Reception given by Ministry of People's Armed Forces
Pyongyang , February 15 (KCNA) -- A reception was given by the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces on Sunday to celebrate the birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
Invited to the reception were military attaches of foreign embassies here.
A speech was made by Kim Il Chol, Minister of the People's Armed Forces.
He said that the respected Kim Jong Il has led the struggle to accomplish the Juche revolutionary cause along the road of victory and glory for decades since he embarked upon the road of revolution in his early years and in this course he has performed immortal exploits for the country, nation, era and humankind.
Our country is bringing about a turning-point under his far-sighted plan and will stand high as a powerful nation of Juche strongest in political, military, economic and all other fields in near future.
Vu Dinh Thang, Military attache of the Vietnamese embassy in Korea, who is doyen of the foreign military attaches corps spoke next.
The respected Marshal Kim Jong Il grew up as a great revolutionary, experiencing ordeals on the harsh road of the Korean revolution from his childhood together with the great Kim Jong Suk, an anti-Japanese heroine, he said, and went on:
The name of Kim Jong Il is shining with the history of the Korean revolution as he is admirably carrying forward the revolutionary cause of the President Kim Il Sung.
He expressed the firm belief that the fraternal Korean people are sure to win in the struggle for socialist construction and national reunification, overcoming all the difficulties under the wise guidance of Kim Jong Il.
Oxygen-heated furnace commissioned
Pyongyang , February 15 (KCNA) -- An indigenous oxygen-heated furnace was put into operation with due ceremony at the Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex on February 14.
It is of weighty importance in increasing Juche character and self-reliance of metal industry and upgrading the national economy as a whole to perfect and industrialise a method of iron making through oxygen heating in reliance upon local raw materials, fuels and technology.
Workers, scientists and technicians of the complex solved many scientific and technological problems in design, construction and operation of an oxygen-heated furnace and put it into operation in a short period in the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance in face of the nation's economic difficulties triggered by shortage of everything.
At the ceremony a message of the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was conveyed to the scientists, technicians, designers, workers and officials of the complex, congratulating them on their great services for research, development and industrialisation of a Juche-based method of iron making.
The message highly praised the scientists, technicians, workers and officials of the complex for their great contributions to the upgrading of the nation's metal industry and socialist economic growth through completion of the Juche-based method of iron making, with infinite loyalty to the party and the revolution.
It said that the workers, scientists and technicians of the complex should lay more solid material and technical foundations of the complex, modernise production processes and turn out more iron and steel materials.
The ceremony was attended by Premier Hong Song Nam of the cabinet and officials concerned of national and local institutions.
National meeting on Kim Jong Il's birthday
Pyongyang , February 15 (KCNA) -- A national meeting to celebrate the 57th birthday of leader Kim Jong Il was held with splendour at the 6,000-seat theatre of the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang today.
The meeting was attended by senior party, state and army officials, including Kim Yong Nam.
Premier of the cabinet Hong Song Nam delivered a report under the subject " Let us accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche under the experienced and seasoned leadership of the great statesman and great commander."
The reporter elaborated on the enduring feats Kim Jong Il has performed for the party and the revolution, the fatherland and the people by leading the Workers' Party and the revolution of Korea for over three decades.
Kim Jong Il has systematized in an integral way the Juche idea, the revolutionary idea of the President Kim Il Sung, through his unparalleled and unique ideological and theoretical activities and comprehensively evolved it in depth, thus exalting the guiding idea of the present era, the reporter said, adding this is a distinguished merit to remain shining for centuries.
He continued:
With deep consideration of Korea's peculiar circumstances, he put forward the principle of leading the revolution with priority to army and has paid primary attention to increasing military power with the result that the Korean People's Army has grown to be a loyal and filial army of the party and an invincible army.
Juche Korea is demonstrating its might to the world as an ideologically, politically and militarily powerful nation, and a country widely known for creation and miracles by making leaping advances in all political, military, economic and cultural fields. This great reality is a result of the full embodiment of the respected Kim Jong Il's politics.
