Postcards celebrating birthday of G.S. Kim Jong Il appear in S. Korea
Pyongyang, March 5 (KCNA) -- Postcards celebrating the birthday of the respected General Kim Jong Il were delivered to dwelling houses in Taegum-dong and Chungsu-dong, east district of Kwangju on February 15 and 16, the Seoul-based radio Voice of National Salvation quoted the Kwangju City Committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea as saying.
Printed on the upper part of the front of the postcard sent in the name of the February 16 fellowship society is a portrait of the General and on the lower part are words "February 16 is the significant 56th birthday of the respected General Kim Jong Il" against his native home in the secret camp on Mt. Paektu.
Carried on its back is an article entitled "celebration of February 16," "longevity" which says that the general is a peerlessly great man and the great lodestar of national reunification, who demonstrates the dignity of the nation all over the world.
Title of honorary professor awarded to G.S. Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, March 5 (KCNA) -- The title of honorary professor of Yacambu University of Venezuela was awarded to Secretary Kim Jong Il on the occasion of the holiday of February.
An awarding ceremony was held at the university on February 25.
A decision of the university on awarding the title of honorary professor to Secretary Kim Jong Il and a diploma of honorary professor were read at the ceremony.
Then, the President of the university handed the diploma, decision, medal of honorary professor and badge of the university to the chief of the DPRK trade mission.
The diploma said, "the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Venezuela, Yacambu University, the Council of the University and President of the University Prof. Juan Pedro Pereira respectfully present the title of honorary professor to Marshal Kim Jong Il, the leader of the DPRK, in high appreciation of the great exploits he has performed with his tireless efforts for great development in education for society."
In his congratulatory speech, the President of the university said that Marshal Kim Jong Il is a great man who has made great contributions to the Korean revolution and the world revolution and a practician who has developed and enriched the Juche idea with his energetic thinking and pursuit and applied it to the Korean revolution.
Marshal Kim Jong Il is the great master of human education and culture, the speaker said, and stressed:
Under his wise guidance, Korea has become a country which completely solved the issue of education.
Day of Agricultural Working People observed
Pyongyang, March 5 (KCNA) -- March 5 is the Day of the Agricultural Working People in Korea.
The historical agrarian reform law was promulgated on this day in Juche 35 (1946), so that the centuries-old aspiration of the peasants for land was realised. Therefore, the peasants who had languished in backwardness and poverty for a long time have become the master of land, the master of the country.
On this significant holiday the agricultural working people are looking back with deep emotion upon the benefits of the party and the state that provided them with an independent and creative life.
The state has constantly pursued popular policies for the improvement of the peasants' standard of living. It rendered a lot of financial and material assistance to improve the wretched life of the peasants in the postwar period. It completely abolished the agricultural tax-in-kind in 1966 to liberate the peasants from tax burdens for good and all.
Housing and productive construction costs in the countryside are borne by the state and the farmers are using them free of charge.
The farmers are also enjoying the same benefits of free education, free medical care, accommodation at health resorts and holiday homes at state expense and social security system as the workers and office employees do.
Their standard of living is as good as the urbans'.
Their fruitful farming work is followed by a joyful cultural and emotional life in the evening. Many of them are obtaining qualifications for engineers and experts under the higher educational system of studying while at work.
The agricultural working people across the country are now greeting their holiday with achievements in the preparations for farming.
A new type of Opera dance
Pyongyang, March 5 (KCNA) -- Dance is an indispensable medium for operatic expression in the Korean opera. It helps to bring the theme of the opera into bold relief.
Of course, dances had been incorporated in operas. But their role had been simply complementary, that is, solely for the creation of mood.
General Kim Jong Il, leader of the Korean people, went carefully into the nature of the world opera and the interrelations between opera and dance. On this basis, he gave a clear solution to all theoretical and practical problems arising in the creation of opera dance.
Under his direct guidance the choreographers created a new form of opera dance, called "the sea of blood"-type opera dance, in the 1970s.
This type of opera dance is based on the traditional Korean dance and brings the dramatic development of opera and the spirituality of the main characters into focus with its own language that suits the feeling of the Korean people. Here the dance is incorporated in opera, not as a complementary part. It is closely combined with orchestra and Pangchang (sung by the actors and actresses off-stage) to bring out the rich and deep message of the opera.
Proof of this is provided by the moonlit scene from scene 2 of act 3 of the Korean revolutionary opera "the Flower Girl".
The scene began with the flower fairies slowly standing up and surrounding the leading character got bun.
Ill-treated and humiliated to save her sick mother, she is now sold to settle the debts she owed a landlord.
The flower fairies dance as if expressing the pain in got bun's heart. On the other hand, rich women are enjoying themselves on a swing in the full moon.
Then follows Pangchang:
One moon shines up in the sky. But different people gaze upon it. Some are happy to see the moon.
While others grow most melancholy.
The dance in this moonlit scene reveals a society which is full of contradictions, while bringing to life the noble spirituality of the leading character. At the same time, it shows a turning-point in her ideological development.
Like this, the Korean opera dance, in close combination with the music and stage arts, plays an independent role in the opera, thus enriching the mental quality and raising the artistic development of the opera.
General Kim Jong Il's simplicity
Pyongyang, March 5 (KCNA) -- Voices of admiring the popular traits of General Kim Jong Il rang out loudly at worldwide celebrations of his 56th birthday, February 16.
