S.Korea's anti-DPRK smear campaign
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee of the DPRK answered a question put by KCNA today as regards an anti-DPRK smear campaign launched by a South Korean Intelligence Service while floating a nasty rumor about the population of the DPRK in a bid to frustrate International Humanitarian Assistance to it. Warning that South Korea must act with discretion, the spokesman said: A South Korean Intelligence Service is spreading these days a rumor that 3 million people of the north have died of starvation over the last four years.
In order to attach credibility to their rumor, it quoted a "result of the population census carried out by the Ministry of Public Security of the DPRK," saying it was confirmed that the population of the north decreased from 25 million in 1995 to 22 million in 1998. On top of this, the service, citing "data" and "analysis," alleged that International Humanitarian Assistance is helpless because the famine-stricken DPRK has diverted most of relief food to the army. This is a whooping lie which was hurriedly invented by those who do not know what organ of the DPRK is in charge of population census.
The latest population census in the DPRK was the wholesale census carried out by the central statistics bureau of the DPRK in 1993 in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund. The census showed that in 1993, the population of the DPRK was 21,213,000, or a 1.5 percent natural increase in population. Taking into account this rate of natural increase in population, the population of the DPRK will reach as many as 23 million in the year 2000. This is a factual figure was officially recognized or is being quoted by the United Nations, the UN Population Fund and other international organisations.
The whooping lie being floated by the South Korean Intelligence Service over the population of the DPRK throws a revealing light over its dirty nature once again. It is not first time that the intelligence service which is accustomed to intrigues and deception resorted to ill-intentioned schemes to check International Humanitarian Assistance to the DPRK. For example, it had once brought disgrace upon itself in the eyes of the world by circulating a rumor that the DPRK government diverted fund relief in aid for natural disasters to military spending.
To make matters worse, it put mixed bio-chemical substance with food and other relief materials for the DPRK to achieve their sinister design, thus doing harm to or killing a large number of people in the north. The South Korean authorities and intelligence service would be well advised to act with discretion, mindful that their frantic and reckless anti-DPRK smear campaign will only arouse bitterer curse and accusations from the international community.
Letter to 1 million students of S.Korea
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- The Korean Student Committee sent a letter to 1 million students in South Korea on Sunday in connection with strange things happening to new students at South Korean universities entering a new school year. The Seoul prosecutors office scattered at universities letters carrying the distorted "reality of the student movement" allegedly to prevent "radicalization of new students" and sent letters forcing university student councils and council members to withdraw from the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils.
Barring new students from their activities is a vicious fascist act which could not be seen even under the preceding dictatorial regime, said the letter. Recalling that students were in the van of all patriotic struggles, the letter condemned the present South Korean political hacks for suppressing the student movement by invoking the "National Security Law" after coming into power at the cost of their struggle. The letter expressed confidence in the struggle of South Korean students, saying they will not be tempted by a discreditable letter of the "Minister of Education" preaching injustice and treachery.
Korean Stamp Study Society formed in China
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- Chinese philatelists formed the Korean Stamp Study Society on February 16, the 57th birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il as an expression of their respects for him. A meeting was held in Beijing on Feb. 25 to celebrate this event. The meeting adopted a letter to Kim Jong Il.
The friendship between the peoples of China and Korea is unbreakable and will remain evergreen forever as it was forged and furthered by proletarian revolutionaries of the old generation of the two countries, the letter said, and continued: The Korean stamp will provide us with an opportunity to know about the time-honored history and culture of Korea and the great successes the Korean people have made in the Korean-style socialist construction under the leadership of the great leader President Kim Il Sung and Marshal Kim Jong Il.
We would like to widely disseminate this experience to the Chinese philatelists and people so as to promote friendship and exchange between the two peoples.
Meeting of KPA company commanders held
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- A meeting of company commanders of the Korean People's Army was held at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on February 27-28. The meeting reviewed successes and experience attained in enhancing the role of the company, the major combatant unit of the People's Army, in accordance with the military line of the Workers' Party of Korea and discussed the tasks to effect a fresh revolutionary turn in upgrading combat preparedness and augmenting combat capacity of the companies in keeping with the need to increase revolutionary armed forces and that of the new era of the Juche-oriented revolution.
