NDFSK lashes out at anticommunist campaign in S. Korea
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) made public a statement on August 1 vehemently denouncing the present South Korean regime for rigging up a "case of underground revolutionary headquarters of the North and South Kyongsang Provincial Committee of the NDFSK," according to Seoul-based radio Voice of National Salvation.
Branding this as an anti-social, anti-democratic case woven with deception and fabrication, the spokesman said:
The case shows that, upset by the intensified national democratic movement including the labour movement, the present rulers are desperately trying to stifle it by inventing "procommunist cases" as the dictators of the "fifth and sixth republics" did.
They are premeditatedly rigging up "cases" in a bid to find a way out of its serious crisis in suppressing the labour movement which has appeared as the main obstacle in the way of maintaining their regime and in dampening the ardent desire for reconciliation and unity between the north and the south.
What cannot be overlooked is the fact that they cooked up a dastardly "procommunist case" against the NDFSK.
The present rulers must release unwarrantably arrested champions of the labour movement without delay and put an immediate end to the brutal suppression of national democratic movement forces.
S. Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade dismissed
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- The South Korean Chief Executive on August 4 dismissed Pak Jong Su from the post of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
He, for the purpose of removing the current diplomatic friction with Russia caused by the South Korean spy case, shifted the blame for the friction onto Pak.
Foreign ministers of Russia and South Korea met to settle the diplomatic dispute over the deportation of diplomats but in vain.
Russia demanded South Korea produce evidence, saying that the deportation of a Russian Councillor was wholly unjustifiable.
It also put pressure upon South Korea to recall several members of the "Agency for National Security Planning" who had been active in Russia in the name of "diplomats". Driven into a tight corner, the present South Korean ruler dismissed Pak Jong Su.
S. Korean authorities denounced for trying to destroy August 15 pro-reunification festival
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- The South Korean authorities said that in case the south headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification (Pomminryon) and the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) force the August 15 pro - reunification event, they will arrest the prime movers and prime backers and keep those organizations from joining other public organisations in pro-reunification event.
A spokesman for the north headquarters of Pomminryon issued a statement on August 5 in this regard.
The statement bitterly condemns the utterances of the South Korean authorities, considering them a challenge to the desire of the nation for reunification and an unbearable Insult to all patriotic political parties, organisations and prominent figures at home and abroad in a struggle for the success of the August 15 grand, pro-reunification festival, a nationwide event.
It goes on:
The South Korean authorities are attempting to describe Pan-Korea Rally and a grand, pro-reunification festival of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country's Reunification (Pomchonghakryon) as "pro-north, enemy-benefiting events" and nip them in the bud. The attempt is designed to throw a wet blanket over the desire of the fellow countrymen for great unity and destroy the August 15 grand, pro-reunification festival. It more vividly proves that the self-styled "people's government" of South Korea is a herd of traitors who want neither national unity nor reunification.
The South Korean authorities should stop unreasonably describing Pomminryon south headquarters and Hachongryon as "enemy-benefiting organisations" and allow their free reunification movement and participation in the grand festival.
Poem song
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- Ralainarivo Noel Harvey, a section chief of the Ministry of Revolutionary Culture and Art of Madagascar, wrote a poem "paean to the sun" in praise of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
In the poem he praised President Kim Il Sung as the great sun of the 20th century that lightened the new era of independence with the torch of Juche. Peoples across the world visit Mangyongdae, his birthplace, praising his exploits, the poem said.
The poem said General Secretary Kim Jong Il is the great leader of the era of independence and the great sun of the 21st century who is tending the eternal spring and the flower garden of independence for mankind.
It also said that Kim Jong Il is a master of ideology and theory, a genius of creation and construction and the father of all peoples and his immortal feats are too enormous to be reflected in poems and melodies.
The poet earnestly called for defending and upholding him with faith and conscience for a peaceful and free new century.
Japanese authorities urged to honestly apologize for past crimes
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- A DPRK delegate addressed a discussion on women's development at the meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council held in New York on July 28.
Pointing out that the major obstacle to women's development is violence against women, he said:
The past Japanese government and military forced nearly 200,000 Korean women to render wartime sexual services as "comfort women for the army."
The "comfort women" case was discussed in international conferences and resolutions urging the Japanese authorities to apologize for this, punish criminals and compensate the victims were adopted. Wartime sexual slavery, however, is still being forced in many areas of the world.
This is ascribable to Japan's refusal to liquidate its past.
The past crimes which have not yet been liquidated is the root cause of today's crimes.
The Japanese authorities must honestly apologize for the past, adopt a political determination to make a governmental atonement for this and translate it into practice at once.
Meeting on Japan's wartime forcible drafting
Tokyo, August 4 (KNS) -- A meeting was held in Osaka on August 1 on Japan's wartime forcible drafting of Koreans.
A video tape "indelible bruise" was screened at the meeting. And a member of the delegation of the DPRK measure committee for demanding compensation to "comfort women for the army" and victims of the Pacific War made a report "drafting and labour forced on Koreans by Japanese imperialism."
Then, testimonies were made by Kim Se Guk, who had been taken to Japan for forced labour, and Ri Kyong Saeng, who had been forced to serve the "imperial army" as a sex slave.
Kim and Ri are now residing in the DPRK.
Professor of Kansai University Tatsuo Okamura said that through the testimonies he came to be fully aware of the flagrant violation of human rights by Japan.
Okamura is the head of the Japanese side to the Osaka Prefecture Fact-Finding Group on forcible drafting of Koreans.
He called for urging the Japanese government to open all the crime-related data to the public so as to probe the truth behind the crime, opposing the moves to beautify the past and making efforts for the normalization of Japan-DPRK diplomatic relations.
Present at the meeting were Japanese people and Korean residents.
Jong Ju Yong-donated cattle quarantined
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- The quarantine of 500 cattle donated by Jong Ju Yong, Honorary Chairman of the South Korean "Hyun Dai Business Group," has been finished.
They, the first instalment of the donation, will be sent to Rosang-ri, Thongchon county, Kangwon Province, and other areas designated by Jong.
Gifts to Kim Jong Il from foreign guests
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il received gifts from foreign guests on a visit to Korea.
The gifts were handed to officials concerned by deputy chief of the general staff Xiong Guangkai, who is heading the military friendship delegation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and George Galloway, Senior Vice-Chairman of the British Parliamentary Labour Party Foreign Affairs Committee.
And, a gift sent to Kim Jong Il by the Central Committee of the Nepali Sadbhavna Party was handed to an official concerned by its President Gajendra Narayan Singh.
DPRK officials meet foreign guests
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- Vice-President Ri Jong Ok, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, met and had a talk with the delegation of the Nepali Sadbhavna Party led by its President Gajendra Narayan Singh at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
Vice-President Pak Song Chol met and conversed with George Galloway, Senior Vice-Chairman of the British Parliamentary Labour Party Foreign Affairs Committee, and his companion.
Jo Myong Rok, Director of the General Political Department of the Korean People's Army, on Wednesday met and had a talk with the military friendship delegation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army led by Lieut. General Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of the CPLA general staff.