Northern religionists demand release of Father Mun

Pyongyang, September 22 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the Korean religious believers council on Monday issued a statement that denounces the South Korean authorities' unreasonable arrest of father Mun Kyu Hyon of the (south) Korean Priests Council for Justice and demands his release. Father Mun had taken part in the August 15 grand pro-reunification festival during his visit to Pyongyang. The statement says: If Mun's visit to the northern half of Korea is a "crime of infiltration and escape," the "Unification Minister" and his men must be thrown behind bars before anyone else because they allowed him to visit the north. If his call for reunification is incriminated, it means that the South Korean authorities' call for "reconciliation," "unity" and "unification" is sham and that they are traitors to the nation and enemies of reunification. If they have a bit of human reason and national conscience, they must apologize to the nation, immediately release father Mun and all other pro-reunification patriots, abolish the anti-reunification "National Security Law" and ensure freedom of patriotic activities for reunification in South Korea.

Biased behaviour

Pyongyang, September 22 (KCNA) -- The president of the UN Security Council after the informal consultation of the Security Council on September 15 made a "press statement" which reflects Japan's stand toward the launch of an artificial satellite in the DPRK. Commenting on this fact, Rodong Sinmun today says: The UN Security Council was egged by Japan with an ulterior political intention to express "concern" and "regret" over the DPRK's launch of the satellite. It is an attitude of negating the actual situation and unfit for an international body. This shows that the UN Security Council is being inveigled into applying double standards, having already lost impartiality. Some countries have launched many satellites but the UN Security Council has never called them in question. That is why the UN Security Council has no reason to call our satellite launch in question. The logic that a country should give prior notification to the countries in the region does not go down with anyone. It is not the DPRK but the Japanese militarist forces that should be warned and called to task. They are giving spurs to the moves of aggression and war, refusing to admit the crime-woven past and to compensate for it. The Japanese government's malicious slander at the DPRK over the satellite launch is chiefly aimed at inventing a pretext and reason to cover up their crimes as the sworn enemy of the Korean people and turn Japan into a military power for aggression and war. No matter who tells this or that and what force interrupts our advance, we will invariably take the road chosen by ourselves. Our just activities for a peaceful use of the space will continue. The UN Security Council should make a fair judgement of the present situation and ponder over all the matters.

Rash act of anti-north fanatics

Pyongyang, September 22 (KCNA) -- Minju Joson today accuses the South Korean chief executive of trying to intensify the anti-DPRK campaign with the help of his U.S. and Japanese masters in the wake of the satellite launch in the DPRK. The news analyst says: Some days ago, the chief executive of South Korea called for "strengthening the forces of security in close cooperation with Japan as well as the United States." He told the former U.S. secretary of State that U.S.-South Korea "cooperation" against the DPRK was necessary after the DPRK launched an artificial earth satellite. This is a rash act that can be done only by those who are obsessed with anti-communism and confrontation. The satellite was launched in the DPRK for peaceful purposes -- development of science and technology -- as intended and planned by the DPRK government for space exploration. The South Korean authorities, however, spread false rumours about "threat" posed by the satellite launch of the DPRK. This is aimed at advertising the necessity of "security cooperation" with their U.S. and Japanese masters and hurting and stifling the DPRK. Far from praising and hailing as fellow countrymen the DPRK's success in science and technology of which the entire nation is proud, they are slandering it and abusing it for their sinister purposes. This can never be tolerated. They do not need to be afraid of and feel uneasy at the amazing success of the DPRK, which has become one of the not many nations that possess artificial satellites.

"Excessive debtor country"

Pyongyang, September 22 (KCNA) -- The International Monetary Fund admitted in its annual report that South Korea is becoming an "excessive debtor country," according to a report. The debts of South Korea are snowballing due to the foolish attempt of the South Korean authorities to get out of the economic crisis with introduction of foreign capital.

Happy twins and triplets in DPRK

Pyongyang, September 22 (KCNA) -- Twins and triplets who serve in the same posts can be seen in units of the Korean People's Army. Whenever the respected Kim Jong Il, Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, visited KPA units, he received them and showed warm love and deep concern for them. When he visited an artillery company in June on the artillerymen's day he saw two pairs of twins play musical instruments. Later, he sent them a pair of trumpets and improved tansos (Korean bamboo flute) as gifts. In May he met cadet-triplets at Kim Chol Ju Artillerymen's Military Academy and asked them about their age, term of military service, native village and parents and brothers and sisters. And he learned about details of their study and life at the academy. When he visited a women's coastal artillery company in November last year, he met a twin brother and sister and posed for a photograph with them. He received 22 sets of soldier-triplets who participated in the 3rd meeting of the KPA soldiers in charge of youth work in November, Juche 85 (1996). He met the triplets who were serving in the KPA three services and said Korea is an impregnable fortress as they defend the socialist motherland. As seen above, his expectation and love for soldier-twins and triplets is boundless.

South Korean economy on verge of long-term standstill

Pyongyang, September 22 (KCNA) -- An economy institute of the Hyundai Business Group said the South Korean economy will be thrown into a long-term standstill, according to a radio report from Seoul. A report of the institute published on Sept. 17 said that the present crisis of the South Korean economy is an early stage of long-term crisis and that in August the stock price dropped by 57 percents compared with last year and the growth rate of mass consumption was minus 11.6 percent. Investments in several fields including equipment and construction were reduced and prices of economic capital and property are being devaluated, the report said, and went on: If such a phenomenon goes into a full scale, vicious cycles will be repeated with closure of more enterprises and the increase of unemployment. The prospect of the South Korean economy is gloomy.

WPK delegation comes back from India

Pyongyang, September 22 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the Workers' Party of Korea led by Kim Jung Rin, secretary of its central committee, returned home today after attending the 17th Congress of the Communist Party of India. It was met at the airport by Kim Yang Gon, department director of the WPK Central Committee.

50th anniversary of Korea News Service

Korea News Service was founded on October 1, 1948. We are going to celebrating it's 50th anniversary. It is located in Tokyo, Japan. Korea News Service has been sending to the world as much speed as possible the contents of the Korean Central News Agency English services sent from Pyongyang every day on a leased international circuit to Tokyo. Recently our news service celebrated 50th anniversary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. So it is not too much to say that the path Korea News Service has followed is the path the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has followed. From January of last year, our news was available on the Internet. So we can talk and share information around the world electronically. We have received numbers of email from many parts of the world. We express our heartful gratitude to all readers and mail senders. We hope things are going well with you and your family.