DPRK Flood Damage Measure Committee on WFP's appeal
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- The World Food Program officially made public an appeal on Jan. 6 concerning another aid program of some 657,000 tons of food worth d378 million to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea this year.
The spokesman for the DPRK Measure Committee for Recovering from Flood Damage was interviewed by KCNA today over the appeal.
The spokesman said:
We feel grateful to the WFP and other international organizations, various countries and non-governmental organizations for their sympathy with and humanitarian assistance including food to the Korean people, who have temporarily suffered food shortage caused by natural disasters which hit the country repeatedly in a few years.
This year's humanitarian food aid by the WFP's appeal will encourage the Korean people in their efforts for recovering from the disasters as early as possible.
Though the damage and its consequences are serious, we will make all efforts to fully solve the acute food problem by themselves by doing farming well this year.
Three pillars in devotedly defending leader
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- The Workers' Party, army and people of Korea have turned out in the accelerated general march for the New Year Juche 87 (1998), with redoubled courage and in high spirits.
The party, army and people are three pillars for devotedly defending the leader.
The Joint New Year Editorial of the party and army newspapers stressed the might of the ideological fortress of socialism lies in the spirit of safeguarding the leader at the cost of life. And it called upon the whole party, all the army and people to unite around General Kim Jong Il and become vanguard fighters who think and act in his idea anytime and anywhere.
General Kim Jong Il is the destiny and future of socialist Korea as well as the symbol of victory. It is the mind of Korea that led by him, it is not afraid of any formidable enemy's attack and any "arduous march".
The whole party, all the army and all the people are now filled with a rockfirm determination to become human bombs and bullets in devotedly defending General Kim Jong Il and demonstrate socialism, a strong ideological fortress and bulwark of faith, without the slightest vacillation no matter how the situation may change.
Very strong is the might of the Workers' Party of Korea whose eternal and unshakable foundation has been further cemented after it acclaimed General Kim Jong Il as its General Secretary.
Great changes and miracles have been wrought in realizing the independence of the popular masses under the leadership of the party that organizes and guides all victories of the Korean people.
Servicemen, who have hardened their mental pillar with a history of General Kim Jong Il's leadership over the People's Army, are reliably defending the socialist fortress with arms of class, with the high honor of being the first bodyguards for him. The Korean revolution is emerging victorious, reliably ensured by such invincible strong army which defend the headquarters of the revolution with their lives.
The Korean people, covering the road of victory and glory under the leadership of the party, have cherished the rockfirm faith that they can enjoy happiness and honor only under the leader of the revolution. With the faith they are hardening their strong will to defend General Kim Jong Il, at the cost of their lives.
The party, army and people regard it as their conscience, obligation and life to devotedly defend the leader.
The dignity of Juche Korea in which the party, army and people have been cemented firmly as three pillars for devotedly safeguarding the leader, will be further demonstrated in the forthcoming 21st century as in the present century.
R.S. on S. Korea's financial crisis and its catastrophic consequences
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today comes out with a signed article on the catastrophic financial crisis driving South Korea into a turmoil.
The author of the article says:
In November last year, a financial crisis exploded in the South Korean financial market which had suffered from the chronic foreign currency shortage caused by colossal amounts of foreign debts.
Its consequences are very catastrophic.
The crisis hit production, circulation, consumption and other economic sectors of South Korea. Feeling uneasy at the crisis and the scarcity of foreign currencies, many people including investors withdrew their capital or bought foreign currencies en masse. The price of the dollar has skyrocketed and the stock price drastically dropped. As a result, all money transactions were suspended at the financial market, and all sectors, units and factors of the South Korean economy were paralyzed.
Experts foresee that 1.5 to 2 million people are likely to lose their jobs in South Korea this year.
Last year's waves of bankruptcies of big businesses equal to or larger than the Hanbo group in scale have turned banks related to them into deficit-ridden ones.
The point at issue is that south korea is unlikely to get out of the present financial crisis in spite of the rescue funds and "trusteeship" by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). No sign of recovery was seen at the foreign exchange and stock markets in December last year when bailout funds valued at billions of dollars were supplied by the IMF.
The South Korean won has continued to depreciate to more than 2,000 against one dollar. A daily average of 45 enterprises have gone bankrupt, unable to repay their debts.
Independent economy of Korea applauded
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- Pekka Tarjanne, Secretary-General of the International Tele-Communications Union, in a recent statement said that the economic crisis has been serious in the Asian region including South Korea. Such crisis proves again the validity of the self-sustenance in the economy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, he noted.
He said that the DPRK people with the potentials of the solid foundations of the self-supporting economy will certainly overcome the temporary economic difficulties.
Vow to go on general strike in S. Korea
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- The "Korean Confederation of Trade Unions" held a meeting on Jan. 8 and rejected the Kim Young Sam group's introduction of the reactionary system of allowing businesses to lay off workers, according to a radio report from Seoul.
The organisation warned that it would not participate in consultation among workers, businessmen and the "government" but stage a general strike in case the "interim national assembly session" is held in January to introduce the system into financial organs.
The "Federation of Korean Trade Unions" in a statement on the same day expressed the similar willingness, rejecting the introduction of the system.