Kim Jong Il inspects KPA unit

Pyongyang, October 26 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Il inspected unit no. 465 of the Korean People's Army (KPA) titled "O Jung Hup's Seventh Regiment" on Sunday. He was accompanied by KPA vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok, Director of the KPA General Political Department= KPA vice Marshal Kim Yong Chun, Chief of the KPA General Staff= KPA vice Marshal Kim Il Chol, Minister of the People's Armed Forces= generals Hyon Chol Hae, Kim Ha Gyu and Pak Jae Gyong= and staff members of the Supreme Command of the KPA. Kim Jong Il was met at the unit by KPA generals, officers and commanders of the unit. He looked round the revolutionary history education room. Looking at the historical mementoes reminiscent of the President Kim Il Sung's visit to the unit, the KPA Supreme Commander recalled the President's leadership for the unit's growth. Under the President's meticulous guidance and care, the unit could cover a proud course of victory and glory, Kim Jong Il said, and urged the unit to continue to carry out the President's instructions to the letter, cherishing his deep loving care and benevolence at all times. The Chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission went round power stations built by the unit. He expressed great satisfaction and highly praised the unit's soldiers for having built the power stations suitable for topographical conditions in the revolutionary spirit of soldiers and in the spirit of self-reliance and electrified the heating of bedrooms and other facilities of the unit with their own efforts. He looked round the education room, bedroom, dining hall, outdoor entertainment ground and other facilities for cultural education and logistics to take warm care of the soldiers' life. He learned how desk education material and entertainment instruments in the education room were used and how the wall paper and newspaper display boards in barracks were used. He was very glad that ideological education was conducted effectively in various ways such as the use of desk education material and that entertainment instruments were used efficiently for cultural life. He called for paying deep attention to the ideological education and cultural life of soldiers at all times. In the bedroom, dining hall and store, he learned about the bedding conditions of soldiers as well as the taste and color of soy sauce and salt. He noted with great satisfaction that the unit's commanding officers had created good living conditions with warm love for soldiers. He praised the unit's soldiers for giving full play to the traits of unity and comradeship between officers and men. He expressed great satisfaction with the fact that the unit's soldiers had arranged fine facilities and created forests in the compound and its vicinity and were keeping the inside and outside of the barracks as clean as holiday homes with love for their post. This is one of the proud features of the Korean People's Army, which inherited the way of struggle and life from the anti-Japanese guerrilla army, he said. He then learned about the military service of soldiers. He noted with deep satisfaction that the unit's commanding officers and men had turned every operation theatre into an impregnable fortress and fully prepared themselves to defeat any surprise attack of the enemy in time with intense loyalty to the party and the revolution. He called for heightening revolutionary vigilance to the maximum in face of intensified imperialist moves to invade the DPRK. He gave the unit important tasks to increase its fighting efficiency. He congratulated the unit's soldiers on having received the title of "O Jung Hup's Seventh Regiment" for their feats in the strengthening of combat capacity, the management of the unit and all other aspects. He called on all military units to invigorate the "O Jung Hup's Seventh Regiment" title movement and become invincible units. He gave the unit a pair of binoculars and an automatic rifle, expressing belief that it would perform victorious feats in the noble cause of national defence. He had a picture taken with officers and men of the unit.

Chinese embassy officials visit friendship tower

Pyongyang, October 26 (KCNA) -- Chinese ambassador to Korea Wan Yongxiang and embassy officials visited the friendship tower on Sunday to lay a wreath on the 48th anniversary of the entry into the Korean war of the Chinese People's volunteers. They also laid a wreath before the CPV fallen fighters' graves in Hyongjesan district, Pyongyang. Meanwhile, wreaths were placed before the tower and graves by the central committee of the association of Chinese residents in Korea.

Greetings to Lebanese President

Pyongyang, October 26 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a telegram of greetings to Emile Lahoud on October 23 upon his election as President of the Republic of Lebanon. In the telegram he sincerely wished the Lebanese President success in his work for national prosperity, koping the friendly relations between the two countries would further develop.

Wreaths laid on anniversary of CPV's entry into Korean War

Pyongyang, October 26 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly and the DPRK cabinet laid a wreath before the friendship tower on Sunday, the 48th anniversary of the entry into the Korean War of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV). Vice-president of the SPA presidium Yang Hyong Sop was present at the wreath-laying ceremony. Also on hand was Chinese ambassador to Korea Wan Yongxiang. Amid the playing of the wreath-laying music a wreath was placed before the tower in the joint name of the WPK Central Committee, the SPA presidium and the cabinet of the DPRK. Then, wreaths were laid in the name of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Culture, a wreath in the joint name of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and the Korea-China Friendship Association central committee, and a wreath in the joint name of the Pyongyang City Committee of the WPK and the Pyongyang City People's Committee. Bouquets and flowers were also laid by citizens. Meanwhile, wreaths were placed before the graves of CPV fallen fighters in Hyongjesan district by the Pyongyang City Committee of the WPK and the Pyongyang City People's Committee, the Hyongjesan district, Pyongyang, committee of the WPK and the Hyongjesan district people's committee, trade unions and units of the Korean people's army. On the same day, wreaths were laid before CPV fallen fighters' graves and monuments in local areas.

