Indian Juche idea followers meet on New Year
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- Officials of the All India Indo-Korean Friendship Association and Juche idea study groups held a meeting on the New Year on January 6.
The meeting discussed the work of honorably celebrating the 57th birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il and invigorating the study and dissemination of the Juche idea.
Taekwon-do exhibition game in Madagascar
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- A Taekwon-do exhibition game took place in Madagascar on January 9 on the upcoming birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
Various events including Taekwon-do power were shown at the game.
The game was appreciated by the Maitsi district governor in Antananarivo city, the vice-chairman of the National Taekwon-do Federation, members of the Sungri-bong and Hyangdo-bong Taekwon-do clubs and popular masses.
S. Korean students stage anti-U.S. demonstration
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- Some 50 students under the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) staged an anti-U.S. demonstration on January 15 in front of the U.S. military base in Ryongsan district, Seoul, according to a radio report from Seoul.
They chanted anti-U.S. words, holding placards reading "stop economic aggression and plunder" and "withdraw U.S. troops from South Korea," and distributed leaflets to citizens.
Papers flail S. Korean authorities' moves to stifle Hanchongryon
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- The South Korean authorities called a "meeting" on January 13 and discussed a "legal action" to be filed against students concerned with an interim executive committee of the 7th-term South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) on the suspicion of forming an "enemy-benefiting organisation" in violation of the "National Security Law" before the committee was formed.
Commenting on this fact, a news analyst of Rodong Sinmun today says: This is a prelude to the fascist offensive to suppress and destroy Hanchongryon, a leading force of the pro-reunification, pro-democracy forces of South Korea, at any cost.
It is very certain that the South Korean authorities will direct the sharp edge of suppression at "Hanchongryon" in the future, too.
They are launching a frantic repressive campaign against Hanchongryon from the beginning of the New Year because they feel uneasy at the fact that its anti-American, anti-authorities struggle may develop into a struggle of people from all walks of life.
A signed commentary of Minju Joson says that the repressive move of the South Korean authorities is aimed at destroying Hanchongryon.
Destruction is unavoidable
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- The South Korean ruling quarters are further tightening collusion and tie-ups with the Japanese reactionaries against North Korea, busying themselves with proposing "six-way talks" with Japan in attendance, inviting the "Emperor" and passing a motion on the "fisheries accord." This is under fire in Pyongyang-based papers today.
The news analyst of Rodong Sinmun says: The shameless behaviour of the South Korean rulers to curry favour with the Japanese reactionaries is only fanning up Japan's ambition for re-invasion.
It is ridiculous of the United States and Japan to cry that they would "coordinate the Korea policy" through "cooperation" with the South Korean rulers.
No matter how desperately the United States, who carried out air strikes on Iraq, and its supporters Japan and South Korean rulers may try to do harm to the DPRK through "cooperation," they will get nothing from it.
They should not run amuck, mindful that their silly anti-DPRK campaign will only precipitate their ignominious destruction.
A Minju Joson commentary stresses that although the South Korean rulers are running wild to isolate and stifle the north in collusion with the Japanese reactionaries, making sheep's eyes at them, they will get nothing from it.
Joint New Year Editorial hailed in Syria and Guyana
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- The Socialist Unionist Party of Syria issued a statement on January 8 in support of the Joint New Year Editorial of the Korean papers Rodong Sinmun, Joson Inmingun and Chongnyon Jonwi.
The statement expressed the hope that the year 1999 would be a year of a turning-point in the endeavors of the Korean people to build a powerful nation and achieve national reunification under the leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
It flailed the South Korean authorities for their moves obstructing reunification, calling for immediate removal of the concrete barrier, a symbol of division.
Bivert Desuza, Minister of Amerindian Affairs of Guyana, in a press statement released on January 6 said if all the Korean people are closely united on the basis of the five-Point policy of great national unity set forth by Kim Jong Il irrespective of differences in ideologies, religious belief, political views, classes and strata, Korea will undoubtedly be reunified in an independent and peaceful way.
South Korean unionist given jail sentence
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- The South Korean authorities sentenced Tan Pyong Ho, vice-chairman of the "Korean Confederaton of Trade Unions" (KCTU) to two years' imprisonment on the charge of "hindering the execution of duty" on January 12, according to a radio report from Seoul.
The Seoul "district court" penalized him for the reason that he led the general strike for the vital right of organizations under KCTU last year.
South Korean opposition party stands against ruling parties
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- The Grand National Party, an opposition party of South Korea, gave the ruling parties on January 12 a notice that it will hold a sit-in at the office room of the speaker of the "National Assembly" and city and provincial rallies if the director of the "Agency for National Security Planning" who arranged a secret office room of the ANSP in the "National Assembly" is not dismissed, according to a radio report from Seoul.
The Grand National Party set up a "committee for defending democracy" with a view to checking ANSP political investigation into its members and providing against the ruling camp's operation for luring opposition "assemblymen."
Meanwhile, president of the party Ri Hoe Chang called on former presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Kim Young Sam and reactionary conservative politicians of the "5th republic" and the "6th republic" from January 12 to beg for "support" and "encouragement."
Kanggye spirit
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- The whole party, army and people of Korea are urged to let this year mark a turning-point in building a powerful nation with the Kanggye spirit in the New Year.
The Kanggye spirit means carrying out anything and creating new things through self-reliance and hard struggle, turning impossibility into possibility as intended by the party.
General Secretary Kim Jong Il created this great spirit.
