Flights through Korean airspace begin - Foreign Ministry spokesman

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea told KCNA today that regular international air services through the Korean territorial air have begun today in the wake of the test flight in early march. The spokesman said: The flights through the Korean airspace make air services of many countries more convenient and give them tangible economic benefits and we can make a great contribution to the development of the aerial transport in the world. Now the world welcomes the start of international air services through the Korean territorial air and an increasing number of countries hope for flights through the airspace. However, some dishonest forces are persistently seeking blockade against the DPRK and crying for its "opening." It is not behavior of those with a sound thinking pattern but an unreasonable act impeding the development of international relations based on independence, equality and reciprocity.

Military attaches corps visits Kang Kon General Military Academy

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- The military attaches corps here visited Kang Kon General Military Academy on April 22 on the occasion of the 66th birthday of the heroic Korean People's Army. The guests looked round materials and historic mementoes on display, being briefed on the proud course covered by the Academy under the wise guidance of President Kim Il Sung. Vu Dinh Thang, military attache of the Vietnamese embassy, said the Academy is associated with the undying exploits of the three generals of Korea. All the members of the military attaches corps are firmly convinced that the academy would achieve greater success in carrying out its tasks in hearty response to the behests of President Kim Il Sung and the teachings of General Kim Jong Il, Supreme Commander, he added.

Iranian embassy officials visit victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- Iranian ambassador to Korea Mohammad Ganjidoost and embassy officials here visited the victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum on April 22 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between the DPRK and Iran. The guests looked round with keen interest the historic mementoes and exhibits, being briefed on the fact that the Korean people and people's army soldiers under the wise guidance of President Kim Il Sung defeated the U.S. aggressors who boasted of being the "strongest" in the world and defended the dignity of the nation in the last fatherland liberation war.

Cambodian King sends floral basket to Korean embassy

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia, sent a floral basket to the Korean embassy on April 14 a day before Sun's Day. A delegation of the General Affairs Department of the Royal Palace headed by Uok Kunh, deputy secretary of state, upon the authorisation of the King, paid a call at the embassy to lay a floral basket before the portraits of President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il. The head of the delegation said on the occasion of the most significant Sun's Day they were delighted to have the honor of presenting the floral basket to President Kim Il Sung, the benefactor of the Cambodian government.

Secretary Choe Thae Bok meets CPC delegation

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- Choe Thae Bok, alternate member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), met and had a talk with a delegation of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) headed by deputy secretary Sun Chunlan at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on April 22. On hand were Choe Jin Su, Vice-Director of a Department of the WPK Central Committee, and Li Bin, charge d'affaires ad interim of Chinese embassy in Pyongyang. The head of the delegation said that the China-Korea friendship was a deep rooted one forged by Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai, comrade Deng Xiaoping and President Kim Il Sung and this friendship is a global model in development of relations between states. Sun Chunlan stressed that they will make every possible effort to develop the traditional friendship between China and Korea.

KPA smashes 5,600 provocations of enemy

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- The heroic Korean People's Army (KPA) has smashed some 5,600 military provocations of the enemy from the beginning of the year and reliably defended the security of the country and the gains of the revolution. The KPA units have established the militant spirit of training and prepared all the servicemen to be a-match-for-a-hundred combatants who are able to defeat any formidable imperialist army at a stroke. From early this year, the soldiers of the three services have kept themselves in full combat readiness and resolutely shattered the enemy's frantic military provocations. When the enemy staged joint air war exercises, a long-distance nonstop flight and bombing training, a large-scale sea mobile drill and other manoeuvres against the north, the KPA took self-defensive military actions to cope with them so that the enemy's aggressive moves were frustrated and the grave danger of war removed. The KPA soldiers creditably defended frontline posts with utmost revolutionary vigilance and smashed such dangerous provocations as gun firing and infiltration of enemy soldiers in the areas. In this way, the KPA has fully demonstrated the militant spirit of answering the enemy's appeasement strategy with revolutionary principles, and invasion with a revolutionary war. It has also demonstrated its invincible might and strong determination to mercilessly annihilate the aggressors.

Pro-Japanese sycophancy of S. Korean regime

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- The South Korean authorities, at a "Cabinet Meeting" on Tuesday, decided to pay "government support money" to "comfort women" who were forced to serve the Japanese imperialist aggression army in the past, from this year's budget reserve and refrain from demanding a compensation from the Japanese government, according to a radio report from Seoul. The decision is indicative of the new regime's pro-Japanese sycophancy. Not only the "comfort women" but local and world public opinions express indignation at the blackest crime of the aggression army and strongly urge the Japanese government to honestly apologize for the crime and make an adequate compensation. Contrary to this, however, the South Korean authorities are kowtowing to Japan, which has evaded a proper apology and compensation, while talking about the "settlement of the past" with Japan and "establishment of new bilateral relations." The South Korean council of measures for the volunteers' corps, in a press conference, criticized the new regime and urged it to demand a compensation from the Japanese government.

Scientific symposium held by Koreans in Russia

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- Koreans in Russia had a scientific symposium on the imperishable revolutionary exploits of President Kim Il Sung in Moscow on April 10 to mark Sun's Day. Ro Yong Jin, Chairman of the United Confederation of Koreans in Moscow, made a report under the title "Comrade Kim Il Sung is the eternal sun who rendered great services to the nation and humankind", and speeches followed. The reporter and speakers spoke highly of the President's greatness and his imperishable revolutionary exploits.

