G.S. Kim Jong Il gives on-site guidance to Jagang Province

Pyongyang, January 23 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il, gave on-site guidance to various domains of the national economy in Jagang Province from Jan. 16 to 21. He was accompanied by Yon Hyong Muk, Chief Secretary of the Jagang Provincial Committee of the WPK= Kim Kuk Thae, Kim Ki Nam and Kim Yong Sun, secretaries of the WPK Central Committee= and Pak Song Bong, Ri Yong Chol and Jang Song Thaek, members and first vice department directors of the WPK Central Committee. During this period General Kim Jong Il went round newly-built medium- and small-sized power stations, factories and enterprises, villages and towns including Kanggye city, Janggang Township, Songgan Township and Jonchon Township. At first he visited medium- and small-sized power stations such as the Janggang No. 1 and No. 2 Power Stations, the Jangjasan Power Station, the Pukchongang No.3 Power Station, the Namri Power Station and the Oejung Power Station built in Kanggye city and Janggang and Songgan counties. He looked round the power stations of various types built in small and large rivers and the new dwelling houses the heating system of which is backed by electricity produced at the power stations. He learned about the construction and expressed great satisfaction. He then visited the Kanggye Tractor Complex, the February Steel Complex, the February 8 Machine Complex and the Kanggye Precision Machine Complex, met with workers and learned about the production. He met with model workers of the February 8 Machine Complex and the Kanggye Precision Machine Complex and had pictures taken with them. After grasping the economic situation of the province, he gave important tasks to various domains of the national economy. The WPK members and other working people in the province were trained further politically and ideologically, made enormous achievements in different domains and laid solid foundations for a great upswing in socialist economic construction through a hard and difficult drive to victoriously conclude the "ardous march," he said, adding that this eloquently demonstrates the strength of the ideology, unity and will of the Korean people who have bravely pulled through rigorous trials of history and risen up with redoubled courage. He laid down tasks for realizing the electrification of the country at an early date. Efforts should be channelled into creating a new generating capacity to complete the electrification of the country on a high level, he said. In Jagang Province many minor power stations of various types have been built so that the problem of power is solved and sufficient electricity is supplied for heating in houses and people's life, he noted, and added that this is patent proof of the validity and great vitality of President Kim Il Sung's instructions that minor power stations as well as large ones should be built extensively. General Kim Jong Il said minor power stations are good in various aspects as they turn out much electricity, provide conditions for fish culture and beautify the landscape. He called on all provinces, cities and counties to follow the example of Jagang Province. He stressed that the whole party, the whole country and all the people should launch a national campaign to build minor power stations. He put forward tasks for keeping a high and steady rate of production by tapping the potentials of the industry to the maximum. He urged the factories and enterprises in the province to continuously implement the party's economic policy of maintaining the Juche character and national identity in the industry and tap inner reserves positively so that the existing economic foundations may pay off. The working class of Korea should give full play to their heroic stamina and invincible might again in today's worthwhile forced march for the final victory the way they built socialism from scratch in the 1950s, he said. He gave tasks to boost agricultural production.

Korean people are sure to win

Pyongyang, January 23 (KCNA) -- Public figures of India and Egypt issued press statements supporting the joint editorial of the newspapers Rodong Sinmun and Joson Inmingun. K. L. Mahendra, Secretary General of the All-India Trade Union Congress, said the Korean people could win a great victory last year thanks to the wise guidance of General Kim Jong Il. We, he noted, extend wholehearted greetings to General Kim Jong Il upon the great victory and express firm support to and solidarity with the Korean people. Sati Anand Yaji, Secretary General of the All-India Freedom Fighters Successor Organisation, said that the Korean people will surely win this year, too. He expressed the belief that in the new year they will make an epochal progress in the struggle to achieve the independent and peaceful reunification of the country. He went on to say: The Korean people in the north, south and abroad are looking up to General Kim Jong Il, the recognized world's statesman, as the leader of a reunified Korea, which is the most important factor of accelerating the reunification of Korea. Chandrajeet Yadav, Co-Chairman of the All-India Peace and Solidarity Organization, said: Though big obstacles are lying in the way of reunification, the Korean nation will certainly build the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo, a reunified state, in the land of korea under the tested guidance of General Kim Jong Il. The Secretary General of the Egypt-Korea Friendship Association wished the friendly Korean people a new success in the struggle to speed up the independent and peaceful reunification of the country through great national unity and achieve national prosperity and development, with new conviction and optimism under the wise guidance of General Kim Jong Il.

