Repatriation of unconverted long-term prisoners
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Jang Jae On, chairman of the central committee of the Red Cross Society of the DPRK, sent a letter today to Jong Won Sik, president of the South Korean Red Cross, as regards the remarks of the South Korean authorities about the release of unconverted long-term prisoners. The letter says: On January 30, the Ministry of Justice of Your Side announced that it would include unconverted long-term prisoners in the list of the "March 1st special amnesty" although it obtains no "law-abiding oaths" from them and that, accordingly, all of 17 unconverted prisoners who have been kept behind bars for more than 29 years would be released. Though belated, we think the announcement is fortunate. For man to espouse a certain ideology according to his faith is a matter belonging to an elementary human right.
Nevertheless, the unconverted long-term prisoners have been kept behind bars for scores of years for the mere reason that they refused to make "ideological conversion." They have become cripples as result of long prison life and all sorts of persecution inflicted upon them. Worse still, all of them are at the advanced age of 70. Even if they are released, their piteous plight will not improve at all as they have no relatives to take care of and look after them in South Korea. On top of it, they will be placed under constant surveillance, control and persecution owing to the "Law on Supervision for Public Peace," a second "National Security Law." This is fully proved by the miserable life of old Kim In So, Kim Yong Thae and Ham Se Hwan, unconverted long-term prisoners of the DPRK origin: Although they were released from prison, the release is nothing but their move from a small cell to a big prison called society.
In the final analysis, though unconverted long-term prisoners are set free with no "law-abiding oaths" taken pains they suffered during their imprisonment for scores of years will not be healed, nor will they be exposed to less suppression, I think. A best solution to the unconverted long-term prisoners issue is an unconditional reunion of them with their families as demanded by unconverted long-term prisoners themselves, their families and people at home and abroad. If the unconverted long-term prisoners are kept in South Korea as ever and their safety is endangered, your authority and Red Cross will be held responsible entirely for failing to fully discharge its humanitarian mission.
We, considering that if your side acquits and releases all of the unconverted long-term prisoners and, at the same time, sends them back to their families, it will be a landmark event in bringing in a thaw in the frozen inter-Korean relations and clearing the way for wide-ranging dialogue and contact, expect that your Red Cross will take a step for an early repatriation of old Kim In So, Kim Yong Thae and Ham Se Hwan to the north in accordance with relevant provisions of international law on the repatriation of POWs and the Korean Armistice Agreement and, at the same time, send all of the unconverted long-term prisoners, who are to be released, back to where their wives and children live.
Palestinian ambassador hosts reception
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Palestinian ambassador to Korea Shaher Mohammed Abdlah hosted a reception on Monday on the occasion of the birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il. Invited to the reception were vice-president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Yang Hyong Sop and Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun.
Addressing the reception, the ambassador said Kim Jong Il, firmly determined to glorify Korea in his early years, has conducted energetic ideological and theoretical activities to carry forward to accomplishment the revolutionary cause of Juche and wisely led the overall work of the party, the state and the army while assisting the great leader President Kim Il Sung in his revolutionary activities. The Palestinian people value the friendly and cooperative relations with the fraternal Korean people and are convinced that the comradely friendly relations forged by Kim Il Sung together with President Yasser Arafat will continue to develop under the leadership and care of Kim Jong Il, he noted.
Vice-president Yang Hyong Sop said the respected Marshal Kim Jong Il values the long-standing traditional friendly relations between Korea and Palestine and pays deep attention to consolidating and developing them steadily. The Korean people will, in the future, too, actively strive to further cement and develop the relations of friendship and cooperation with Palestine true to the intention of Kim Jong Il and would extend invariable support and solidarity to the just cause of the Palestinian people, he added.
Bosh of S. Korean chief executive
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The South Korean chief executive on February 19, when meeting the "national assemblymen", who came back home from their U.S. tour, said that the north is "changing a little" and that the "engagement policy" should be applied when the north calls for "cooperation," according to a foreign press report. He described the north's recent proposal for dialogue as a "sign" of some sort of "change". However, his remarks are no more than the bosh of a silly man. The North Korea has recently proposed arranging wide-ranging dialogues between the north and the south including dialogue between authorities. It is the unshakable faith of the Korean people to build socialism their own way under the uplifted banner of independence. Such being the reality, it is foolish of the so-called South Korean "President" to expect some change in the North Korea.
