60th birthday dinner for athletic trainer Sin Kum Dan
Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il sent a 60th birthday dinner to Sin Kum Dan, an athletic trainer of the Amnokgang Sports Group on July 29.
She has been active as athlete and then trainer of the Amnokgang Sports Group from 1958.
She gained 29 gold medals in international games and broke the world record 11 times, exalting the honor of the DPRK.
She also renewed the national record 25 times and bagged 280 gold medals.
She is the first people's sportswoman of Korea and Kim Il Sung Prize winner.
Rodong Sinmun lashes out at utterances of S. Korean Defence Minister
Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) -- Chon Yong Thaek, Minister of National Defence of South Korea, blared that the "North is the sworn enemy" till the north and the south of Korea are reunified. Branding his utterances as an unprecedentedly serious incident, Rodong Sinmun today warns that the warmaniacs will pay dearly for this.
An analyst of the paper says:
Chon's balderdash represents the stand of the present South Korean authorities who do not regard the people in the north as fellow countrymen and proves that the puppets seek only confrontation and war against the north.
Successive South Korean rulers let loose strings of provocative remarks. But none of them officially branded the north as the "sworn enemy" as Chon openly did.
The South Korean warmongers must take responsibilities for bringing the north-south relations to the worst phase by spelling out utterances seriously getting on the nerve of the north and pay dearly for this.
They must immediately apologize for uttering rash words, withdraw the utterances in question and remove warmaniac Chon Yong Thaek from his post.
By doing so, they must clearly show that they will not repeat rash acts again.
Reckless war moves against north
Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) -- The South Korean rulers are pushing ahead with war preparations against the north, while staging adventurous war games. This is an open challenge to the north, which can never be tolerated. Minju Joson says this in a commentary today.
The news analyst says:
The South Korean authorities staged a chemical-biological-radioactive field mobile training of units of the puppet army and a "tactical communication network drill" in downtown Seoul on July 28. This shows that they are spurring on war preparations against the north.
We demanded the South Korean authorities apologize to the nation for the remarks of the puppet "Minister of Defence" that the north will remain the "sworn enemy" until the north and south are reunified. But they answered our demand with military exercises.
The nation will not pardon warmaniacs overheated with the desire for invasion of the north. They should stop the war racket against the north at once.
Kim Jong Il's leadership for building of socialist government
Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today carries a signed article headlined "great leadership for building invincible socialist government."
The daily says:
Kim Jong Il has built the invincible socialist government. This is the greatest feat performed by him for the prosperity and development of the country and the victory of the socialist cause.
He has made sure above all that the ideas and guidance of the leader were thoroughly applied to the building of the government. He put forward it as the basic way to establish the monolithic ideological system and strengthen the party's leadership in applying the leader's ideas and guidance, and has consistently directed big efforts to its realisation.
Our socialist government led by him never allows any alienable idea, factional element and any attempt to emasculate and obliterate the leader's ideas and guidance.
It always maintains its tradition as the leader's revolutionary government no matter how the world may change.
General Secretary Kim Jong Il has strengthened and developed our government into an invincible one serving the people.
He has made it represent the working masses' right to independence, bring their creative ingenuity into full play, look after their life and protect their independent and creative life. He has guided the power body officials to refrain from abusing authority and indulging in bureaucracy, under the revolutionary slogan "We served the people ".
It is thanks to his wise guidance that the DPRK government is displaying its dignity and might as a true revolutionary government which has struck roots deep among the popular masses and formed a harmonious whole with them, and a powerful instrument of the revolution and construction carrying through the party's policies by dint of the masses' strength and wisdom.
As long as led by him, the DPRK government will steadily strengthen and develop as the revolutionary government of President Kim Il Sung.
Monuments to victory in war
Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) -- Koreans visit the Jonsung Revolutionary Site and Museum to mark the War Victory Day (July 27).
President Kim Il Sung stayed in that place between early 1951 and the end of the Fatherland Liberation War and led the war to brilliant victory.
In Korea museums, historic sites, memorial halls and monuments are built well and used for education of the working people.
The historic site where the supreme command was located in the early period of the war has been restored to its original state. In a half-underground operation room President Kim Il Sung laid down strategy and tactics for each stage of the war and matured his plan for victory in the war.
In April this year, leader Kim Jong Il visited this place, recalled the President's wise leadership and immortal exploits for victory in the war and called for efficient education at the place.
The victorious Fatherland Liberation War museum is on the Pothong River in the capital city.
Exhibited in the museum are data, photographs, sand tables and weapons that explain the struggles of Korean servicemen and civilians and the defeat of the United States.
Near the museum, there is a monument to victory in the Fatherland Liberation War, which was erected in Juche 82 (1993) on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the victory of the Korean people in the war.
The main sculpture "victory" is flanked by groups of sculptures that depict the struggles of ground, naval and air forces of the Korean People's Army and civilians.
The war museum plaza is turned into Jonsung (victorious war) Square.
This area contributes to giving a comprehensive show of the historic victory of the Korean people and to educating servicemen and civilians on revolutionary, militant lines.
Besides, there are a residential quarter, school and subway station named after Jonsung in Pyongyang.
Story about Kim Jong Il's lunch with workers
Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) -- One day in early August Juche 56 (1967), Kim Jong Il was on a local guidance mission for rural communities in Yonggwang county, South Hamgyong Province.
