Message of thanks to G.S. Kim Jong Il from Chongryon CSC
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a message of thanks from the Central Standing Committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) on January 6 for the remittance of educational aid fund and stipends.
The message says Chongryon received 129,400,000 Japanese yen of educational aid fund and stipends he sent again for its democratic national education.
Late President and the General Kim Jong Il sent a total of 43,419,283,000 yen of educational aid fund and stipends in 139 instalments for the children of Koreans in Japan, it says.
It expresses a firm determination to build Chongryon into patriotic ranks loyal to the respected marshal and further strengthen and develop the movement of Koreans in Japan into a truly patriotic movement which serves the Juche cause in the hopeful New Year.
It also expresses an unshakable resolve to further strengthen education in the greatness and benevolence of the General among the new generation and decisively improve the quality of school education in hearty response to the theses on education elucidated by the late President and the highly important teachings of the General on national education so as to train the new generation into successors to the Juche cause who remain unfailingly loyal to General Kim Jong Il.
Rodong Sinmun calls for pushing ahead with forced march for final victory
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- "Let us push ahead with the forced march for the final victory !." is a slogan under which the Workers' Party and people of Korea should struggle and advance this year, says Rodong Sinmun in an editorial today.
The editorial says:
The basic spirit of the Joint New Year Editorial is that the whole party, the whole army and the entire people should continuously push ahead with the forced march for the final victory in the same indomitable revolutionary spirit and stamina as was displayed in the "arduous march."
The forced march for this year is a struggle to give a lift to our independent national economy with the heavy industry as its core with concerted efforts by boldly tiding over the present-day difficulties.
Conditions are difficult and assignments are vast.
However, we cannot abandon ourselves nor shrink back.
We should frustrate the imperialist moves to isolate and stifle us and should overcome the economic difficulties through the forced march. The forced march of socialism is the only way out for us and a road to victory in socialism.
This is a historic struggle to realise the ideas and politics of the General Kim Jong Il.
He is a great statesman and iron-willed brilliant commander who is leading the new era of the Juche revolution with extraordinary strategy, matchless grit and outstanding leadership art. When his ideas and politics are thoroughly put into effect, there will be no fortress we cannot occupy.
The forced march is a worthwhile struggle to make a new upsurge in the socialist economic construction. It is aimed at decisively solving economic problems and improving the living standard of the people. Only when our strong political and military force is combined with a solid economic foundation can we pull through any difficulties and consolidate the bulwark of socialism as firm as a rock.
Our forced march of socialism must be oriented toward adorning this year marking the 50th founding anniversary of the DPRK with great revolutionary upsurges in the socialist economic construction.
It is a proud tradition of our revolution to overcome severe situations with forced marches and emerge victorious.
The slogan "Let us push ahead with the forced march for the final victory !." represents the strong spirit of the revolutionary forerunners who always won victories and also reflects the stamina of the revolutionary Korean people.
The arduous march in the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle led to the liberation of the country and the post-war grand Chollima March built up a powerful state independent, self-sustaining and self-reliant in defence.
The present forced march will bring an eternal prosperity in the new era of the Juche revolution.
Socialism and the final victory are ours.
Repatriation of pows to DPRK urged
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- Prisoners of war of the DPRK origin have not yet been allowed to come back from South Korea to their hometowns, but put under harsher political persecution.
In this connection, Ri Song Ho, Acting Chairman of the C.C., the DPRK Red Cross Society, sent a letter over radio to President Jong Won Sik of the South Korean Red Cross on Wednesday.
Pows Kim In So, Kim Yong Thae and Ham Se Hwan are now in need of urgent medical treatment.
In the letter Ri Song Ho expressed deep concern over the fact that the South Korean Red Cross has remained a passive onlooker to the authorities' human rights violations against those unconverted long-term prisoners.
The letter said:
It is only in South Korea that those who were taken prisoner in war nearly half a century ago are still suffering mentally and physically when human rights are accounted much of.
Your side should no longer ignore this reality, but take a responsible step for their repatriation.
I strongly urge your organization to sincerely discharge its red cross mission and send back those prisoners on sickbed to their hometowns at an early date.
S. Korean mountebanks' anti-people behavior
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today comments on the unjustifiable agreement of the "National Congress for New Politics", the "United Liberal Democrats" and the "Grand National Party" of South Korea to push ahead with legislation concerning the system of allowing companies to lay off workers and other things demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The daily says:
The system makes it possible for employers to lay off workers anytime without restriction to gain more profits.
A large number of businesses have gone bankrupt en masse in South Korea due to the economic failure caused by the serious financial crisis. At this time, however, the three parties have agreed to go ahead with the introduction of the reactionary system, clean indifferent to the interests of the workers.
Their attempt to solve the economic problem at the sacrifice of workers is an unreasonable, anti-people behavior.
The three-party agreement is aimed at encouraging the Kim Young Sam regime in its waning days to fully implement the demand of the IMF, thus getting a larger amount of money from it.