10th anniversary of DPRK-Morocco relations
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- A photo exhibition and a film show were held here on Monday in the name of the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and the Korea-Morocco Friendship Association to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Morocco. Present there were vice-chairman Choe Jong Hwan of the Committee and Citizens. The participants saw a Moroccan documentary film introducing realities of Morocco yesterday and today. And they looked round exhibited photos.
Kim Jong Il's work published in Italy
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The famous work of General Secretary Kim Jong Il "Let Us Reunify the Country Independently and Peacefully Through the Great Unity of the Entire Nation" was brought out in booklet by the Datanews Publishing House of Italy on the occasion of his 57th birthday. The work published on April 18, Juche 87 (1998) clarified the five-point policy of great national unity: Adhering to the principle of national independence, uniting under the banner of patriotism, improving the north-south relations, rejecting domination of foreign forces and fighting against the anti-reunification forces, holding contacts, promoting dialogue and strengthening solidarity among all the Koreans.
KSDP supports proposal of joint meeting
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The 20th plenary meeting of the 6th Central Committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party (KSDP) held here on Monday expressed full support for the proposal of a joint meeting of the government, political parties and organizations of the DPRK. The meeting discussed an agenda "on invigorating the party activities to open a turning phase in national reunification through independence and great unity of the nation." Chairman Kim Yong Dae of the KSDP central committee made a report at the meeting which was followed by speeches.
The reporter and speakers referred to the tasks and ways for the party to fully discharge its responsibility and mission in making this year "a year of independence and great unity of the nation" by adhering to the three principles of national reunification ; independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity and realising wide-ranging dialogue between the north and the south true to the party's idea of independence, peace and justice. They expressed the hope that all the political parties, organizations and individuals at home and abroad would actively join in the struggle to realize the proposal of the joint meeting.
National Day of Brunei marked
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- A meeting was held here on Monday in the name of the Korea-Brunei Friendship Association to mark the 15th National Day of Brunei. Present at the meeting were Choe Jong Hwan, vice-chairman of the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and chairman of the Korea-Brunei Friendship Association, and citizens. A speech was made and a message of greetings to the Sultan of Brunei was adopted at the meeting.
DPRK order awarded to Japanese
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The friendship order first class of the DPRK was awarded to Takashi Nada, president of the Shikoku, Japan, Society for the Study of the Juche Idea, with due ceremony at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on Monday. This order was conferred on him in recognition of his devoted service in following and widely disseminating the Juche idea and conducting energetic activities in support of the Korean people's struggle for socialist construction and national reunification. Present at the ceremony were Ri Jong Ok, Honorary vice-President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, and others.
Kim Jong Il praised
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- "The august name of Kim Jong Il, who guides the cause of socialism by a unique method of leadership with the spirit of devoted service for the people and warm love for servicemen, is brilliantly shining all over the world." Garib Newaz, president of the Bangladesh People's League, on a visit to Korea said in a press interview here.
He said: History records not a few people known as masters. But we have neither heard nor seen such a master as Kim Jong Il who is highly praised by all peoples for his traits, leadership ability and feats. His august name has been widely known to the world as a leader of people, creator of happiness and defender of justice. He devotes his all to the happiness of the people, regarding it as greatest joy. The foremost of his exploits is defence and exaltation of the nation's sovereignty. He proficiently guides the work of strengthening defence capabilities of the country with extraordinary and experienced leadership art. In this course he goes among officers and men of the People's Army and shows paternal love for them. He is wisely guiding all affairs of the country with priority given to the army. So I would like to call the method of his leadership over the revolution Kim Jong Il's.
The leader Kim Jong Il is not only a man of practice but also a distinguished thinker-theoretician. The Korean revolution is making long drive following up the victory without turns and twists because it has taken as its guiding principle his ideas and theories, the flawless ideas and theories that show the road ahead of the times and people. The whole world could see the dignity of Juche Korea called after Kim Jong Il when it launched its first artificial satellite and feels the absolute worship of all peoples for the peerlessly great man Kim Jong Il as manifested in the units named after his great august name found in different parts of the world. With the great august name of Kim Jong Il brilliantly shining all over the world, Kimjongilia will always be in full bloom, dyeing the whole world red, the president stressed.
