Joint editorial published on New Year
Pyongyang, January 1 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Joson Inmingun, the organ of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces, and Chongnyon Jonwi, the organ of the central committee of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, published a joint editorial on the New Year, Juche 88 (1999).
All the papers here today carry the joint editorial titled "Let this year mark a turning-point in building a powerful nation."
The editorial touches upon the successes gained last year, describing Juche 87 (1998) as a year of the forced march which gave a sure guarantee for the final victory and a year of struggle and progress.
It says last year witnessed the buildup of the monolithic unity of the leader, the party and the masses and Korean political system and full demonstration of the national power of socialist Korea.
It stresses the proud victory won by the party, the army and the people in the forced march of socialism last year is just the victory of the ideology, strategy, grit and will of leader Kim Jong Il.
It also describes the New Year, Juche 88 (1999) as a new turning-point in building a powerful nation under the guidance of the great party and a year of general onward march.
It goes on:
As we built a socialist country, independent in politics, self-supporting in the economy and self-reliant in national defense, through the grand march of Chollima on the ruins under the guidance of the great Kim Il Sung, we should push ahead with a second grand march of Chollima under the leadership of the respected Kim Jong Il.
"Let this year mark a turning-point in building a powerful nation " this is a militant slogan that should be held aloft by the Workers' Party and people of Korea.
The editorial calls for glorifying the DPRK as an ideologically powerful socialist state and fully demonstrating its invincible might as a militarily powerful socialist state.
The general onward march of this year is a continuation of the forced march and the last charge for seeing out '90s with success, the editorial says, and continues:
A new breakthrough should be made in the building of a powerful nation in hearty response to the slogan "Follow up the 'arduous march' with a cheerful advance ".
To put production on a steady footing in all domains of the national economy, put the economy as a whole on the right track and provide the people with stable and better living conditions is the cardinal task facing us in economic construction this year.
The editorial describes the New Year as a year of weighty importance in which an epoch-making change should be made in the efforts of the Korean people for the reunification of the country, and calls upon all the Koreans at home and abroad to get united under the uplifted banner of national reunification irrespective of difference in ideology, ideal, religious belief, political view and class and social stratum.
Turning to external affairs, the editorial says:
We will further strengthen unity and solidarity with the progressive people of the world desirous of socialism and anti-imperialist, independent force in the idea of independence, peace and friendship, smash aggression and war moves of the imperialists and build a new world, peaceful and independent.
Schoolchildren's meeting on New Year
Pyongyang, January 1 (KCNA) -- Schoolchildren's meeting for greeting the New Year, Juche 88 (1999) was held at the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace on Thursday evening.
Present there were Kim Yong Nam, Ri Jong Ok, Kim Yong Ju, Pak Song Chol and Hong Song Nam and other senior officials of the party and state and citizens and compatriots from overseas.
Invited were diplomatic envoys of different countries to the DPRK.
The meeting was held at the theatre, the circular hall and gymnasium of the palace, divided into happy, fruitful and merry new year celebrations.
On the stage schoolchildren extended new year greetings to Marshal Kim Jong Il, representing the loyalty of 3 million schoolchildren.
Put on the stage were songs, folk dances and acrobatics of schoolchildren and popular witticism and comic chat of artistes.
The participants and schoolchildren merrily spent the New Year's Eve, dancing popular dances and playing sports and amusement games. They also listened to sportsmen and sportswomen who gave good accounts of themselves at international games.
Congratulatory letters to Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, January 1 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il received floral baskets, gifts and congratulatory letters from foreign diplomatic envoys and embassies here on the New Year, Juche 88 (1999).
The floral baskets, gifts and congratulatory letters were conveyed to officials concerned by diplomatic envoys of China, Cambodia, Laos, India, Libya, Pakistan, Vietnam, Iran, Nigeria, Egypt, Russia, Mongolia, Yugoslavia, Indonesia, Poland, Sweden, Romania, Palestine, Cuba, Yemen and Ethiopia.
Kim Jong Il also received congratulatory letters from the resident representative of the U.N. Children's Fund and the acting resident representative of UNDP and a floral basket from the People's Bureau of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
Kim Jong Il sends floral basket to Cuban embassy
Pyongyang, January 1 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il sent a floral basket to the Cuban embassy in Pyongyang on Thursday on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the victory of the Cuban revolution.
The basket was handed to Cuban charge d'affaires Nirsia Castro Guevara.
Greetings to Sudanese President
Pyongyang, January 1 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, sent a message of greetings to Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of the independence of Sudan.
The message expressed the belief that the friendly relations between the two countries would develop on good terms and wished the president and people of Sudan great success in their work for the stability and prosperity of the country.