Independent politics and leader

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- Hong Pha of the Institute of Political Affairs in South Korea published an article titled "independent politics and leader," according to Seoul-based radio Voice of National Salvation. The article praises President Kim Il Sung as the pioneer of independent politics. It says: The proclamation of the "Down-With Imperialism Union" and the Juche idea was a manifestation of the President's steadfast spirit of independence and sovereignty and his will to achieve national liberation and prosperity with the efforts of the Korean people and in their way. It is right to say that since then, the Korean nation's history of independence and the era of independence of humankind have developed. The President, with an independent position and standpoint centred on the people, formed the anti-Japanese guerrilla army, liberated the country, founded a new-type independent party guided by the Juche idea, established Korean-style Democratic People's Republic suitable to the actual conditions of the country and built regular armed forces by founding the Korean People's Army which inherited the brilliant traditions of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle. As he guided the people and the country with independent politics in his whole life, the north of Korea could develop as a powerful socialist state, independent, self-reliant and self-supporting in national defence, a state with great potentials. The article lauds General Kim Jong Il as the incarnation of independent politics. It says: The cause of independent politics pioneered by President Kim Il Sung has been successfully carried forward by General Kim Jong Il. The General's political faith and political creed boil down to the word "our style." The north has maintained independence without making a slightest concession in confrontation with powers, undaunted by outsiders' monstrous pressure, thanks to the independent politics of General Kim Jong Il, who is never yielding to any storms. It can be said that the world's political axis has changed from the Soviet-U.S. confrontation to the DPRK-U.S. confrontation. U.S. President Bill Clinton exceptionally sent General Kim Jong Il a letter officially promising the implementation of the DPRK-U.S. framework agreement, using the nomenclature of the north and calling him the supreme leader. General Kim Jong Il is taking the van in creditably defending socialism of the north with the faith and will of independent politics. The forced march for the final victory offers a glimpse of the spirit of his independent politics.

Vice-Premier Jang Chol meets Pakistani delegation

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- Vice-Premier and Minister of Culture and the Arts Jang Chol met and had a talk with the visiting delegation of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of Pakistan led by Anwarul Haq Ramay, parliamentary secretary for information, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today. Present there were O Song Chol, Vice-Chairman of the Information Committee of the DPRK, and Rehmdil Bhatti, Pakistani ambassador to Korea. The head of the delegation said that they have kept in their mind reverence for President Kim Il Sung, who greatly contributed to the development of friendly relations between the two countries. Noting that the government and people of Pakistan value the friendship between the two countries, he voiced support for the efforts of the Korean people to reunify the country peacefully without foreign interference. He expressed the belief that the Korean people will achieve greater success in socialist construction under the wise leadership of General Kim Jong Il.

Mt. Jongbang

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- From olden times Mt. Jongbang has been well known in Korea for its unique beauty and its abundance of historic relics. This 481 m-high mountain, situated in North Hwanghae Province south of Pyongyang, was created as a result of the weathering of quartzite and mica slate in the form of square (Jongbang means square in Korean), from which the name came. In spring the mountain is all ablaze with sweet-scented pink azalea, apricot, peach, pear and cherry blossoms. The summer greenery and the autumn maples are truly attractive. Many animal species, such as roe deer, Korean water-deer and pheasants, live in the woods. Walking through the forest one sees grand views of wall-like rocks, green pines rooted in the sheer cliffs, the roaring cascade and acrystal stream. The mountain preserves many valuable relics of the Koryo dynasty (918-1392). The outstanding relic is the Jongbang fortress. The fortress with a circumference of 12 km along the ridges and over the hills, covers an area of 2 square kilometres. It hands down many stories about our ancestors' heroic struggle aganist the invaders. During the Imjin patriotic war, the righteous army and people camped in the fortress beat the Japanese who invaded as far as Hwanghae Province. The incredible valour displayed by our soldiers terribly scared the enemy. One soldier, for example, though heavily wounded, plunged single-handed into the enemy camp and beat them down. Our soldiers dug lakes near the fortress and when the munitions ran out they fought by showering stones and water upon the enemy. The Rojok (pile of grains) peak has this story: greatly exhausted in the battle, the enemy attempted to starve the soldiers in the fortress to death by tightening the encirclement. But seeing through the enemy's trick, our soldiers covered the peak with rush-mat and straw overnight to be seen as a large stack of grain. Seeing it, the enemy became dispirited and finally gave up. Mt. Jongbang boasts of the Songbul temple built in 898. It was seriously damaged by the agregssors' bombing during the Fatherland Liberation War but was restored after the war. The hip-saddle roofs and the columns of the temple make a charming balance. One of the temple's six buildings is the Sansin Pavilion. Our forefathers frequented this pavilion to pray for their future welfare in the heaven. The pavilion was the haunt of the poor. But the welfare our ancestors so aspired to has become a reality today. President Kim Il Sung visited the mountain many times and gave specific tasks to build it up as a fine holiday resort for the working people. Now the mountain provides a fine pleasure ground for people to enjoy their holidays. The Jongbang teahouse, equipped with modern dining facilities indoor and outdoor, the angling sites covering 8,300 square metres, the sightseeing routes, stone tables and chairs and clean springs all were built newly to provide comfortable recreation. The mountain is a tourist attraction. This year people had gala may day celebrations there. That day General Kim Jong Il, who is carrying into effect President Kim Il Sung's plan, gave personal guidance to provide more comforts at the pleasure ground for people. Looking around the ground General Kim Jong Il studied the progress made in building up the ground and five highly important instructions for turning the mountain into a better holiday resort soon the cultural equipment for use in sports, amusement and mountaineering will be installed.

Talks between Kim Jung Rin and Indian party leader

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) -- Talks between Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee Kim Jung Rin and visiting General Secretary of the All-India Forward Bloc Central Committee Debabrata Biswas were held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today. They informed each other of their parties' activities and discussed developing friendly relations between the two parties and some matters of common concern.