Party given on anniversary of CPV's entry into Korean War

Pyongyang, October 26 (KCNA) -- The Ministry of the People's Armed Forces gave a party at Okryu Restaurant on Sunday, the 48th anniversary of the entry into the Korean War of the Chinese People's Volunteers. Invited to it were Chinese ambassador to Korea Wan Yongxiang and embassy officials and Chinese guests staying in Korea. Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, and officials concerned were present. Vice-minister of the People's Armed Forces O Ryong Bang said at the party that in the Korean War the CPV fighters displayed matchless bravery, mass heroism and self-sacrificing spirit in battles, sharing sweets and bitters with the Korean people and servicemen, and thus showed an excellent example of proletarian internationalism. Korea-China friendship, forged by President Kim Il Sung and Chinese leaders of the old generation in trials of revolution, is now developing on good terms under the special care of leaders of the two countries, he said, and went on: Our people and servicemen will set store by the friendship forged in the common front against imperialism and make every possible effort to consolidate and develop it through generations. He wished the Chinese people greater success in their future endeavours to carry out the tasks set forth at the 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the first session of the ninth National People's Congress of China and strengthen the defence capabilities of the country. Speaking next, Wan Yongxiang recalled that in the three-year war the peoples and armies of the two countries fought bloody battles, closely cooperating with each other, and dealt a heavy blow at the aggressors to win the great victory. The Chinese people are pleased with the fact that after the victorious war the Korean people, under the guidance of President Kim Il Sung and the Workers' Party of Korea, built a powerful socialist country on the war ruins in a short span of time by displaying the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and strenuous efforts, the ambassador said. He further said: Taking delight in reelecting Kim Jong Il as Chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission, the Korean people are now devotedly working to make the country more beautiful and powerful, pulling through all difficulties in their advance with revolutionary optimism, closely rallied around the Workers' Party of Korea headed by him. The ambassador expressed the belief that the flower of the Sino-Korean friendship will come into fuller bloom under the deep care of the leaders of the two countries and by joint efforts of the two peoples no matter how the world situation will change.

Huichon General Machine Tool Plant

Pyongyang, October 26 (KCNA) -- The Huichon General Machine Tool plant is situated in Huichon city, Jagang Province. The plant is the mother factory of Korea's machine-tool industry. Kim Jong Il visited the plant on guidance mission again on October 20. He expressed great satisfaction at the fact that many highly-efficient machine tools were produced at the plant in four months or so after he gave his on-site guidance to it in June. He trusted the plant with a task to improve the quality of products, increase the production steadily and positively contribute to the economic development of the nation. The plant was built in the 1950s. During the grim days of the 1950-1953 Fatherland Liberation War the great leader President Kim Il Sung visited Huichon and picked up a lot for the plant with a far-reaching plan to build a powerful machine-building industry in the country after the victory in the war. He took a measure for providing all necessary conditions preferentially for its construction including designing and building operation. Built in the heat of war, the plant began to produce lathes in Juche 43 (1954), the year after the war. Automatic and computerized machine tools were manufactured early in the 1960s and sent to different fields of the national economy. In the '70s it turned into a leading machine-tool producer with an annual capacity of 10,000 tools, greatly contributing to the nation's economic development and improvement of the people's wellbeing. Uptodate machine tools produced there were exported to 40 odd countries of the world. All its production processes--casting, forging, manufacturing, assembling and perfection--are now remote-controlled and assembly-lined. There are also an institute and laboratories modernly equipped in keeping with the requirement of the development of modern science and technology. The plant received Kim Il Sung Order, the highest order of the DPRK, for its great contribution to laying foundations for the independence of the national economy and achieving the overall technical progress of the country.

Worsening antagonism between ruling parties in S. Korea

Pyongyang, October 26 (KCNA) -- A female instrumental group of the Mansudae Art Troupe is beloved of the people in Korea. The members of the group in noble and gracious national costume pertaining to the Korean women (white skirt and jacket) lead the audience to the world of music through fascinating tone color, refined playing and well-organised ensemble. The group gave performances on over 2,100 occasions at home and on nearly 200 occasions abroad, thus winning fame as a dignified instrumental group. Kim Jong Il paid deep attention to the composition of the group, artistic talents and ways of artistic portrayal. At the end of the 1960s he gave instructions to organise a female instrumental group and build it into an instrumental group of world standard, and showed deep care for their materialisation. He personally chose musical instruments to be used by the group, saying that the ensemble should not be set in any established frame and that musical instruments should be formed to exhibit a special quality of women and cater for tastes and emotion of the popular masses. He also chose "Snow Falls," "Mungyong Pass" and other popular songs and folk songs as repertoire of the group and led the group to explore new areas in terms of the form and stance of playing, lighting, setting and stage costume. The female instrumental group which came into being under his energetic guidance became a merited female instrumental group in Juche 68 (1979).

Popular female instrumental group

Pyongyang, October 26 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK answered a question put by KCNA in the wake of the third round of the "four-party talks" which was held in Geneva over October 21-24. He said: We took part in the talks from an honest and sincere position for lasting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. At the recent talks it was agreed that two subcommittees should be formed to be run during the "four-party talks." The subcommittees will focus on establishing a durable peacekeeping mechanism on the Korean peninsula with particular stress laid on the conclusion of a DPRK-U.S. peace accord and withdrawal of the U.S. Forces. It was also agreed that the fourth round of the "talks" would be held in Geneva in mid-January next year.

Spokesman for Foreign Ministry of DPRK on results of "four-party talks"

Pyongyang, October 26 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Il received a gift from the UN under-Secretary General and UNDP administrator . UN under-Secretary General James Gustave Speth on a visit to Korea handed the gift to Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK.

Gift to Kim Jong Il from U.N. under-secretary general

Pyongyang, October 26 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, today met and had a friendly conversation at the Mansudae Assembly Hall with James Gustave Speth, under-secretary general of the United Nations and UNDP administrator, and his party who paid a courtesy call on him. Present were vice Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon, vice-Minister of Agriculture Kim Yong Suk and resident UNDP representative Christian Lemaire. On the same day, Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun met and had a friendly talk with James Gustave Speth and his party who paid him a courtesy call.