Korea optimistic of final victory
Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- Korea has started the forced march for the final victory.
Korea made the "arduous march" till the end of last year to overcome food shortage and economic hardships caused by serious natural disasters and the anti-socialist offensive of the imperialists.
The Korean people successfully tided over ordeals and difficulties through the march for years and made a breakthrough in fresh advance and leap.
The monolithic leadership system of General Kim Jong Il has been more firmly established and the revolutionary ranks purified politically and ideologically.
Big achievements were made in the socialist economic construction.
The nationwide land management has put the country on a new look.
The Korean people on the forced march for the final victory are in high spirits.
All provinces, cities and counties of the country are following Jagang Province in building medium- and small-size power stations and all sectors and all units are increasing production and hastening construction.
"Let us see who laughs last. Victory is in store for us", this is the steadfast faith and courage of the Korean people.
Optimistic is the final victory of korea under the wise leadership of General Kim Jong Il and based on the inexhaustible strength of the people rallied in one mind and firm foundations of independent national economy.
Land and environmental protection officials meet
Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- Officials engaged in land and evironmental protection and other related domains met in Pyongyang on February 2.
The meeting reviewed the achievements and experience gained in the land administration work last year and discussed tasks and ways to make signal successes this year, in which falls the 50th founding anniversary of the DPRK.
Hong Song Nam, alternate politburo member of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee and Cice-Premier of the Administration Council, made a report before speeches at the meeting.
General Secretary Kim Jong Il published a famous work "On improving and strengthening land administration" to give an important guideline in the land administration.
During his on-site-guidance to Jagang Province in January this year, he gave valuable instructions to bring about a revolutionary turn in the land administration by planting more trees to make forests dense, carrying on river improvement projects, building more minor power stations and repairing and improving roads.
Friendly gathering with Chinese embassy officials
Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- The International Affairs Department of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Monday arranged a friendly gathering with officials of the Chinese embassy on the occasion of the lunar New Year's Day.
Wan Yongxiang, Chinese Ambassador to Korea, and embassy officials were invited to the gathering.
Present were Department Director Kim Yang Gon and Vice-Director Rim Sun Phil of the WPK Central Committee and officials concerned.
Speeches were made at the gathering.
The participants deepened the feelings of friendship, talking about further developing the traditional friendship between Korea and china forged and bloomed by President Kim Il Sung and veteran revolutionaries of China.
Rodong Sinmun calls for accelerating forced march under banner of self-reliance
Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today comes out with an editorial entitled "forward, everybody, in the forced march under the uplifted banner of self-reliance " noting that self-reliance is a weapon which leads the Korean people to victory and a banner of their life and dignity, the editorial calls upon all the party members and other working people to build a powerful and prosperous state of juche on this land by pushing ahead with the forced march for the final victory under the unfurled banner of self-reliance.
It further says:
The recently held national meeting of example-setters in self-reliance shows that self-reliance is the only way for the Korean people to win the final victory by valiantly surmounting all difficulties and trials.
Only our strength is what we should depend on in a grim struggle which decides on which will win, socialism or capitalism.
We should solve the food problem and shore up the national economy as a whole with our own strength, technique and resources no matter how the world may change.
The final victors will be the people who rely on themselves.
We should hold higher the banner of self-reliance in the forced march to adorn the 50th anniversary of the DPRK with a grand festival of socialist victors.
Self-reliance is a revolutionary method of Korean style.
We should not envy or covet things of others but accelerate socialist construction in our own way, come what may.
United States is responsible for worldwide arms race: Rodong Sinmun
Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- The U.S. Congress in a recently published report branded the DPRK and some other countries as "basic source" of worldwide arms proliferation and cried that the United States should strictly cope with the proliferation. And it prattled that the United States has been involuntarily involved in arms proliferation for its liberal export policy.
Commenting on this fact, a news analyst of Rodong Sinmun today says:
These utterances can be made only by those who do not feel shame at what they have done.
The United States ranks the first in the world's list of arms exporters.
The U.S. is now styling itself as an "impartial mediator" in the mideast issues. Against its advertisement, however, some time ago, it supplied 25 F-15 jet fighters to Israel, thus igniting fresh arms race in the region and rendering the issues all the more difficult to be solved.