He gave on-site guidance to various domains of Jagang Province, the mountainous area of Korea, last year. He noted with satisfaction that officials of the province created things out of nothing by devotedly implementing lines and policies of the Workers' Party of Korea in the teeth of the imperialists' isolation and suffocation moves, years of natural disasters and unfavourable natural and geographical conditions. He said that it is the "Kanggye spirit" and took measures for the whole party and all the people to learn from the spirit.
The Jagang provincial people have optimistically managed economic life by themselves even under the difficult situation. Thus, they have achieved great successes in various domains of the national economy and in the work for improving the people's living.
Last year alone, they built hundreds of minor power stations by their own efforts and heated many dwelling houses with extra electricity.
The Huichon General Machine Tool Plant, the Youth Electric Appliance Complex, the Amnokgang Tyre Factory and other factories and enterprises carried out their production assignments for machine tools, electric goods, generating equipment and rolling stock accessories, overcoming manifold hardships.
They made tens of thousands of hectares of grassland, raised many grazing animals, built new fish farms and hothouses using the heat of the sun and managed land well.
Having acquainted himself with this Kim Jong Il noted with great satisfaction that Jagang Province could make a cheerful advance, not an "arduous march".
The Kanggye spirit has rapidly spread across the country.
Great achievements were made in socialist economic construction thanks to the Kanggye spirit.
The Joint New Year Editorial issued by the party, army and youth league papers said that the Kanggye spirit created in the socialist forced march is the motive power which encourages the whole party and all the people to build a powerful nation.
This year, the Korean people are turning out as one in the drive to achieve greater successes in socialist economic construction in the high-pitched Kanggye spirit.
Schoolchildren enjoying holidays
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- The Korean schoolchildren are enjoying winter holidays.
During this vacation, they broaden and deepen what they learnt at school.
Every day, at more than a hundred schoolchildren's palaces and halls built across the country, they acquire general knowledge on basic sciences or develop their sports, dance, music and art skills according to their tastes and aptitudes.
Youth league and children's union organisations of schools often organise visits to revolutionary sites, museums and exhibition halls as well as meetings with DPRK heroes and heroines.
Early in January, schoolchildren in Pyongyang went to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum and had a meeting with DPRK heroes.
Meetings for expressing impressions on books and for exchanging experience with honour students are also held at schools at all levels.
A kite-flying, top-spinning and other folk games and skating and sleighing are now in full swing at Kim Il Sung Square, an ice ground on Panwol Islet and other places.
Besides, schoolchildren visit factories, enterprises and the Pyongyang-Nampho express highway construction site where they conduct colorful art and socio-political activities with wind instruments and art pieces to encourage the working people to step up production and construction in hearty response to the Joint New Year Editorial.
Rodong Sinmun calls for rapidly developing science
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today calls for making a fresh turn in scientific and technical development in line with the Workers' Party of Korea's idea of attaching importance to science so as to further increase the might of Korean socialism and move up a new era of a powerful, prosperous nation.
In an editorial the daily says: General Secretary Kim Jong Il's visit to the National Academy of Sciences at the beginning of the year reflected his strong resolution and will to fully demonstrate the might of Korean socialism and make a radical turn in building a powerful nation by bringing about a revolutionary upswing in scientific and technical development.
Now that the imperialists have tried hard to obstruct exchange of advanced science and technology between the DPRK and other countries and impede the DPRK's scientific and technical development, putting the nation's science and technology on the world's advanced level as early as possible makes it possible to steadfastly defend Korean socialism and bring its advantages into full play.
Confrontation with the imperialists is mainly a scientific and technical showdown. Without rapidly developing science and technology, it is impossible to increase the nation's military power and fully display the potentiality of the independent national economy.
To develop science and technology more rapidly than others will guarantee the prosperity of the country and the nation and a bright prospect of Korean socialism.
The new era of a powerful nation requires a very high level of scientific and technical development. Only when science and technology are developed rapidly, can vast tasks for the building of a powerful nation be carried out as soon as possible and the dignity of Kim Il Sung's nation fully demonstrated.
If an upswing is effected in scientific and technical development, such a thing will take place in all sectors of socialist construction and a great turn will be made in the building of a powerful nation this year.
The daily calls on all the people to devotedly work for scientific and technical development with a strong sense of patriotism.
National meeting of active agricultural workers
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- A national meeting of active agricultural workers was held here on January 14-15.
The meeting reviewed the achievements and experience gained in last year's farming and discussed the tasks and ways for effecting a new upswing in agricultural production this year.
Minister of Agriculture Ri Ha Sop made a report which was followed by speeches of officials from agricultural and other related units.
The reporter and speakers said the meeting would mark an important occasion in providing the people with stable and improved living conditions and building up national power in every way by effecting a great upswing in agricultural production, which is fundamental to building a powerful nation.
They noted that big efforts were directed to solving the seed problem and ensuring double cropping on a wide scale last year when natural disasters were repeated.
They mentioned what they should do to put the nation's agricultural production as a whole on its right track.
They stressed the need to bring about a great turn in potato and sweet potato farming, do the double cropping well and raise the rate of mechanization in farming.
Efforts should also be directed to the production of vegetables, meat and fruits so as to fulfil production assignments, they pointed out.
It was stressed at the meeting that all the sectors and units should give active manpower and material assistance to the countryside and preferentially produce farm materials for agricultural production, true to the intention of the Workers' Party of Korea calling for nationwide efforts to this year's farming.