The jacket General Kim Jong Il usually wears shows well his traits as the people's leader who has always led a plain and simple life.
Several days before a New Year's day, officials presented a new suit to him who had always worn plain clothes. He refused to wear it, telling them that if they wanted to do something for him, they had better work hard to solve the clothing problem of the people.
Later, he called at a light industry goods exhibition.
Officials let him know that cloth of good quality was being massproduced and wanted him to wear a new suit. He said that he liked to wear the clothes he had usually worn and that it was his wish to sufficiently supply good cloth to the people.
Some ten years have passed since then. He, however, is taking the lead in the forced march of socialism for the final victory, still in the jacket.
He has had such simple traits from his childhood.
He put on an undergarment his mother Kim Jong Suk knitted with military woolen underclothes after the liberation of the country. He went to school right after the ceasefire, in the same clothes with other pupils and with books wrapped in a cloth.
His simple life was shown in the military camping days of his university period.
He took part in a tactical training, weapon cleaning and cooking together with other students, as required by the military regulations.
A revolutionary anecdote about a nail-clipper he made a habitual use of for more than 20 years, which is known well among the Korean people, shows part of his great popular traits.
R.S. marks Zhou Enlai's 100th birth anniversary
Pyongyang, March 5 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in an editorial article stresses that the Korean people pay their respects to comrade Zhou Enlai on the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary and that his revolutionary spirit and feats will be immortal.
The paper refers to the unforgettable feats he performed for the Chinese people's cause of liberation and socialism.
The victory in the revolution and the thoroughgoing social transformation and development were closely linked with his energetic and tested activities, the paper says, and goes on:
His lifelong loyalty to and feats for the leader, the party and the Chinese revolution still greatly encourage the Chinese people.
The Chinese people have achieved the stability and unity of the nation rallied behind the communist party led by the respected comrade Jiang Zemin and made efforts to attain the grand goal for building a powerful, modern socialist state with Chinese characteristics.
The Korean people are rejoiced over achievements made by the Chinese people in the revolution and construction and wish them success in their cause.
Comrade Zhou Enlai's efforts and distinguished services are recorded in the history of the fraternal Korea-China friendship.
Comradeship and intimacy between the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung and the respected comrade Zhou Enlai were special.
Comrade Zhou Enlai was a close friend of the Korean people.
He paid deep concern to the development of the Korea-China friendship with a strong sense of proletarian internationalism and revolutionary obligation.
The Korean people keep in their memory his exploits for the Korea-China friendship.
Strengthening friendship provided and cultivated by the leaders of the two countries is in the interests of the Korean and Chinese peoples and is also favourable to accelerating their revolution and construction, achieving the independence of the popular masses and making the whole world independent.
We believe that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties, the two countries and the two peoples will continue to develop in line with humankind's common idea of independence, peace, friendship.
KSDP discusses tasks for inter-Korean unity
Pyongyang, March 5 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party (KSDP) held an enlarged plenary meeting here on march 4 to fully support the proposals put forward at a joint meeting of political parties and organizations of the DPRK and vow to pay deep concern and efforts to their realization.
Chairman of the C.C., KSDP Kim Pyong Sik delivered a report and others made speeches on the agenda item "the party's tasks for activities to open the way out for the nation in an independent way with unity of the north and the south."
It was noted at the meeting that if inter-Korean relations are to be improved and both the north and the south are to seek independence and unity, political parties, organizations and politicians should play the role of vanguard in rejecting foreign domination and dependence on outsiders, making a policy switchover to reconciliation with the north, eliminating such anti-reunification institutional mechanisms as the "National Security Law" and the "Agency for National Security Planning" in South Korea and creating an atmosphere of dialogue and negotiations between the two halves of the country.
The party's willingness was expressed at the meeting to have contact and dialogue with any political parties, organizations and politicians of South Korea that really respect the idea of national independence and unity and desire its materialization.
Set forth at the meeting were the party's tasks for activities to promote the country's reunification on the basis of national independence and unity under the wise leadership of General Kim Jong Il.
The meeting was attended by members of the political committee and members of the C.C., KSDP, Chairmen of the party's provincial, city and county committees and deputies to the Supreme People's Assembly from the party.
Symposium for reunification held
Pyongyang, March 5 (KCNA) -- A reunification symposium of scholars in the north, south and overseas on national reunification and their role was held in Beijing on Feb. 20 and 21.
Discussed at the symposium were the issues of improving inter-Korean relations, promoting national reconciliation and unity and achieving the peace and peaceful reunification of the country by holding fast to the stand of national independence and defusing political and military confrontation.
The participants in the symposium shared the recognition that it is of great importance to hold the tripartite symposium at the time when the movement for national unity and reunification was reaching a high pitch at home and abroad with the approach of the fifth anniversary of the publication of the famous work of President Kim Il Sung "10-Point Programme of the Great Unity of the Whole Nation for the Reunification of the Country" and the 50th anniversary of the convocation of the historical April north-south joint conference.
The speakers proposed principled matters and practical measures for maintaining national independence, improving inter-Korean relations, ensuring peace and national unity.
They held the same view that the present situation shows they should believe in the strength of the nation, not others, and that they cannot realise national reconciliation, unity and reunification as well as exchanges and cooperation without removing political and military confrontation between the north and the south.
They called upon all the scholars in the north, south and abroad to pool efforts to improve inter-Korean relations and achieve national unity and independent and peaceful reunification of the country.