U.S.-made weapons were used in 45 of the 50 national and territorial disputes which occured in the world in the early 1990s. These weapons were supplied as a means to realise the U.S. policy of domination.
It is none other than the United States that has further aggravated the situation in disputed areas and brought waves of arms race all over the world.
People visit general review hall of three-revolution exhibition
Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- Many people have visited the exposition of the revolutionary activities of the communist revolutionary fighter mother Kim Jong Suk.
The exposition was opened in the general review hall of the three-revolution exhibition on December 16, Juche 86 (1997) in commemoration of her 80th birth anniversary.
Over 120,000 working people from all walks of life and youth and students have visited the exhibition since it was opened.
Ho Jong Gil, Vice-Director of the three-revolution exhibition, said that some 100 newly published works of mother Kim Jong Suk and over 300 books, reminiscences and documents showing her revolutionary exploits were displayed.
Preserved in the exposition are hundreds of her photos and fine art works and over 160 pictures.
A military uniform, hoe and other relics she used are also preserved.
Visitors pay deep attention to a photo mother Kim Jong Suk had taken with the great leader President Kim Il Sung, both in military uniform, in an alien land on a spring day of the anti-Japanese armed struggle, and an art work of her singing the "Song of nostalgia."
The exposition has two rooms for video and film show.
Visitors can have a meeting and round-table talk with those related to mother Kim Jong Suk's revolutionary activities.
Grand People's Study House
Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- The Grand People's Study House situated at the heart of Pyongyang is the centre for intellectual development.
The house which was opened in April 1982 has a total area of 100,000 square metres.
In additon to 10 large reading and lecture rooms, it has 600 rooms which provide ideal study conditions and are modernly equipped for recording information and consultation. The house comprises about 30 million volumes.
Free access is allowed to the house to all people.
Readers' services go still further= lectures on demand, lectures by means of tape-recording as well as lectures on foreign languages and science. Noted professors, doctors and masters undertake lectures. In addition, three to six month foreign language training courses and in-service short-course training and intensive lectures for technicians are organized.
Library services are extended to factories, enterprises, and rural areas. Assistance to readers includes specially-arranged lectures and book delivery.
Thanks to active library service, many readers have developed into people's or merited scientists, and highly skilled technicians.
The Grand People's Study House is linked by the libraries of 140 countries and international organizations including the UNESCO.
It will admirably perform its mission and role as a centre of intellectual development and as a university of correspondence course.
Class consciousness, weapon for defending socialism
Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today stresses that what is an important demand for defending socialism is to firmly arm the popular masses with the working class consciousness.
The paper says in an article:
Ignoring the working class consciousness means destroying the ideological basis of socialism and neglecting the masses' demand for independence and their fundamental interests.
The history shows serious lessons that divorce from the viewpoint and position of the working class results in degeneration of socialism.
The class consciousness is the ideological and mental source of helping the people keep the confidence in socialism. It also definitely guarantees consistent maintenance of the revolutionary principles in socialist construction.
The revolutionary and socialist principles are, in essence, the working-class principles. Only those steadfast in class consciousness can judge all the matters with the viewpoint and position of the popular masses and always fight to defend the fundamental interests of the revolution.
The class consciousness is essential for uncompromising fighting against the imperialists. Those who have firm class consciousness can struggle uncompromisingly against the imperialists' moves to stifle socialism, deeply aware of their class stand and duty.
With the firm class consciousness, the Korean people boast of being consistent in confidence in socialism and strong in the revolutionary principles. They also categorically reject the imperialists' ideological and cultural offensive, economic blockade and military threat and never allow others to hurt the destiny and honor of their fatherland.
Korean folk "sword dance"
Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- "Sword dance" is a time-honored dance peculiar to the Korean people.
This folk dance, which depicts martial art training in rhythmic movement, represents patriotism of the ancestors determined to defend the country.
There are various forms of the dance such as "long sword dance", "twin swords dance", "mask sword dance" and "sword dance".
The form of the sword dance is peculiar to Korea, being widely known to the east and the west.
This dance is more rhythmic, artistic and militant than other forms and has many skilful movements.
It requires great energy and complicated and difficult sword play.
Usually, the dancers wear colored felt hats, blue or red clothes and belts in chest.
Today the popular dance is performed in various forms such as solo and group dances.