Kim Jong Il inspects forward command post of KPA unit

Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -General Secretary Kim Jong Il inspected the forward command post of KPA unit no. 622 on Sunday. He climbed up to the forward command post on the mountain top, looked over the unit's defence theatre and a nearby enemy position, learned about the topography, deployment of forces and enemy situation and heard a report from the unit's commander on the situation. He went round military facilities set up by the unit and praised the soldiers for turning the unit's operational theatres into an impregnable fortress so that they could defeat any formidable enemy at one stroke. Looking at trust-worthy soldiers who defend the outpost of the motherland reliably, he said the country is unassailable, defended by the KPA, which is filled with the spirit of defending the leader at the cost of life, the spirit of human bomb and the spirit of suicidal attack. He urged all the soldiers to consolidate the defence theatre as an iron wall to cope with intensified enemy provocations for new war. He gave the unit important tasks to increase its fighting efficiency in every way. He gave the unit's soldiers a pair of binoculars and an automatic rifle and had a picture taken with them by the trench on the mountain. He then enjoyed a performance given by the art propaganda squad of KPA combined unit no. 233.

U.S. urged to stop Rimpac '98 military manoeuvres

Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- If the U.S. truly wants security in the Korean peninsula and the rest of Asia, it must stop Rimpac '98 military manoeuvres, says Rodong Sinmun in a signed commentary today. The news analyst says: The warmaniacs of the U.S. plan to stage Rimpac '98 multinational military manoeuvres with the U.S. troops as the main force in July, raising a hue and cry over the imaginary "invasion" by the north of Korea. Their attempt poses a grave threat to peace and security in Asia. The manoeuvres is mainly aimed at the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This is proved by the fact that the manoeuvres is participated in by the U.S. marine mobile strike force which will respond to the "emergency" on the Korean peninsula and more importance is attached to the Japanese "self-defence forces" and the South Korean puppet army in the planned manoeuvres. The U.S. attempt to stifle the DPRK by allied force of arms and establish domination over the Korean peninsula is a daydream.

Hanchongryon grows stronger

Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- The South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) grows stronger in the teeth of the fascist suppression by the South Korean puppets, says Rodong Sinmun today. The news analyst says: Hanchongryon includes 177 universities and colleges throughout South Korea with 127 universities and colleges re-entering into the organisation after their defection from it owing to the puppets' vicious "operations to dissolve it". The growth of Hanchongryon manifests the unbreakable will of the South Korean students to defend their organisation and accomplish its cause without fail= it is sending a tremor through the present puppet rulers, who were making desperate efforts to obliterate Hanchongryon. The puppets employed every possible crafty technique and resorted to fascist suppression, while refusing to grant funds to the universities and colleges which had not defected from Hanchongryon and threatening not to give the graduates of the universities and colleges a chance to get a job. In the situation the sixth-term Hanchongryon was successfully inaugurated with due ceremony and 127 universities and colleges re-entered into the organisation. The credit is the South Korean students' confidence in the victory of the just cause of Hanchongryon. The South Korean puppets' suppression goes only to add to the fighting spirit of Hanchongryon.

No "Japanese missing person" in DPRK = KCNA commentary =

Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- The Japanese authorities are slandering the Democratic People's Republic of Korea over the issue of "Japanese missing persons." They are alleging that there are ten Japanese missing persons in the DPRK and demanding their early repatriation. In this regard, we make clear again that there exist no "Japanese missing persons" in the DPRK territory and that they neither entered nor stayed temporarily here. This is an irrefutable conclusion of our detailed searching operation. Though the Japanese authorities' allegation was nonsense, we, from the humanitarian point of view, carried out an intensive search for the missing persons for five months with the mobilization of the Ministry of Public Security and other organs of the DPRK. However, missing persons were found out nowhere in the DPRK. The results of the searching operation show that the Japanese authorities have despicably tried to obstruct the normalization of DPRK-Japan ties with such a groundless allegation.

Guinean President on reunification of Korea

Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- Guinean President Lansana Conte said that the Guinean government and people would always support the Korean people in the struggle for national reunification when he met the Korean ambassador to his country. The proposal for reunification put forward by General Kim Jong Il is a fair and just one of great significance in accelerating Korean reunification, he noted. He sincerely wished Kim Jong Il a long life in good health and great achievments in his noble work of successfully inheriting the cause of President Kim Il Sung.