S. Korean authorities' submissive acts denounced
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The Korea East Sea Union of Fishermen's Cooperatives in the DPRK released a statement on Monday accusing the South Korean rulers of posing serious threats to vital rights of local fishermen by repeatedly bowing to the brigandish demands of the Japanese reactionaries. The statement said: Some time ago, the South Korean rulers meekly accepted brigandish demands of the Japanese side for drastically reducing the scale of operations of South Korean fishing boats in joint fishing waters. This is a despicable treacherous act. Not only cities but also rural areas of South Korea are now being paralyzed owing to a drastic increase in unemployment.
At this very juncture, the South Korean authorities made one more concession to the Japanese reactionaries at a "negotiation." This concession is no more than a plot to cause all fishermen to die. Declaring the treacherous "fisheries pact" null and void, the statement called for rescinding it unconditionally and immediately. It urged the Japanese reactionaries to abandon their sinister ambition to deprive the South Korean fishermen of their fishing rights in collusion with pro-Japanese flunkeyists and traitors and attain their design for reinvasion instead of liquidating Japan's past crimes committed against the Korean people.
Successful iron making by oxygen heating
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Korea has industrialized iron making by oxygen heating, a proud result of self-reliance, which is of weighty importance in increasing the Juche character and independence of metal industry and upgrading the national economy as a whole.
Iron making by oxygen heating facilitates iron production relying on anthracite abundant in Korea, thus making the use of imported coke unnecessary. This means turning out melting iron by feeding an appropriate mixture of basic and secondary raw materials and fuel and, at the same time, blowing oxygen into a melting furnace of high temperature. That makes it possible to remove a coke oven and sintering furnace, a source of air pollution, and save a huge amount of money. It also makes it possible to feed raw materials of fixed size and, accordingly, make an effective use of waste from metallurgical and machine plants.
Iron making by oxygen heating provides favourable conditions for the building of an iron making base close to a raw material base. The scientific accuracy of the method has been proved with the recent commissioning of an oxygen-heated furnace at the Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex. The Juche-based iron making by oxygen heating is another big stride forward in the efforts to bring about a turning-point in the building of a powerful nation.
"People's victory 21" steps up
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The "people's victory 21" is stepping up the building of a progressive political party, a South Korean newspaper said. The organization held a "roundtable meeting for proposing foundation of a progressive political party" with the attendance of some 200 personages at the end of January and published an overture, in which it said for workers to rise up voluntarily and unite around a progressive political party was an immediate task which brooks no further delay. It also declared that it would hold the 2nd meeting within February to form a preparatory committee for founding the party and inaugurate it before May. The "Korean Confederation of Trade Unions" with hundreds of thousands of unionists decided to take part in the building of a progressive political party and is joining it, the newspaper said, adding: It is noticeable that a new progressive political party "is striking roots into comparatively fertile soil" which is different from the past.
40th anniversary of signing of Korean-Chinese agreements
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and the general bureau of Civil Aviation co-hosted a reception at Okryu Restaurant on Monday on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the signing of agreements on cultural cooperation and air transport between the governments of the DPRK and China. Invited to the reception were Wan Yongxiang, Chinese ambassador to Korea, and officials of the Chinese Civil Aviation Mission. Present were Mun Jae Chol, acting chairman of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and Song Sok Hwan, vice-Minister of Culture.
S. Korea favors "Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines"
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The South Korean "Defence Minister" favored the bill for the "Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines" at a confab with military related officials of the Japanese ruling coalition parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Liberal Party, which was held last Saturday in Seoul, a Seoul-based foreign news report said.
When the opposite side said the bill was envisaging an "emergency" on the Korean peninsula, he prattled that "Japan's support is needed for the functioning of the U.S. troops in Japan." He expressed the expectation that the U.S. troops in Japan would be hurled into South Korea and Japan would join in a war against the north in case of "emergency." He also agreed with the Japanese side when the latter asked for "cooperation" talking about the "necessity" of mobilization of warships of the Japan "self-defence forces" to protect the Japanese "residents" in South Korea in case of contingency on the Korean peninsula.