When he stopped near a dam of generating shop no. 5 of the Jangjingang Power Station, workers of the station ran toward him, greatly happy to see him. They were collecting stones on the riverside for repair of the dam, with a tractor standing nearby.
Kim Jong Il shook hands with them each and praised them for hard work.
He asked them to repair the dam well because it is a valuable treasure and heritage of the nation that should be handed down to posterity.
It was past lunchtime, so officials told him it was time to leave.
He said he would share lunch with the workers lest they should feel sad after a pleasant time.
He sat on the concrete floor, surrounded by workers. His lunch was bread, a few side-dishes and nothing else.
He said he was sorry that the lunch with workers was quite simple. He asked them to help themselves enough.
The lunch with him was, however, more significant than any banquet.
After lunch, he told workers he had spent a pleasant time and asked them to work well in good health. He then continued his local guidance trip.
Release of prisoners of conscience called for in S. Korea
Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) -- The religionist council for national reconciliation and reunification in South Korea held a press conference on July 27 and strongly demanded the present chief executive release all prisoners of conscience and withdraw the "system of law-abiding oath" equal to the ideological conversion system, a Seoul-based radio report said.
The council consists of four Christian and Buddhist organisations.
In an open letter to the chief executive it said it is unreasonable to keep behind bars those who have devoted themselves to peace and reunification. The "system of law-abiding oath" is as good as the ideological conversion system violating human rights, it noted.
It published a statement on the same day. The statement demanded the puppet authorities set free all prisoners of conscience without "law-abiding oath" and stop police search for workers and students.
Employment measure urged in S. Korea
Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) -- Members of nine organisations of jobless people and some 300 students under the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon), spent the night in the open air at the Seoul railway station square on July 27 to share the sorrow of unemployment with each other, a Seoul-based radio reported.
While screening video tapes recording the miserable life of unemployed people and staging a rally till 24:00, they denounced the puppet authorities for not taking measures for those who spend nights outdoors.
After the rally, they spent the night with jobless people at the square, urging the puppet authorities to take measures for employment.
In another development, some 200 unionists of the Ulsan Factory under the Hyun Dai Motor Company went to Seoul and started night-spending in the open air" against layoffs.
Third meeting of festival preparatory committee held
Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) -- The third meeting of the preparatory committee for a "grand festival for national reconciliation, unity and reunification" was held here on Thursday.
The meeting reviewed the situation which has prevailed since the second meeting and preparations for the festival and discussed technical matters concerning a successful holding of the festival.
It expressed satisfaction at the festival preparations which have been made as scheduled in the wake of working-level talks of the north, south and overseas preparatory committees and an agreement at the talks on the agenda, program of the festival and other essential matters.
It was stressed at the meeting that the festival is a nationwide gathering for reconciliation and unity which will be held as a practical step for the implementation of the five-point policy of great national unity laid down by General Kim Jong Il, as proposed by the political parties and organizations of the north at a joint conference, and which is aimed at bringing about a radical turn in the efforts for great national unity and reunification this year.
Accordindly, the meeting reemphasized that all the pro-reunification patriotic forces at home and abroad, who aspire after the unity and reunification of the nation and who accede to the content of the agreement adopted at the working-level talks, should closely unite with each other and successfully hold the festival no matter what obstacles may present themselves.
It was also stressed at the meeting that whether or not the South Korean authorities accept our repeated calls for the abrogation of the "National Security Law" and dissolution of the "Agency for National Security Planning" and whether or not they block the participation in the August 15 pro-reunification festival of the South headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification (Pomminryon) and the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) will practically shows whether or not they truly accept our offer for the festival and whether they are willing to improve the relations between the north and the south or continue pursuing the north-south confrontation.
As agreed upon at the three-party working-level talks, it discussed immediate issues related to the holding of the festival including the detailed schedule of the festival, drawing up of draft documents and material preparations for functions and assigned tasks in detail.
Factory surrounded by forest
Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) -- The Chongchongang Machine Factory refreshes the people in mind, as beautiful flowers blooming in and around the factory exude delightful fragrance and give them an impression that they are in a it is surrounded by a thick forest and its compound is tree-clad rest home.
Covered with green foliage. Also visible are broad roads, buildings enclosed with tiny quick-fences, gardens and parks as well as streams which flow nearby.
Although the factory employees were under such difficult conditions as making the forced march, they devoted themselves to fixing up their workplaces and the factory compound, optimistic about the future and with love for their factory.
They paved a new road, dredged and cleaned the streams and laid a turf.
They laid hedges along the roads in the compound, enclosed public buildings, gardens and resting places with hedges with a total length of 6 kilometres. They planted a wide variety of trees and an orchard covering a space of 10 hectares to benefit greatly from it.
There are several fish ponds which occupy an area of 6,000 square metres and are surrounded by willows with long drooping branches. These ponds serve both as fish pond and boating ground.
This spring they planted 20,000 trees of 18 species including pine-nut trees in and around the factory, built flower gardens in various parts of the compound and turfed several thousand square metres of ground, dredged streams in sections as long as several kilometres. Thus they have converted the factory and its vicinity into a dense forest and a large park.
Little wonder that visitors call the factory "a factory in a forest" and "a factory in a park".