U.S. advertisement about "state sponsors of terrorism"
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- The United States will continue to designate seven countries including the DPRK, Cuba, Iran and Syria as "state sponsors of terrorism" in a "1997 report on global terrorism" to be issued at the end of April, according to a news report from Washington.
Named in the "1996 patterns of global terrorism" issued last year were the seven countries, a U.S. official said on April 14.
"They are all on the list" included in the new version, the official added.
It is obtrusive of the United States, a kingdom of terrorism engaged in subversive activities and sabotages against other countries, to talk about "terrorism" in documents published every year.
It cannot be overlooked that the United States schemes to continue naming the DPRK and other countries with a strong anti-American, independent stand as "state sponsors of terrorism" and impose "sanctions" upon them.
This clearly proves that the U.S. advertisement about "terrorism" is nothing but a clumsy and dirty trick to justify its tenacious moves to isolate and stifle other countries.
Foreign Minister Kim Yong Nam meets Cuban guests
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Kim Yong Nam on April 17 met and had a friendly conversation with the visiting delegation of the Foreign Ministry of Cuba headed by Vice-Minister Isabel Allende.
Secretary Kim Yong Sun meets Japanese delegation
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Sun, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, met and conversed with a delegation of the Japan Committee for Supporting the Independent and Peaceful Reunification of Korea headed by Secretary General Hiroshi Wakabayashi at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on April 17.
Present there was Ryang Tal Ju, Vice-Chairman of the Korean Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries.
Friendly gathering with Cuban guests
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- A friendly gathering with Cuban guests was held at the political university of the Ministry of Public Security on April 17 on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the victory of the Cuban people in Playa Giron Battle.
Invited there were members of a delegation of the Cuban Foreign Ministry headed by Vice-Minister Isabel Allende, Cuban ambassador to Korea Jose Ramon Rodriguez Varona, embassy officials and Cuban artistes participating in the 16th April Spring Friendship Art Festival.
Present were Vice Foreign Minister Kim Chang Ryong, Vice-Minister of Public Security Pak Jung Gun and officials concerned as well as instructors and cadets of the university.
The participants placed bouquets before the Statue of President Kim Il Sung at the university and made bows.
They looked round educational facilities and saw a training of cadets.
They deepened feelings of friendship, playing sports games and enjoying art performances.
Art performances given to commemorate Sun's Day
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- Art performances were given at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre, the Central Youth Hall and the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace on April 17 to commemorate Sun's Day.
Seeing the performances together with working people in the city were Pak Song Chol and Kim Pyong Sik, Vice-Presidents of the DPRK, and other senior party, state and army officials.
Present there were members of a delegation of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK), members of delegations and home-visiting groups of overseas Koreans, foreigners and overseas Korean artistes participating in the 16th April Spring Friendship Art Festival, diplomatic envoys and embassy officials here and members of foreign delegations on a visit to Korea.
The colorful numbers the performers put on the stage showed well the wise guidance of President Kim Il Sung, happiness of the Korean people and schoolchildren and the militant spirit and revolutionary optimism displayed by the Korean people in building the socialist country of Juche into an earthly paradise.
Syrian Independence Day marked
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- Bassam Al-Haj Hussein, charge d'affaires ad interim of the Syrian embassy here, gave a party on April 17 on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of the Independence of Syria.
Invited to the party were Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Kim Yong Nam, Vice Marshal of the Korean People's Army Kim Il Chol, who is first Vice-Minister of the People's Armed Forces, Minister of Finance Yun Ki Jong, who is also chairperson of the Korea-Syria Friendship Associaiton, Chairman of the External Economic Affairs Commission Ri Song Dae and other officials concerned.
Foreign diplomats here were also invited.
Speeches were made at the party.
Hysterics of warmaniacs
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- Bellicose elements of the United States are trying hard to find an excuse for invading the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, raising a hue and cry over the "missile threat" by the DPRK and some other countries recently.
Rodong Sinmun, commenting on this, says though it pays lip-services to peace in Korea, the U.S. invariably seeks to stifle the DPRK by force of arms.
The news analyst says:
The U.S. has left no stone unturned to find an excuse for invasion of the DPRK.
We cannot remain a passive onlooker to the U.S. moves for a war of aggression.
Means of strength, the use of armed forces, does not work on the DPRK at all.
The U.S. warmaniacs should give up their anachronistic viewpoint of war and stop pursuing the policy of stifling the DPRK.
What does Japan seek?
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- Japanese reactionaries are now running wild in their moves to enact a "Bill Concerning the Japan-U.S. Guidelines for Defence Cooperation".
The "bill" the Japanese government is preparing to submit to the diet is said to be framework for military tieups of the U.S. and Japan in the Asia-Pacific region in "Emergency around Japan".
This shows that the Japanese reactionaries are making desperate efforts to justify military actions in the Asia-Pacific region in accordance with the new "guidelines", which was revised by the U.S. and Japan in September last year. Under the new "guidelines" Japan's "assistance to the U.S.", which was available in "Emergency in Japan", is greatly magnified in "Emergency around Japan". In other words, the Japanese "Self-Defence Forces" may participate in coordinated operation with the U.S. Forces in the region and stage comeback.
