Kangwon Province of Korea hit by high tidal waves
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- Kangwon Province of Korea has been hit by high tidal waves.
Between June 2 and 3, northeast wind of 13-18 metres per second and tidal waves as high as 3-4 metres as well as more than 170 mm of rain hit hard agriculture, fishing and other domains of the national economy on the eastern coast including Kangwon Province.
According to conservative estimate, thousands of hectares of paddy rice fields and wheat, barley and potato fields in Anbyon, Thongchon, Kosong and other counties in the Province were submerged as of June 3, making it impossible to supply food to people in June and July.
At the same time, irrigation networks and roads were destroyed, hundreds of pylons fell down, scores of ships were damaged or drifted on to the land by waves.
Emergency relief operations and survey of damage are going on in affected areas.
Reception given to mark birthday of Raul Castro Ruz
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea gave a reception at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on June 3 to mark the 67th birthday of Raul Castro Ruz, Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and First Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of the Republic of Cuba.
Invited to the reception were Jose Ramon Rodriguez Varona, Cuban ambassador to Korea, and embassy officials.
Secretary Kye Ung Thae of the WPK Central Committee, addressing the reception, said that Raul Castro made a pre-eminent contribution to the victory of the Cuban revolution, and spoke highly of his great achievements in defending the gains of the Cuban revolution and socialist cause.
Every possible effort will be made to further strengthen and develop the revolutionary bonds forged between the two parties and two countries, true to the lofty intention of General Kim Jong Il who is paying deep attention to upgrading the friendly relations between the two parties, peoples of the two countries and the two armies, he added.
In his reply the Cuban ambassador said the fraternal relations of friendship which are very instrumental in making a closer unity of the two parties and peoples and armies of the two countries are a source of the strength, which is based on the common ideology, to more firmly defend socialism in the face of economic difficulties and vicious pressure from imperialists.
The solid friendship and unity between the two countries based on the intimacy between the supreme leader of the Cuban revolution Fidel and Raul and the great leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are growing stronger and developing, he added.
Japan hit for trying to embellish history of aggression
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the DPRK-Japan Amity and Friendship Association released a statement on June 3 denouncing Japan for having recently produced and screening a film aimed at embellishing her history of aggression, turning a deaf ear to strong protests of the world people.
The statement laid bare the brutal atrocities of Hideki Tojo, a-class war criminal of the Second World War, adding that in producing and screening the film denying the stark facts of history Japan seeks to cover up the crime-woven history and avoid an apology and compensation to the peoples of Asian countries, including the Koreans.
It also described this as an open trick to turn Japan into a military power and imbue the Japanese with militarism for overseas expansion.
For Japan to release the film of no value which is engendering strong resistance even among the Japanese is an open mockery of and an insult to the Asian people, including the Korean people, who had undergone indescribable sufferings caused by Japan, it said.
Japan should look squarely at the trend of the times and act with discretion, which will be helpful to the Japanese people, as well as world peace and security, it said, adding that the Korean people will never tolerate Japan's moves to turn herself into a military power, but settle the account with her to the end.
S. Korean puppets' suppression of labour movement flailed
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- Workers of the Pyongyang Thermal Power Complex, the Kim Jong Thae General Electric Locomotive Works and the October 5 General Automation Factory held meetings to denounce the South Korean puppets for brutally suppressing the labour movement.
Speakers said that the massive struggle of South Korean workers against the misrule of the puppet clique is a very just one for their dignity and vital rights.
They further said:
The South Korean puppets have issued one repressive order after another to "strongly suppress" the struggle of workers for vital rights, branding it as "violent demonstration", and launched a wholesale roundup racket against the demonstrators.
This shows that the present South Korean rulers are following in the footsteps of their fascist predecessors who had been hell bent on the brutal suppression of people.
The more frantically the fascist clique cracks down upon workers, the greater resistance of the workers and people it will face. And it will perish in the fierce flame of their struggle.
What does 100 days in S. Korea show?
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today comments on what took place in South Korea over the past 100 days since the change of regime.
In this period, the new regime, which styles itself a "government of people," has carried forward the traitorous politics of the successive flunkeyist, fascist and anti-reunification dictatorial regimes, the daily says, and continues:
The South Korean puppet rulers' politics finds no sign of independence. They shape all policies, depending on outsiders. They are trying to revive the economy, which has been ruined due to foreign capital, by introducing more foreign capital, and calling for "powerful joint defense preparedness" with the united states.
Worse still, they say they will have dialogue with the north, which pertains to internal affairs of the nation, through "close consultation with foreign countries" including the United States and Japan.
"Democratic politics" advertised by the present regime has revealed its true colors as fascist, repressive politics. It, instead of eliminating the fascist laws and repressive tools which have been foundations of the successive fascist dictatorship, is seeking to strengthen their function.
Due to such steps of the new regime, national reunification is far off. The South Korean authorities have answered our just proposals and sincere efforts with the escalating anti-reunification, anti-north confrontation and war moves.
What they have done in the period shows that their advertisement about the "government of people" is hypocrisy, they are carrying forward the anti-nation, anti-democracy and anti-reunification policies of their predecessors and are getting more frantic in pursuing such policies.