The politics of Marshal Kim Jong Il, which is replete with the revolutionary idea of President Kim Il Sung and intense loyalty to the cause of revolution, serves as a motive force of the Korean revolution to carry forward the lineage of Juche in any trials and making it possible to advance along the most straight path and as a guarantee for the eternal victory of the revolution of Juche.
It is unimaginable apart from the independent politics of Kim Jong Il that Korea's socialism is steadily advancing along the road chosen by the Korean people themselves not shaken by any storms and continues to demonstrate its might as a powerful socialist nation of independence, self-reliance and self-defence.
In order to defend the Korean-style socialism and carry the revolutionary cause of Juche to accomplishment all the party and the entire people should uphold Kim Jong Il's politics, ideas and leadership with loyalty and filial piety, the reporter said, adding:
All the people and the servicemen should consider the Slogan "Let us defend the headquarters of the revolution headed by the comrade Kim Jong Il with our lives " to be an eternal creed of struggle and life, under which they should prepare themselves to be heroes through human bomb attack and soldiers ready for suicidal explosion. They should thus defend with their lives Marshal Kim Jong Il, who is the destiny of the fatherland and the revolution, and strengthen as firm as a rock the singlehearted unity of the leader, the party, the army and the people.
In reliance upon the springboard for building a powerful nation which has been provided by Kim Jong Il, we should run at a canter, open up an epoch-making phase in building a powerful nation, thus following up the "arduous march" with a cheerful advance.
Floral basket to Kim Jong Il from Palestinian President
Pyongyang , February 15 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a basket of flowers from Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on the occasion of his birthday.
The basket was conveyed to an official concerned today by Ibrahim Abu Mualiq, charge d'affaires ad interim of Palestine in Korea.
Lunar New Year's Day
Pyongyang , February 15 (KCNA) -- Since olden times, lunar New Year's Day has been celebrated in Korea and other countries in the east.
It is common custom for every country to joyously celebrate the first day of the New Year as a festive day.
What day will be set as the New Year's Day is different according to solar or lunar calendar.
At present, the solar calendar is used in most of the countries. In former times, the lunar calendar was used in northeast Asia.
Generally the lunar month is later than the solar one.
Since ancient times the lunar New Year's Day has been celebrated in Korea and this tradition is still in practice.
This means two new year days in a year.
On the lunar New Year's Day, the towns, villages and all homes are in festive attire and every one wears their best.
In the streets people are seen exchanging New Year greetings. In shops and restaurants, special goods and dishes are served. Folk games--yut, Korean chess, seesaw, kiteflying, spinning, shuttlecock and sleighing--are in wider practice on the day. Kite-flying over the blue sky add charm to the festival atmosphere.
It is a modern tradition that the working people, soldiers and young people visit the statues of President Kim Il Sung to lay bouquets and floral baskets before them.
The lunar festival this year coincides with leader Kim Jong Il's birthday (February 16).
This meaningful coincidence will give a distinctive feature to this year's lunar festival.
Talks between Korean and Cambodian Party representatives
Pyongyang , February 15 (KCNA) -- Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee, today had talks here with Hong Sun Huot, deputy secretary general of the Funcinpec Party of Cambodia who is a party representative.
At the talks they informed each other of their party activities and discussed the issue of developing the friendly relations between the two parties. They also exchanged views on a series of matters of common concern.
The talks proceeded in a friendly atmosphere.
Kim Yong Sun meets Italian party delegation
Pyongyang , February 15 (KCNA) -- Secretary Kim Yong Sun of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee met and had a cordial conversation with the delegation of the unified Communist Party of Italy led by its General Secretary Osvaldo Pesce at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
The head of the delegation extended wholehearted congratulations to the leader Kim Jong Il on his 57th birthday.
I was deeply moved by the unshakable faith and indomitable struggle of the Korean people who are confidently advancing towards socialism under the uplifted banner of the independence, he said.
Korea's socialism is invincible as long as there are the wise leadership of the WPK led by Kim Jong Il and the entire people united with one idea and purpose around him, he noted.
Floral basket to Kim Jong Il from CPC
Pyongyang , February 15 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a floral basket from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the occasion of his birthday.
Chinese ambassador to the DPRK Wan Yongxiang handed the floral basket to an official concerned today.