The meeting was attended by KPA vice-marshals Jo Myong Rok, director of the General Political Department, Kim Yong Chun, chief of the general staff, Kim Il Chol, Minister of the People's Armed Forces, Ri Yong Mu, Jon Jae Son, Ri Ha Il, Pak Ki So, Ri Jong San, Kim Ryong Yon and commanders of all arms and services of the KPA.
The participants heard the recorded speech "Let us strengthen the companies of the People's Army", which was delivered by the President Kim Il Sung on October 11, Juche 62 (1973) at a meeting of the KPA company commanders and company political instructors. The President in his speech elucidated in a perfect way all theoretical and practical matters in strengthening companies, ranging from the position and role of company, which is the cell of the KPA, communist combatant and moral traits to be possessed by company commanding officers to combat and political training and supply service for companies.
A congratulatory message of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Military Commission to the participants in the meeting was conveyed at the meeting. The message highly appreciated the KPA company commanders for their big contributions to augmenting the combat capacity and perfecting combat preparedness by splendidly performing their noble duties for the party and the revolution true to the leadership of the respected Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il and thereby turning companies into ever-victorious combatant ranks. The message called upon KPA company commanders to effect a fresh turn in increasing combat preparedness and combat capacity through an all-out charge, true to the of President Kim Il Sung and the highly important instructions of Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il on strengthening the companies.
Company commanders should prepare all soldiers to be Ri Su Bok-type heroes through human bomb attack and Kil Yong Jo-type soldiers ready for suicidal explosion, who defend with their lives the headquarters of revolution headed by the great leader Kim Jong Il at the van of the revolution and resolutely carry out the orders of the Supreme Commander through fire and water, the message said. It underlined the need for the company commanders to hold fast to the combat training as a major task and intensify it under a simulated condition of a real battle so as to prepare every soldier to be a match for a hundred foes and a thousand foes and thereby creditably defend the security of the fatherland and the people with full preparedness to wipe off any aggressors.
Chief of the general staff Kim Yong Chun delivered a report at the meeting. The reporter referred to the unremitting efforts made by President Kim Il Sung and Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il to strengthen the KPA companies. The President made tiring journeys of 224,868 km on more than 2,080 occasions to give on-site guidance to KPA units and companies in order to build them up into combatant ranks of invincible. Singling out the strengthening of companies as a main link and a starting-point in strengthening the whole army, Kim Jong Il has established a well-organized system of guidance over companies in the whole army, thereby turning the companies into ideologically prepared crack contingents and ranks ready to be human bombs, said the reporter.
Touching on the successes scored since the meeting of KPA company commanders in November Juche 80 (1991), Kim Yong Chun recalled the company commanders and servicemen have creditably performed their sacred mission as defenders of the fatherland, frustrating by unrivalled force of arms ceaseless and reckless provocation on the ground, in the sea and in the air. He elaborated on the tasks to be fulfilled by the companies in further beefing up the revolutionary armed forces of Juche and thus firmly guaranteeing with arms the inviolable security of the headquarters of the Korean revolution and the building of a powerful nation. It is the target of the KPA companies to prepare themselves to be combat ranks of Ri Su Bok-type heroes through human bomb attack and Kil Yong Jo-type soldiers ready for suicidal explosion, who are determined to defend Kim Jong Il at the cost of lives, he stressed.
Speeches were made at the meeting. Congratulatory letters to the meeting were read out by a congratulatory group of the KPA and a congratulatory group of the Korean Children's Union. A letter of pledge to Kim Jong Il was adopted at the meeting.
Electronic microscope of 300,000 magnifications made
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- Young scientists, engineers and workers of the Taedonggang Reagent Company in Pyongyang have succeeded in making an efficient electronic microscope of 300,000 magnifications in a matter of 6 months despite hardship and difficulties. Having an electronic optical system, a high voltage power source, high vacuum exhausting and cooling systems and an automatic control apparatus based on ultra-modern science and technology, the microscope is capable of magnifying material tissues including metal and cells of microorganism 300,000 times and directly observing, photographing and feeding them into computers.