They must draw a lesson from the crime-woven 100 days and seek national independence, reconciliation and reunification to meet the demand of the South Korean people and to satisfy the desire of the fellow countrymen.
All the fellow countrymen will keep a watchful eye on their attitude.
Illegitimate "treaty" urged to be abolished
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- The United States should abolish the illegitimate "Mutual Defense Treaty" with the South Korean puppets instead of rewriting it, urges Rodong Sinmun in a commentary today.
Through the revision of the "treaty," the United States seeks to specify the target and scope of "mutual defense" and the "cooperation plan" and make it certain that its troops will be kept in South Korea even after the reunification of Korea.
It is now examining the readjustment of Japan-South Korea "security cooperation" in connection with the new "U.S.-Japan Security Cooperation Guidelines."
The daily says the U.S. plan to revise the "treaty" is prompted by a very dangerous intention.
It further says:
What the United States wants through the revision of the "treaty" is to keep its military presence in South Korea and East Asia indefinitely and secure and maintain supremacy over the Asia-Pacific region with the policy of strength.
It intends to keep western powers from advancing to the Asia-Pacific region with its 100,000 troops stationed in South Korea and other east Asian region as the main combat force, and rule supreme in the region.
For this purpose, it needs a legal ground for keeping its troops indefinitely in the region. This is why it is going to rewrite the "treaty."
Another purpose sought by the United States through the revision of the "treaty" is to technically form the "triangular military alliance" aiming at the DPRK and build a combined forces system.
The United States also intends to organize a NATO-type military bloc, form an encirclement ring around independent countries of Asia and those countries which challenge it and contain them with military pressure and pincer attacks.
We will never tolerate such dangerous moves to stifle our republic with military force.
If the United States continues getting on our nerve with military threat and hostile policies, breaking its promise, we will be left with no other choice but to make a proper option.
New esculent plant zone
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- A new esculent plant zone has been recently created at the central botanical garden located in the area of Mt. Taesong in Pyongyang.
Occupying an area of more than 20,000 square metres, the zone has 16 species of special fruit trees including white apricot and faggot.
They came to President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il from different countries as gifts.
They grow stoutly, acclimatized to the climatic and natural features of Korea.
Drawing the attention of visitors are Pyongyang jujube and September jujube trees with particularly big fruits.
The Pyongyang white apricot the is very popular among visitors. Its fruit is as big as an egg and tasty and delicious. So, it bears a high yield.
Chestnut trees of various species including Taesong, Oun, Jangsan and Mangyong are high-yielding trees. The size of their fruits is 3 to 4 times that of other chestnut trees.
Besides, there grow delicious peach, plum and sweet cherry trees of new species and vitamin trees.
The work is going on in the zone to disseminate more than 600,000 saplings of the rare and useful fruit trees across the country in a few years by propagating them on a large scale.
In the meantime, it sends sample trees to botanical gardens in all provinces as well as technical directions of their growth and cultivation.
Haitai group dissolved in S. Korea
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- The Haitai group of South Korea was dissolved on June 1 with the increasing number of the business groups which went bankrupt by financial crisis, according to a Seoul-based radio report.
The major creditor bank made such a decision and announced that Haitai circulation and other affiliated companies would be sold out to foreign enterprises.
Even though the group sells all its affiliated companies, its debt to the tune of 800 billion won will not be paid off.
Songhwa Art Studio
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- An art exhibition has recently been held at the Pyongyang International House of Culture, sponsored by the Songhwa Art Studio.
On diplay were Korean paintings, oil paintings, woodcut prints and sculptures. It was favourably received by visitors.
Though the Songhwa Art Studio is only three years old, it has experienced artists, whose career, on average, is 45 years and their age ranges from 64 to 84.
Before the studio was inaugurated, some artists were teaching at the Pyongyang University of Fine Arts and still others were working at the Mansudae Art Studio, a leading art creation centre, and other art institutions.
Some already retired from their official posts, but never stopped following their vocational job.
Before Korea's liberation from Japanese rule, most of artists were not provided with opportunities to fully develop their talents. Liberation came and their abilities began to spread their artistic wings under the warm care shown by General Kim Il Sung.
Then came the Korean War (June 25, 1950). Many artists in South Korea joined the Korean People's Army to be taken into the heart of the DPRK. Since then, they were able to give full play to their abilities. In the course of this, many great art works were created. In recognition of their distinguished services to the country, some were awarded the title of people's and merited artist.
Time has passed, and their hair has turned gray. Grateful for the favours the state has shown to them they were always eager to repay them to the last moment of their lives. The government was quick to grasp their minds. That was how the Songhwa Art Studio came into being in Juche 84 (1995).
The old painters are provided with full conditions for art creation. Though now well up in years, they are still full of vigor like the pine tree which stands, withstanding the most violent storms.
The masterpieces created by people's artists Rim Hong Un, Ryu Hwan Gi, Pak Jin Su, Ri Kun Hwa, Yu Hung Sop, Ri Won In have been well-reputed at home and abroad.
Some 1,400 pieces were created, of which 1,000 pieces met a ready sell abroad.
Their youthful vigor is revealed in powerful, graceful and soft touches.
Their simple wish is epitomized in the words "more and better works for our socialist country."