National reunification through great unity appealed for
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Chairman of the Council for National Reconciliation Kim Yong Dae issued a press statement on Monday in support of the proposal put forward at the joint meeting of the government, political parties and organizations in the North Korea. In the statement he appealed to all political parties and organizations in South Korea and abroad to join the north in its wholehearted and sincere efforts to shape out the destiny of the nation in an independent way through the nation's united efforts. The statement said: The main point of the proposal of the joint meeting is great national unity and the great unity of the whole nation in the north, the south and overseas is a prerequisite to realizing the independent and peaceful reunification of the country.
Now that the nation is exposed to the danger of war and national reunification is a vital demand which brooks no further delay, it is high time that all people, who are concerned about the destiny of the nation, got united under the banner of patriotism and national reunification regardless of individual narrow-minded ISMS.
For the reunification-oriented inter-Korean dialogue, the South Korean authorities should consider the great national unity to be a principle of national reunification and a cornerstone of reunification policy.
The north's proposal is now hailed unanimously at home and abroad. But, the present chief executive of South Korea is hiring all sorts of good-for-nothings to slander the proposal, claiming "its true purpose is ambiguous" and said "reunification would not be realized" during his term of office. These are improper remarks throwing a wet blanket over the realization of reunification. The entire fellow countrymen in the north, south and overseas should get united firm in line with the five-point policy of great national unity so as to carry into effect the independence of the nation and accomplish the historic cause of national reunification.
Loving care for triplets
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Triplets were born a few days ago in a remote mountainous village of Usi county, Jagang Province, the North Korea. Their mother is a nurse of a co-op farm nursery. Villagers were concerned about the 9-month prematurely born infants. But their condition is now improving with each passing day. Famous doctors from the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital, the Provincial Maternity Hospital, the Provincial Children's Hospital and the County Hospital are taking care of their health day and night.
The triplets are now under the deep care of officials of the Ministry of Public Health, the provincial and county party and administrative officials and the villagers. A doctor and a nurse will take it upon themselves to look after the health of the mother and the babies. State solicitude for the triplets is infinite. They are provided with up-bringing subsidy, foodstuff, clothes and others by the state free of charge from the first day of birth to the day of their entrance to school.
General Secretary Kim Jong Il sends ornamental silver swords to male babies and gold rings to female babies as gifts each time triplets are born. And he sends to their parents ornamental silver swords and gold rings to be their eternal family treasure. He even sends wedding cloths to them. Loving care for the triplets and their parents represent an aspect of anthropocentric Korean society.
Midwinter tactical exercise due in S. Korea
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The metropolitan defence command of the South Korean Army announced on February 20 that it would launch a midwinter tactical exercise as part of war drill in the capital city of Seoul over February 22-26, said a news report.
It is planning in the exercise to fire blank shots and smoke shells with tanks in action while on a night march. The South Korean authorities are staging war games one after another to incite anti-north confrontation in a bid to divert the attention of the South Korean people from the appeal made in the letter of the joint meeting of the government, political parties and organizations of the North Korea to open up an epoch-making phase in national reunification through independence and the great unity of the nation.
Choe Thae Bok meets Romanian party representative
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Choe Thae Bok, alternate member of the political bureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, today met and had a friendly talk with Amusa Stefan, first vice-chairman of the Socialist Party of Romania who is its representative. Amusa Stefan expressed the firm belief that the Korean people would certainly climb up a high peak of socialism by achieving the cause of national reunification under the guidance of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
Kim Jong Il sends wreath to bier of Jo Sun Baek
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il today sent a wreath to the bier of colonel general of the KPA Jo Sun Baek, member of the WPK Central Committee, to express deep condolences over his death. Jo died of illness yesterday at the age of 73. He contributed to implementing the WPK's military line and defending gains of the revolution, holding an important post of an organ of armed forces for long. The Central Committee and the Central Military Commission of the WPK published his obituary yesterday.
Paek Nam Sun meets Nigerian ambassador
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Paek Nam Sun, Foreign Minister of the DPRK, today met and had a conversation with Nigerian ambassador to Korea Olugbenga Ayodeji Ashiru who paid a farewell call on him.