The production of the microscope makes it possible to make in-depth researches into ultra-modern science including cellular and genetic engineering, discovery of new materials and super-fine processing technology. The successful production of this electronic microscope in the wake of the successful launch of the first artificial satellite "Kwangmyongsong 1 " in the DPRK redoubles the Korean people's confidence in victory and optimism about the rise of a powerful nation.
Meeting with Jilin City friendship delegation
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- A friendly meeting with the Jilin City friendship delegation of China was held at the Changdok School in Pyongyang on Feb. 28. Present on invitation was the delegation headed by secretary Tian Xueren of the Jilin City Committee of the Communist Party of China. Present at the meeting were vice-chairman choe Jong Hwan of the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries who is vice-chairman of the c.c., the DPRK-China Friendship Association and principal, teachers, employees and students of the Changdok School. The participants enjoyed an art performance by art circle members of the school and exchanged conversations, deepening feelings of friendship.
Achieving for Korea's reunification
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- The Korean nation should overcome all sorts of obstacles and hardships in the way of reunification and achieve the cause of reunification with great unity under the banner of national independence, stresses Rodong Sinmun today in an editorial dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the March 1 Popular Uprising.
It says: The desire of the uprising to achieve the independence of the country, rejecting the outside forces has not yet been realised on a nation-wide scale though 80 years have passed since the uprising. The U.S. aggressors, who occupied South Korea after August 15, 1945, are keeping a more despotic colonial fascist rule than that of the Japanese. The Japanese reactionaries are doggedly blocking Korea's reunification by availing themselves of the U.S. aggression and war moves. The aggressive moves of the outside forces are being furthered by the rulers under the mask of "people".
The whole nation in the north, south and overseas should unite firm under the banner of patriotism and national reunification, transcending differences in ideology and system, political view and belief and interests of class and strata. The South Korean politicians should correctly judge the requirements of the times and the nation, deal with and solve the priorities for inter-Korean dialogue at an early date including a stop to "cooperation" with outside forces, complete abolition of the "security law" and guarantee for the free activities of all pro-reunification patriotic organizations, and respond to our proposal of a joint meeting for the dialogue.
The editorial calls upon all the fellow countrymen to frustrate the moves of separatist forces at home and abroad and turn out in a nation-wide struggle to open a turning phase for the independent and peaceful reunification of the country under the banner of the five-point policy of great national unity put forward by General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
Foolish behavior
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- The Japanese reactionary's scheme for a preemptive attack on the DPRK has triggered off hatred of the Korean People's Army and people for Japan and hardened their pledge to revenge upon it. Rodong Sinmun today stresses this, commenting on director general of Japan Defence Agency Norota's remarks at the budget committee of the house of councilors.
The paper says: What the Japanese reactionaries seek in describing the DPRK's launch of artificial satellite as "missile launch," is to undo the keynote for carrying into practice their once failed design for "greater east Asia coprosperity sphere." Their talkative "missile threat" from the DPRK is a trick to find a pretext for reinvasion of Korea. Japan's militarists are sworn enemy that have committed double and treble crimes against the Korean people, the paper says, warning all of the invaders, if they dare attack, will be reduced to feed of crows.
80th anniversary of March 1 Popular Uprising marked
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- A meeting took place here today to mark the 80th anniversary of the March 1 Popular Uprising. Director Jo Kyu Il of the secretariat of the central committee of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland in a report delivered at the meeting said: 80 years have passed since the uprising, but the Korean people have not yet established national sovereignty nationwide. Moreover, the nation's desire for dignity and sovereignty and the country's reunification are now facing graver challenge from within and without.
The U.S. has brought the situation in Korea to an extreme pitch of tension, raising a hue and cry over the DPRK's non-existent "missile threat", "suspicion of underground nuclear facility" and the "problem of bio-chemical weapons." against this backdrop, they are inciting war atmosphere, even setting a time limit to cope with "March crisis."
