Negotiations with political parties and organisations in S. Korea urged
Pyongyang, February 19 (KCNA) -- A joint meeting of the political parties and organisations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea held in Pyongyang on February 18 adopted a letter to South Korean political parties and organisations.
The letter pointed out that the north and the south should take the road of independence and unity together, taking as the steadfast guidelines the three charters of national reunification which were set out in "Let Us Carry Out the Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung's Instructions for National Reunification," a work published by General Kim Jong Il last year.
The key to the solution in taking this road is not the change of regime in South Korea but the switchover in policy and how political parties and organisations motivate it, the letter said.
It continued:
First, South Korea should express its willingness to respect the three principles of national reunification -- independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity -- and reject domination by outsiders and dependence upon them and shape the destiny of the nation independently in line with this idea.
The Korean question must be solved on the principle of the Juche character and the national character and the country's reunification must be realised independently by the Korean nation itself, not by outsiders.
South Korea must decisively reject the "international cooperation" antagonizing the fellow countrymen in the north.
The north and the south must jointly cope with the domination and interference by outsiders.
We strongly urge the political parties, organisations and personages from all walks of life in South Korea to value the dignity of the nation and take the road of national independence in the true spirit of independence.
Second, South Korea must make a bold decision to replace its wrong anti-north confrontation policy with a pro-north reconciliation policy.
Institutional devices obstructing pro-north reconciliation must be removed at an early date.
We strongly demand that, today when the military fascist dictatorship collapsed and the "civilian"-veiled fascist dictatorship has come to an end, the "National Security Law" and the "Agency for National Security Planning," which have obstructed the reunification of the country and ruthlessly killed a large number of pro-reunification, patriotic-minded people over the past 50 years, be eliminated unconditionally.
At the same time, an immediate end must be put to the large-scale joint military exercises being staged against the DPRK, with uptodate military hardware introduced from abroad and such things as arms race must be terminated.
Third, the north and the south, in order to open a way out for the nation together, must actively promote co-existence, co-prosperity and common interests and have the boldness to collaborate and unite among the fellow countrymen.
The north and the south must respect each other's idea, system and religious belief, accept without any prejudice what is beneficial to each other for the reunification of the country and join hands and unite with each other.
We are convinced that "10-Point Programme of the Great Unity of the Whole Nation for the Reunification of the Country," a valuable patriotic heritage of the respected President Kim Il Sung, who devoted his whole life to achieving great national unity, constitutes a common foundation of the nation in firmly uniting the entire fellow countrymen as one. We earnestly call upon all the political parties and organisations in South Korea to take the same step with us in realising it.
Fourth, we, considering that dialogue and negotiations are essential for solving the question of the country's reunification independently and peacefully, reclarify we have always flung doors open for wide-range dialogue.
The political parties and organisations in the north and the south are obliged to play a leading role in creating an atmosphere of dialogue and negotiations.
We solemnly declare that we are ready to hold dialogue and negotiations with any South Korean people including political parties and organisations that truly want to open a way out for the nation together on the principle of national independence and great unity.
The letter expressed the expectation that the political parties and organisations in South Korea would positively respond to our patriotic calls.
Letter of joint meeting of DPRK political parties and organizations conveyed to south side
Panmunjom, February 19 (KCNA) -- A letter to the political parties and organizations of South Korea which was adopted at the joint meeting of the DPRK political parties and organizations held in Pyongyang on Feb. 18 was conveyed to the south side today according to the decision of the meeting.
The north's Red Cross liaison officials were authorized to hand the letter to their South Korean counterparts at Panmunjom at 3 p.m. The letter was addressed to President Kim Dae Jung and acting President Cho Se Hyong of the "National Congress for New Politics," President Pak Thae Jun and honorary President Kim Jong Pil of the "United Liberal Democrats," President Cho Soon and honorary President Lee Hoi Chang of the "Grand National Party," President Rhee Man Sop and Advisor Rhee In Je of the "New People's Party," leaders of pro-democracy organizations and organizations of workers, peasants, youth and students, women, businessmen, men of science, education, culture and art, religionists, etc.
Machine industry in Korea
Pyongyang, February 19 (KCNA) -- Day of the machine industry falls on February 20 in Korea.
Working people in the sector of the machine industry are enjoying their holiday while on the forced march for the Final victory.
The Korea machinery group recently produced over 77,500 machines and equipment, electric appliances and accessories for the pace-setting domains of the national economy.
The farm machine industrial management bureau produced some 1,000 rice-transplanting machines, many small track chain rice harvesters and other farming machines for cooperative farms.
Production was boosted by the Taean Heavy Machine Complex, the Ranam Coal Mining Machine Complex, the August 28 Factory and other units.
The state has directed great efforts to developing the machine industry.
Machine factories have been reinforced and the Taean Heavy Machine Complex and the Ryongsong Associated Machinery Bureau have been expanded and strengthened into ordered equipment production bases. And large modern machine factories including the Rakwon Oxygen Plant Works under the Rakwon Machine Complex were newly built.
Local products include a 10,000-ton press, a 18,000 cubic meter oxygen plant, a 125,000 kva hydroelectric generator, 50,000 kva thermal turbines, 210-ton boilers, 5,450 hp compressors, large ships, large trucks, numerical control machine tools and eight-axle electric locomotives.
President Kim Il Sung, considering the development of the machine industry the core of heavy industry and the foundations of technological progress, indicated long ago the orientation and way for building machine industry in each period and stage of the developing revolution.
He unfolded a grand design for the development of the machine industry even in the grim period of the Fatherland Liberation War (June 1950-july 1953) and recalled technicians from the front to lay the foundations of the machine industry.
