with redoubled efforts.
The movement began nationwide in August Juche 66 (1997) when President Kim Il Sung extended high appreciation and thanks to the pupils of a graduate class of Sinanju Women's Senior Middle School in Anju City, South Phyongan Province, for their resolve to volunteer to work on the Sangso Cooperative Farm, organise a youth sub-workteam and take the lead in the implementation of the Workers' Party of Korea's plan of socialist rural construction.
General Kim Jong Il made sure that they who started the youth sub-workteam movement were introduced to the whole country and followed by young people throughout the country.
Following their example, a large number of young men and women have volunteered to work on agricultural front and creditably played a role of vanguard and shock brigade in doing maize, rice and tobacco farming and other most difficult and labor-consuming things for agricultural production.
The Central Committee of the WPK sent a congratulatory message to the participants in the meeting, highly praising all the members of youth sub-workteams and workteams for volunteering to work in socialist countryside and defending the rural outposts of the WPK with credit generation after generation.
First Secretary Choe Ryong Hae of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League Central Committee delivered a report at the meeting.
The reporter and speakers called for defending and maintaining the socialist ideology and principles firmly with unshakable faith in socialism of Juche and working hard in reliance upon the revolutionary spirit of soldiers and stamina of youth, true to the loyal slogan "let us become young heroes in the worthwhile struggle to exalt the Kim Jong Il era !"
Present at the meeting were Secretary Kim Jung Rin of the WPK Central Committee and Vice-Premier Jang Chol of the Administration Council.
Concrete wall, symbol of division and confrontation
Pyongyang, December 18 (KCNA) -- World publics are crying out for the demolition of the concrete wall which divides Korea into the north and south.
The peaceloving people of the world express deep concern over the fact that the U.S. and the South Korean authorities are bringing the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the extreme pitch of strain by engaging themselves in aggressive military manoeuvres at a time when the Cold War has come to an end and peace and disarmament are the trend of the time. They are calling for an early pulldown of the concrete wall which is symbolic of confrontation.
The wall stands in the area south of the Military Demarcation Line, stretching more than 240 kilometres across mountains, fields and rivers. The South Korean authorities built it for years with connivance of the U.S. The wall whose construction began in 1977 is the largest one in the world. It which was built with some 800,000 tons of cement, about 200,000 tons of steel and more than 3,500,000 cubic metres of gravel and sand is 5 to 8 metres in height, 10 to 19 metres wide in the lower part and 3 to 7 metres in the upper part.
The wall stretches across 122 villages, 8 counties, 3 railways, 4 big rivers, some 220 roads, big and small.
With a view to keeping one country, one land and one nation divided into two parts, the South Korean regime built the wall, added to the MDL. Their thrice-cursed treachery is irrevocable.
The MDL and wall divided into two the people of the same blood which had lived in harmony on the same land for thousands of years. The separated people are suffering from it, not knowing each other's living and death.
With the 21st century drawing nearer, all the Koreans in the north, south and abroad work hard for the reunification of the divided country with a single heart to pull down the crime-woven wall, a source of territorial and national division, at an early date and realise the cherished desire of the nation.
Anti-DPRK, anti-socialist campaign proves unsuccessful
Pyongyang, December 18 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today runs a signed article on the unsuccessful anti-DPRK, anti-socialist campaign of the imperialists who are trying to stifle socialism of Korea.
The Korean people are convinced that no force on earth can stifle socialism of Korea and their conviction has been renewed in the fierce confrontation with the imperialists, the article says, and goes on:
The imperialists considered that without stifling socialism of Korea they cannot build a western-style world nor can they see a world with a single pole.
They have left no stone unturned to stifle Korean-style socialism.
They mounted a three-dimensional campaign against the DPRK and socialism.
The plotters of the imperialist allied forces raised nuclear, missile, human rights and other issues groundlessly, considering that they can be used for intervening in the internal affairs of the DPRK and socialism and slandering them.
Their foolish act failed to isolate the DPRK politically and in the international arena, to tarnish the image of the Korean-style socialism and to weaken its influence upon the world.
The international prestige and authority of the DPRK have been raised further and the justness and vitality of the Korean-style socialism have been demonstrated to the full.
The imperialists consider it as their main method in pursuance of anti-DPRK, anti-socialist strategy to stifle the DPRK and socialism by force of arms.
The U.S. has shipped many sophisticated lethal weapons into South Korea for aggression on the northern half of Korea.
The enemies do not dare unleash a war of aggression, though.
The Korean people never yield to any military threat by the enemies.
They have invincible revolutionary armed forces.
The imperialists are employing a mean technique to kill the Korean people through economic blockade.
Their economic blockade does not work on the Korean people at all.
The Korean people are still alive and accelerate economic construction full of vigor.
The imperialists' ideological and cultural poisoning for disorganising the socialist system from within does not work on the DPRK either.
Never can there be the slightest ideological wavering among the people in the northern half of Korea. This is the will of the Korean people ideologically prepared to cope with the ideological and cultural poisoning.