The Japanese reactionary's attempt at re-invasion of Korea has gone beyond the danger line. Japanese brass-hats are flying into South Korea one after another for anti-north war confabs, Japan "Self-Defence Forces" are heading for joint military exercises with the South Korean army and having full-scale joint military drills with the United States and South Korea. The danger of nuclear war posed by the U.S. and Japanese aggression forces to the Korean nation is getting more potential owing to the treacherous policy and anti-north confrontation pursued by the South Korean authorities.
Calling for a nationwide struggle to achieve national reunification through great unity under the banner of national independence in line with the three charters of national reunification advanced by the President Kim Il Sung and the five-point policy of great national unity set forth by General Secretary Kim Jong Il, the reporter declared: This is the true way for the nation to break through the present difficult situation and a road of realizing the strong desire of the March 1 Popular Uprising for independence and sovereignty 80 years back.
The U.S. moves for war and intervention should be strongly rejected everywhere and the Japanese reactionary's hostile policy towards the DPRK and their re-invasion moves should be decisively frustrated. The South Korean authorities should opt to immediately implement the priorities proposed to them by the joint meeting of the DPRK government, political parties and organizations for inter-Korean dialogue. The meeting was attended by Yang Hyong Sop, Kim Jung Rin and others.
Literature celebrating Kim Jong Il's birthday appears
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- Copies of literature congratulating General Secretary Kim Jong Il on his birthday were scattered in Mokpho, South Korea, on February 15 in the name of the February 16 Fellowship Society, the Seoul-based radio Voice of National Salvation quoted the South Jolla Provincial Committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea as saying.
Written on the front of the literature with a full-blown Kim Jong Ilia for a background were letters, "We warmly congratulate leader Kim Jong Il, the peerless patriot and the sun of the 21st century, on his birthday. Let us all present our best wishes for longevity to the peerlessly great leader." Drawn on the back of the literature was a Korean map above which were letters, "Let us build a powerful state, reunified and prosperous, through a dynamic struggle for independence, democracy and reunification, holding the sun of the nation in high esteem."
Crimes of S.Korea regime in one year flailed
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- The central committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) released an indictment on February 23, one year after the present "government" appeared in South Korea, said Seoul-based radio Voice of National Salvation.
The indictment, representing the wrath of the betrayed people, cited irrefutable data to disclose the crimes the South Korean chief executive, Kim Dae Jung, committed in one year as a dastardly flunkeyist-traitor, strangler of democracy and people's livelihood, and anti-reunification charlatan. It said: During his opposition days, Kim Dae Jung noisily advocated "national independence," styling himself a "fighter for democracy." However, his true colors as a flunkeyist was revealed after he took the "presidential" office. He made his first ever foreign visit as "President" to the United States and Japan.
During his tour of the United States he cried that "the U.S. troops must stay in South Korea even after the reunification of Korea." in Japan he shamelessly called Akihito "Emperor" and "invited" him to South Korea. The self-styled "government for the people" committed such anti-national crimes as taking an active part in outsiders' anti-DPRK racket over the non-existent "suspected underground nuclear facility," "missiles" and "biochemical weapons" of the DPRK. Due to its servile flunkeyist and treacherous acts, South Korea is entirely dependent upon the United States and Japan.
Last year, the first year of his assumption of office, Kim Dae Jung paid the United States 399 million dollars as "defense cost sharing," "direct support costs" for the upkeep of the U.S. troops present in South Korea, or 36 million dollars more than the figure of the previous year. And he transferred Tok Islet and golden fishing sites around it to Japan through the conclusion of a new "South Korea-Japan fisheries accord" and fully lifted a ban on the import of Japanese culture.
When he was with an opposition party, he called for "democratic politics." after taking the "presidential office," however, he turned to ferocious dictatorial politics. He established the "law-abiding oath system" and excluded more than 400 prisoners of conscience even from the deceptive "amnesty." And he has turned the whole of South Korea into a huge prison through the strict application of the "Law on Supervision for Public Peace."
Last year alone, a total of over 2.3 million innocent people were investigated by the prosecution and South Korea set the world record in postal censorship and wiretapping. Now that democratic politics disappeared and the economy went insolvent, the South Korean people are in dire straits. In South Korea, production, domestic demand and exports showed a drastic decrease. As a result, more than 53,000 enterprises went bankrupt en masse and financial institutions proved insolvent one after another and its foreign debts amount to 151.46 billion U.S. dollars.