After the war he put forward the slogan "iron and the machine are the king of industry" and gave energetic guidance to the founding of modern machine industry and development.
He visited the Huichon General Machine Tool Plant (the then Huichon Machine Tool Factory) in February, Juche 60 (1971) and kindled the torch of new technical innovation.
He also initiated the machine-tool-begets-machine-tool movement twice and opened a turning point in improving the technique and equipment of the national economy.
The machine industry of Korea started from scratch after its liberation (August 1945) and underwent a complete change under his wise guidance.
Rodong Sinmun on lay-off allowing system in S. Korea
Pyongyang, February 19 (KCNA) -- The South Korean authorities passed "bills" on the layoff allowing system and labour exchange through the "National Assembly."
Commenting on this fact, a news analyst of Rodong Sinmun today says:
With the passage of the bills, the system of allowing companies to lay off workers has been legalised and could be introduced in all industrial sectors of South Korea.
This is an unpardonable challenge to South Korean working people including workers.
It is only too natural that South Korean workers are strongly opposed to legalising the lay-off allowing system.
This fascist system grants evil entrepreneurs unlimited rights to freely lay off workers en masse under the pretext of averting deficits.
It cannot go unnoticed that the South Korean authorities rectified and erased out at random the points of the "agreement of the labour-management-government committee" on admitting the union membership of unemployed people and ensuring reemployment of jobless workers.
This shows that the South Korean authorities are not in the least interested in the living condition of the working people but are engrossed only in escaping from the present economic crisis by sacrificing them.
Foreign political figures visit DPRK embassies
Pyongyang, February 19 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the People's Party of Cambodia (PPC) led by Chea Soth, permanent member of the PPC Central committee and Vice-Chairman of the preparatory committee to celebrate February 16, visited the DPRK embassy in Phnom Penh on Monday, the 56th birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
The delegation laid a floral basket in the name of the party before portraits of President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il.
The head of the delegation, on behalf of Chairman Chea Sim and all the party members, extended warmest congratulations to General Kim Jong Il and wished him a long life in good health and greater achievements in successfully leading the Workers' Party and people of Korea.
Madhav Kumar Nepal, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Nepal Communist Party (United Marxism-Leninism), visited the DPRK embassy in Kathmandu on Feb. 15.
It was also visited on Feb. 16 by Keshar Jung Rayamajy, member of the executive committee of the royal council of Nepal= Gajendra Narayan Singh, President of the Nepali Sadbhavna Party and Minister of Local Development of Nepal= and Bhim Bahadur Tamang, member of the Central Committee of the Nepali Congress Party.
Achievements in land and environmental protection
Pyongyang, February 19 (KCNA) -- A signal success was made in improving environment of the country in Korea.
Over 750 million trees were planted and 43,000 odd km-long roads were repaired last year.
Over 3,200 km hedges and floral walls were made and waterways of over 3,200 km rivers and streams were improved and 2,600 km of embankments built and repaired.
Fish farms of 22 million square meters were newly built last year.
According to An Pyong So, Vice-Minister of Land and Environmental Protection, it was a vast project which should have taken more than 10 years in the past.
Land and environmental improvement provided favorable conditions for many cities and counties to support themselves.
Pyoksong county, south Hwanghae Province, has created forests of 1,200 hectars to open a bright prospect of firewoods. Rinsan county, north Hwanghae Province, planted pine nut trees enough to produce 2,000 odd tons of pine nuts a year. Thosan county, north Hwanghae Province.
Dialogue and negotiations with political parties and organisations in S. Korea called for
Pyongyang, February 19 (KCNA) -- We solemnly declare that we are ready for dialogue and negotiations with any South Korean people including political parties and organisations who truly want to find together a wayout of the nation on the principle of national independence and great unity of the nation.
This was stressed in a letter addressed to the political parties and organisations in South Korea which was adopted at the joint meeting of the political parties and organisations of the DPRK held in Pyongyang on February 18.
South Korea should make a resolute decision to reject domination by outsiders and dependence upon them and shape the destiny of the nation independently and change the wrong anti-north confrontation policy into a pro-north reconciliatory policy, the letter said, and stressed:
The north and the south should positively promote co-existence, co-prosperity and common interests and express their readiness to collaborate and unite with each other.
We clarify once again that we have left doors open for wide-range dialogue.
Educational aid fund and stipends to Chongryon
Pyongyang, February 19 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il sent educational aid fund and stipends amounting to 123,400,000 yen in Japanese currency for the democratic national education of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon).
The educational aid fund and stipends sent by President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il for children of compatriots in Japan in 140 instalments so far amount to 43,542,683,000 yen.
This benevolent solicitude on the auspicious holiday of February will encourage the Korean residents in Japan in their devotion to the prosperity of Kim Il Sung's nation, the reunification of the country and the development of the movement of Koreans in Japan, and contribute to the democratic national education of Chongryon.
Kim Jung Rin meets delegate of Nepali Sadbhavna Party
Pyongyang, February 19 (KCNA) -- Kim Jung Rin, Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee, today met with Devendra Mishra, member of the Central Executive Committee of the Nepali Sadbhavna Party, who is visiting the DPRK as a delegate of the party, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall.
The delegate said that he was greatly encouraged through the study of the Juche idea created by President Kim Il Sung and enriched and developed by General Kim Jong Il.
Ri Jong Ok meets WFDY General Secretary
Pyongyang, February 19 (KCNA) -- Ri Jong Ok, Vice-President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, today met with Harchand Singh, General Secretary of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall.
The General Secretary said the WFDY would invariably support and encourage the Korean people in their efforts for the independent and peaceful reunification of the country and expressed the belief that korea would be reunified through confederacy formula without fail.