After the announcement of the new "guidelines" the U.S.-Japan aggressive military tieup has further been tightened than ever before under the pretext of "joint reaction to emergency" around Japan. The point is that the Japanese reactionaries are trying hard to make a legal and institutional mechanism to justify the military fusion under the new "guidelines".
The Japanese reactionaries, who established some institutional mechanism through the revision of the "guidelines" last year, are going to completely justify the overseas aggression by the "SDF" by railroading the "bill" through the diet.
It is the common purpose and design of the U.S. and Japanese reactionaries to hold domination over Asia.
Clear is the aim of the Japanese warmaniacs.
They seek to make a preemptive attack on North Korea under the pretext of "reaction to emergency around Japan", overheated with the ambition for reinvasion of the Aisa-Pacific region. They should be mindful that their dangerous act will bring them fatal consequences.
If the Japanese reactionaries, prompted by the ambition for "Greater East Asia Coprosperity Sphere", take the road of reinvasion with the backing of the U.S., they will meet a disgraceful end.
241 political parties sign Pyongyang Declaration driving force
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- Six years have passed since the Pyongyang Declaration "Let us defend and advance the cause of socialism" was published in April Juche 81 (1992).
Seventy political parties signed the declaration at the time of its publication.
Now, their number is 241.
Communist, workers' and other progressive parties of many countries highly estimated the declaration as "second communist manifesto," "historic document heralding a new start of the international communist movement" and "banner of unity and solidarity of international communist movement."
A campaign to implement the Pyongyang Declaration has been extensively conducted on a worldwide scale.
Progressive political parties of many countries adopted it as their fighting programme and a charter of the struggle for socialism.
Telegram of thanks to General Kim Jong Il from Chongryon
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- The Central Standing Committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) sent a telegram on April 16 to General Kim Jong Il, expressing thanks to him for educational aid fund and stipends.
The telegram said that General Kim Jong Il sent educational aid fund and stipends amounting to 128,800,000 yen (Japanese currency) on the occasion of Sun's Day.
The total amount sent in 141 instalments by the fatherly leader President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il to Korean children in Japan for educational aid fund and stipends is 43,671,483,000 yen, it said.
General Kim Jong Il is the great leader and tender-hearted father, who takes care of officials of Chongryon, compatriots and their children in Japan, it stressed, and added:
All the Chongryon officials and compatriots in Japan will hold President Kim Il Sung in high esteem as the eternal sun of Juche, prepare themselves as patriots boundlessly loyal to General Kim Jong Il and strengthen and develop Chongryon into the General's organization which is deeply rooted among broad masses of compatriots.
It wished a long life in good health to General Kim Jong Il, the destiny of the fatherland and Chongryon and the eternal sun.
Pyongyang Festival closes
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- The 16th April Spring Friendship Art Festival which opened here on April 8 to mark Sun's Day closed today.
The festival, attended by high-ranking officials of culture, well-known art organisations with rich experience and many talented artistes from different countries and regions, was an international art festival very instrumental in deepening the feelings of friendship, strengthening unity and exchanging successes and experience in national art.
The closing ceremony took place at the 6,000-seat theatre of the April 25 House of Culture.
Attending the ceremony together with working people in the city were Vice-President Pak Song Chol, Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Kim Yong Nam and other cadres, foreign diplomatic envoys and embassy officials here.
Festival prizes were awarded to the art organisations and artists who showed high artistic talents.
A letter of thanks to General Kim Jong Il was adopted in the name of the festival participants at the ceremony.
A message of thanks to the festival participants from the Central People's Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was also read out at the ceremony.
Chairman Jang Chol of the Festival Organising Committee who is Vice-Premier and Minister of Culture and the Arts, addressing the ceremony, expressed the belief that foreign artistes and overseas Korean artistes would value the bonds of frinedship and unity further strengthened through the stage of independence, peace and friendship and continue to participate with sincerity in the April Spring Friendship Art Festival which is held in a good season every year.
Message of thanks to festival participants from DPRK Central People's Committee
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- The Central People's Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea today sent a message of thanks to the participants in the 16th April Spring Friendship Art Festival.
The message reads in part:
Foreign artistes and overseas Korean artistes with high artistic technique and talents put on the stage dances and songs peculiar to their nations they prepared with sincerity to make the festival wonderful and significant.
All the festival participants with their ardent desire to commemorate the birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung, the eternal sun of the progressive humankind, as a holiday common to mankind well sang songs highly praising the sun to make Sun's Day significant.
The Korean people are always grateful for the invariable feelings of friendship and trust with which the governments and peoples of friendly countries fully support the Korean revolution with deep understanding even in the fast-changing current of history.
In the message the DPRK Central People's Committee expresses the conviction that all the festival participants will not spare their efforts and sincerity for the April Spring Friendship Art Festival which is traditionally held every year in the noble idea of independence, peace and friendship.