Seminar on charters of Korea's reunification

Pyongyang, January 23 (KCNA) -- The Guinean Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification sponsored a seminar on the three major charters of Korea's reunification on January 13 to celebrate the birthday of General Kim Jong Il. At the seminar an explanation was given on the reunification proposal laid down in the joint New Year editorial before speeches were made on the charters.

Korean people's efforts for reunification supported

Pyongyang, January 23 (KCNA) -- D. P. Maheshwari, Chairman of the Indian Federation for World Cooperation and Cultural Relations, expressed the belief in a statement on January 15 that this year will be a historic year in which an epochal advance will be made in the struggle of the Korean people for the reunification of the country under the tested leadership of General Kim Jong Il. Although the South Korean authorities are crying for the "improvement of relations between the south and north", "dialogue" and "unification", while leaving intact the concrete wall, the fascist "National Security Law" and "Agency for National Security Planning", it is no more than hypocrisy, he noted, and went on: If Korea's reunification is to be achieved at an early date, fundamental changes should take place in South Korea. This is the unanimous view and voices of the world public circles.

Street afforestation in Korea

Pyongyang, January 23 (KCNA) -- Horticultural workers of Korea are now busy cultivating effective species of trees for street. Ornamental trees will be planted along streets in Pyongyang and other cities this year. A peculiar maple-tree street will take its shape in the capital city of Pyongyang. Maple trees for it are growing at sapling fields in the city. Thanks to the afforestation policy of the Workers' Party of Korea, enormous achievements have been made in national afforestation. According to Om Chang Ryong, Vice-Director of the Pyongyang Municipal Afforestation Bureau, over 2,300,000 trees of various species grow in streets, parks and pleasure grounds in the city, adding beauty to modern streets. Changgwang, Kaeson, Chollima, Rakwon and other streets are also called apricot, gingko and cryptomeria streets. Horticultural workers and architects are now directing great efforts to cultivating gingko, cryptomeria, walnut and other trees good to see, proper in height and less prone to damage by vermin, for better street afforestation. They are also paying concern to shaping trees in keeping with modern sense of beauty.

U.S. Defense Secretary's trip to S. Korea

Pyongyang, January 23 (KCNA) -- The U.S. Defense Secretary, William Cohen, flew into South Korea on January 21, a Seoul-based radio said. During his two-day visit he "inspected" a U.S. military base near Panmunjom in the western sector of the front and the general drill ground of the second infantry division of the U.S. Army. He had confabs with the "civilian"-veiled regime to encourage its preparations for a war against North Korea. This is the seventh visit to South Korea by the U.S. Defense Secretaries in five years ever since Kim Young Sam's seizure of power. Cohen visited South Korea three times from April last year.

Inspiring songs

Pyongyang, January 23 (KCNA) -- The merited choir of the song and dance ensemble of the Korean People's Army is now putting a number of songs on the stage to give a strong impetus to the forced march of working people for the final victory. General Kim Jong Il enjoyed a performance given by the choir after he inspected the front some days ago. Among choral pieces was a song "We began on the debris". General Kim Jong ll, who was lost in deep emotion to hear the song, told the choir to sing the song again. At his request the song was sung again. He told officials that while hearing the song, he could hardly repress excitement, looking back upon the tireless efforts made by President Kim Il Sung all his life to build a powerful socialist country, an earthly paradise of the people, on the debris. Whenever he enjoyed the performances given by the choir, he told the choir to sing the song and sang the song in his heart before saying that the song is a famous song and that it is an unforgettable and precious one. The song was created 20 years ago. It sings of the benevolence and feats of the President who built the Powerful socialist country, the anthropocentric socialist system, in this land. The song has been popular among the people. Singing the song, the Korean people look with deep emotion back on the undying exploits of the President in building the socialist country, independent in politics, self-supporting in the economy and self-reliant in national defence, pulling through difficulties after the Korean War and renew their determination to add lustre to the system established by him. The song, called a song of noble memory and pledge, is now giving the Korean people optimism and confidence in the future.