Meetings held to carry through New Year's tasks
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- North Hwanghae, South Hamgyong and Kangwon provincial people held meetings on January 7 to vow to carry through the tasks set forth in the Joint New Year Editorial of the newspapers of the Workers' Party of Korea and the Korean People's Army.
It was stressed at the meetings that all the party members and other working people should firmly build up the political, economic and military fortress of the Korean-style socialism and vigorously make the forced march for winning the final victory under the leadership of the great party.
The meetings called for overcoming all trials in the indomitable revolutionary fighting spirit displayed in the course of the "arduous march" and for effecting a new upsurge by holding fast to the principal line of the WPK in the socialist economic construction.
The meetings called upon all the party members and working people to devotedly defend General Kim Jong Il in the spirit of defending the leader at the risk of life and in the spirit of human bombs.
S. Korea, "most indebted nation"
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- The Bank for International Settlements announced that South Korea has become "most indebted nation," according to a radio report from Seoul.
The bank said that South Korea is in debts to banks of 14 countries to the extent of dlrs 103.4 billion and especially Japanese banks sustain the credit of dlrs 23.7 billion of it.
South Korea should pay off its debt of dlrs 70.2 billion to foreign banks by the end of June this year.
NDFSK calls for new epochal phase of independence,democracy and reunification
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) in a letter issued on the New Year Juche 87 (1998) called upon all the people to open a new epochal phase of independence, democracy and reunification full of confidence in certain victory and optimisim in the New Year, Seoul-based radio Voice of National Salvation said.
The letter describes last year as a year of struggle and advance that the national democratic forces of South Korea energetically led the struggle against the colonial "civilian"-veiled dictatorial forces, driving the Kim Young Sam "regime" into a pitfall of ruin.
Independence, democracy and reunification, it notes, still remain the three major objectives and cardinal tasks for shaping the destinies of the South Koreans.
It says a halt to the U.S. domination over and interference in the internal affairs of South Korea, its colony, and the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from the region should be put to the fore in the anti-U.S. struggle for independence this year, and the spear of all the struggles should be directed to this.
It says the anti-fascist struggle for democracy should be focused on the abolition of the "National Security Law," the dismantling of the "Agency for National Security Planning," the release of prisoners of conscience and the liquidation of the "civilian"-veiled regime's scandals.
In the movement for national reunification this year the principle of national independence should be maintained, anti-communist, anti-north manoeuvrings of splittists be smashed and the struggle for achieving the independent reunification with great national unity should be invigorated on a nationwide scale, it says.
All the patriotic national democratic forces should cherish the faith in sure realisation of independence, democracy and reunification, follow the Juche idea, awaken broad segments of people to the greatness of the General Kim Jong Il, defeat the opportunist "theory of movement reform" with the Juche-based theory of change, while steadily expanding the fighting ranks, it adds.
Working people in response to Joint New Year Editorial
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- The working people across the country are turning out as one in response to the Joint Editorial of the New Year Juche 87 (1998).
The coal industry sector is concentrating big efforts on building up the Anju and Tokchon area coal complexes and the February 8 Jiktong Youth Coal Mine better to increase production. It is also pushing ahead with the work of expanding the production capacity of the Mujindae youth, Namyang and other coal mines and developing new pits and coal mines.
The workers of the metal industry sector including the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex and the Chollima Steel Complex are in high spirits from the beginning of the year with the mind to guarantee this year's achievements in economic construction with increased production of iron and steel.
Particularly, the Sunchon Area Coal Complex, which produced over one million more tons of coal last year than the previous year, has increased the capacity of cutting faces 25 percent higher than at the end of last year to increase the coal output by more than one million tons with the existing equipment, materials and manpower.
The Pukchang and Pyongyang thermal power complexes are attaining a high and steady rate of production, full of conviction and optimism.
The agricultural sector is making full preparations for farming this year, while taking various measures to improve seeds and do two-crop farming well as intended by the party.
And central organs and industrial establishments are securing and carrying manure, chemical fertilizers and various kinds of small farming implements to the socialist countryside.
Mt. Myohyang
Tokyo, January 8 (KNS) -- Originally Mt. Myohyang was called Mt. Yonju, Mt. Theabaek, but the present name of Mt. Myohyang has been called since the early 11th century for its wonderful and exquisite geographical features and its singular fragrance.
In Mt. Myohyang. There propagate about 700 species of plants, 33 kinds of beasts, 115 kinds of birds, 20 species of fishes. Including the International Friendship Exhibition there are historical relics and remains and particularly well-known places for its scenic beauty.
Tourists to sightsee or tour Mt. Myohyang will see the International Friendship Exhibition first, and the Pohyon Temple. And also, they'll be able to enjoy the all kinds of forms and shapes in scenic beauty spreading along the sightseeing route for 55km, including Habiro, Manphok Valley, Sangwon Valley etc.
The International Friendship Exhibition was opened on August 26, 1978.
On display here are over 105,000 pieces of gifts presented to late President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il by heads of states and parties, political parties, public bodies, international organisations, well-known political figures and people of every degree of 170 countries in the five continents of the world, according to continent and country. Since its opening, 1,550,000 of persons visited this exhibition.