Driven into the whirlwind of "layoff system" and the "restructuring," as many as 8 million people lost their jobs and the absolute poor more than trebled as compared with the figure at the end of 1997. During this period Kim Dae Jung has also engaged himself in the frantic moves for permanent division of the nation, though he was loudmouthed about "north-south reconciliation and reunification" when he was an opposition leader. He appointed Kang In Dok, a truculent anti-reunification element who won ill-fame for his frantic anti-communist, anti-north racket, as "Minister of National Unification." He let loose the anti-reunification hokum that it is "not time for reunification" and issued repressive orders not to "tolerate the pro-reunification movement."
Last year, the self-projected "government for the people" brutally cracked down upon the grand reunification festival of August 15 with the mobilisation of over 20,000-strong riot police. Meanwhile, it ruled at "court" that the inter-Korean agreement, which reaffirmed the three principles of national reunification, was nullified. And it has put forward "sunshine policy" and "engagement policy," throwing shadow on the timetable of reunification. Worse still, the "government" openly declared the fellow countrymen in the north as the "principal enemy" and purchased 266.93 million dollars worth of lethal military equipment from the United States.
The U.S.-Japan-South Korea military alliance has been set in motion on a full scale and operations for attack on the north of Korea have been carried out in a real war atmosphere according to the U.S. scenario the one year of the present "government" was that of treachery and destruction during which it committed indelible crimes against the nation and people, the indictment stated, calling upon all the South Koran people to turn out in the struggle to overthrow the traitorous Kim Dae Jung "government."
Kim Il Sung's guidance proves
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today runs an article to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the President Kim Il Sung's work "On Some Theoretical Problems of the Socialist Economy."
The work gives a clear exposition of all the ways of giving full display to advantages of socialist economy and facilitating scientific and rational economic management and operation--relationship between the scale of the economy and the rate of production growth in a socialist society, the means of production of commodity form and the use of the law of value in a socialist society and the peasant market in a socialist society and way to abolish it. It has put the working-class theory of the economy on a new higher stage and given a strong impetus to the efforts of the Korean people to accelerate socialist economic construction.
The President strictly adhered to the revolutionary principle in leading socialist economic construction throughout its history, the article says, and goes on: The Korean people have successfully laid solid foundations of a unique independent national economy to suit the specific conditions of their own country and steadily effected an upswing in socialist economic construction in the face of continued economic blockade of the imperialists and obstructions of modern revisionists. They owe all this to the revolutionary principle maintained by the President.
His guidance over the adherence to the socialist principle in economic construction finds expression in his giving top priority to ideological work, political work, to arouse a high degree of revolutionary zeal of the masses and their creative activity. It also finds expression in his boosting centralized and planned guidance of the state to meet needs of the law governing socialist economic growth and correctly combining the communist nature of socialism and the nature of socialism in the process of transition.
Congratulations on Bulgarian National Day
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK today sent a message of greetings to President Peter Stoyanov on the Bulgarian National Day. The message extended warm congratulations to the President and people of Bulgaria and expressed belief that the relations between the DPRK and Bulgaria would develop. Meanwhile, Hong Song Nam, premier of the cabinet, and Paek Nam Sun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, respectively sent messages of greetings to their counterparts Ivan Kostov and Nadezhda Mihailova.
Gift to Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a gift from the People's Front of Workers, Peasants and Students of Peru. Genaro Ledesma Izquieta, chairman of the front who is on visit to Korea, conveyed the gift to secretary Choe Thae Bok of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
National Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Pyongyang, March 1 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK sent a message of greetings to Zivko Radisic, chairman of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on February 28 on the National Day of his country.
Expressing the belief that the friendship between the two countries would further develop, it wished the chairman of presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people success in their efforts for the country's stability and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Hong Song Nam, premier of the cabinet, and Paek Nam Sun, Foreign Minister, respectively sent messages of greetings to Haris Silajdzic, co-chairman of the Ministerial Council, and Jadranko Prolic, Foreign Minister.