Popular scientific films

Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- The scienfitic film group of the Korean Documentary and Scientific Film Studio has recently released a lot of scientific films of various themes. Films which deal with the long history of the Korean nation and scientific and technical matters gain the spotlight. The film "Juche era" deals with the features of the era, the position in the history of humankind, the importance of its institution and unquestioned support of the people at home and abroad for it. The film "Mausoleum of Wang Gon, Father-King of the Koryo Dynasty" shows the mausoleum of King Wang Gon which was built on an expansion basis and says that the king played an important role in the development of the Korean history. Wang Gon founded Koryo, the first unified state of Korea which lasted 475 years from 918. Kaesong on the demarcation line was the then capital of Koryo and the mausoleum of King Wang Gon is in the city. The film "Building of Minor Power Plants" says in plain language various scientific and technical questions concerning the building of minor power stations in keeping with the requirement of the realities. The films which give a truthful depiction of new research results helpful to the nation's economic development and the improvement of the people's living standards include "Data of Microbes Helping Plants to Feed on Underground Phosphorus," "Let Us Actively Use Waste Materials," "White Rice-like Kaoliang" and "Sugar Cane".

Successes gained in local industry

Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- Korea observes June 7 every year as the Day of Local Industry. On the occasion, the local industry factories throughout the country are gaining greater successes in production. The industrial output value of mass consumer goods recently increased 26 percent in a little more than one month compared with the same period last year, according to director Yang Se Chun of the production guidance department of the Ministry of Local Industries. The South Phyongan Provincial Associated Bureau for the Local Industry showed the 67 percent growth in production of mass consumer goods and the Jagang Pronvincial Associated Bureau for the Local Industry 46 percent growth. The Tokchon foodstuff processing factory, the Hwangju housewives' cooperative and many factories and enterprises are increasing the variety and quantity of mass consumer goods by making an effective use of local raw and other materials. More efforts are directed to the modernisation of local industry factories. Local industry factories in Haeju, Wonsan and other places of the country built production processes and equipment along new and modern lines. Local industry factories are building bases of raw materials under a far-reaching plan. The recent three years witnessed more bases of raw materials covering an area of more than 10,000 hectares, taking the country as the whole. Local industry factories of Korea are pushing ahead with a drive to tap and use potentials and reserves for production to the maximum, drawing on local raw materials.

Eye-witnesses indict

Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- More data concerning the crimes the Japanese imperialists had committed against the "comfort women for the army" were recently confirmed in Chongjin, a port city on the east coast of Korea. Dr. Kim Tok Ho of the Grand People' Study House and Pak Chan Guk, an instructor of the North Hamgyong Provincial Administrative and Economic Committee, made an on-the-spot survey to uncover the truth. Old Kim Tuk Man, Nam Ku Hyon, Ryu Mi Gang and Ho Ku Jom in Pangjin-dong, Chongam district (Pangjin-ri, Phunghae subcounty, Kyonghung county, north Hamgyong Province, in pre-liberation days) testified to the crimes. With a view to making war preparations for continental invasion after an event in Manchuria the Japanese imperialists built a base of "a special offensive group of the navy in Rajin" and set up two "comfort centres" for the exclusive use of the navy. The buildings of the centres and checkup station are in the main preserved in the original state. Girls at the age of 15 to 20 who were taken to the place on the excuse of "introduction of jobs" and "women working volunteer corps" were in the "Phunghae pavilion" and "Unwol pavilion", the comfort centres for the exclusive use of the navy. The two comfort centres had 25 and 15 girls respectively. The comfort women were called "Haruko," "Yoshiko," "Kiyoko" and other Japanese names, deprived of their Korean surnames and names and chances of going outside and having postal exchange. According to the eye-witnesses, not a single day has passed without piercing cries of the girls who were forced to brutal sexual services. Though they were suffering from undernourishment and tuberclosis caused by indescribable maltreatment and hunger, they had to offer sexual services to Japanese soldiers. They often had to do so for 20 soldiers a day. They were raped by the Japs in the base every day and by the sailers aboard the warships on Wednesdays and Sundays and in turn by the sailers in daytime and officers in the evening. The Japs standing in a queue on the ground of the "comfort centres" were vying with one another for first place. A comfort woman called Nam Chun Ja, unable to put up with the sexual slavery, tried to run away, but was tortured to death. In those days the residents buried her corpse without the knowledge of the Japs after being thrown in a valley. Her tomb still remains. This is only the part of the crimes the Japanese imperialists committed against the "comfort women" in Korea. Japan must pay dearly for its past crimes in any circumstances. The Japanese imperialists reduced nearly 200,000 Korean women to sex slaves for the army.

Two-crop farming in northern highlands

Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- Seeding for two-crop farming was done for the first time on the Paektusamcholli plain on the highlands 1,000 to 1,200 metres above sea level. Vegetable seeds are to be sown for following crop cultivation after reaping barley as the preceding crop on the Taehongdan county integrated farm. With encouragement given to two-cropping in recent years, this farming system has so far been introduced mainly in the areas south of Hamhung and Jongju, which are in the mid-portion of Korea. Agricultural experts are showing interest in seeding for two-crop farming in northen highlands.