Kim Jong Il inspects headquarters of combined unit
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il inspected the headquarters of KPA combined unit No. 324. He was accompanied by vice marshal Jo Myong Rok, director of the KPA General Political Department = vice marshal Kim Yong Chun, chief of the KPA general staff = general Hyon Chol Hae and staff members of the KPA supreme command. He met the commanding officers of the combined unit.
He first went to the forward command post of the combined unit on top of the hill. He learned about topography and deployment of forces in the defense theatre and heard a report on the situation. He gave the unit important tasks to increase its combat capabilities in every way and fortify the defense theatre. He looked round the monument to the President Kim Il Sung's on-site guidance and the revolutionary history education room. He called for intensifying education of soldiers so that all of them would always remember the President's deep loving care.
He went to the operation command room and the dining hall of the combined unit and then inspected a unit under the combined unit. He looked round the bedroom, education room and other places of the unit to take warm care of soldier's life. He gave the unit's soldiers a pair of binoculars and an automatic rifle and posed for a picture with them. He met with soldiers of the headquarters of the combined unit, encouraged them and had a picture taken with them. At the end of the inspection of the combined unit, he enjoyed an art performance given by families of the unit's officers. He expressed great satisfaction with their successful performance of high ideological and artistic value and highly appreciated their noble spirit and revolutionary way of work and life.
"Student prize for scientific research" winners
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- Korean students work hard to win "student prize for scientific research." The prize is awarded to the students who distinguish themselves in study, organizational life and socio-political activity by following the fine example set by General Secretary Kim Jong Il while conducting revolutionary activities at Kim Il Sung University. The prize winners number more than 4,500. 500 students have hitherto won the prize this year. Among them are many bachelors and straight-A students and A 16-member class of Pyongyang University of Medicine who had an honor of bachelors. This prize was awarded with due ceremony in Pyongyang on March 28.
Scientists and technicians commended in national meeting
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- State commendations and academic degrees or titles were awarded to the participants in a national meeting of scientists and technicians with due ceremony at the People's Palace of Culture on March 27. Labour hero titles were given to Kim Jung Bae, director of the methanol institute of the Hamhung branch of the Academy of Sciences, and 3 others. Watches bearing the name of the President Kim Il Sung were awarded to 25, letters of commendation of General Secretary Kim Jong Il to 15, honorary titles to many scientists and technicians, orders and medals to some 2,000 participants in the meeting, and state academic degrees or titles, including academicians and professors, to 90 officials, scientists and technicians. Kim Jong Il's gifts were conveyed to the participants.
Trend of independence cannot be stemmed
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today comes out with a signed article saying it is the trend of the times that world people aspire after independence against domination and subjugation and that many countries are taking the road of independence. The imperialists and international reactionaries cannot stem this trend of the times, the author of the article says, and continues: No one wants to be subjugated to others and do people allow other nation to violate their dignity, interfering in their internal affairs.
The main force that stems the trend of the times toward independence at present is imperialism engaged in practices for domination and subjugation. The imperialists are trying to bring developing countries under their control with the predominance of strength and nuclear weapons and establish an international order based on the jungle law.
This is why they are intensifying economic infiltration into developing countries through "aid" and "cooperation" and domination and intervention on the plea of "settling disputes." Particularly, they are getting frantic in their moves to prevent the revival of socialism. The progressive people all over the world should struggle under the uplifted banner of anti-imperialism and independence until they have accomplished the cause of global independence by frustrating the moves of the imperialists and international reactionaries to hold independence in check.
Anti-"government" struggle planned
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- More than 5,000 unionists under the Federation of South Korean Trade Unions renewed their resolution to wage an anti-"government" struggle in protest against the authority's moves to trample underfoot the right to existence, according to a radio report from Seoul.
The organization held a "national worker's meeting" to frustrate the unilateral restructuring and defend their vital rights, at which it declared it would withdraw from the deceptive "Labour-Management-Government Committee" and launch an all-out anti-"government" struggle. It also declared that it would carry into practice their resolution to withdraw from the "committee" early in April and launch a strong anti-"government" struggle including a general strike together with the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions unless the authorities meet their demands till March 31. And it stated a struggle would be undertaken simultaneously to have the "committee" dissolved.
Overseas compatriots form preparatory committees
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- Preparatory committees were formed by the United Confederation of Koreans in Russia, the Central Consultative Committee of Koreans in Russia and the United Confederation of Koreans in Ukraine between Mar. 18 and 20 to commemorate Sun's Day on the 87th birth anniversary of the President Kim Il Sung. The committees decided to hold colorful events including commemoration meetings, photo and book exhibitions and film shows.
14th National Scientific and Technological Festival
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- The 14th National Scientific and Technological Festival took place in Pyongyang from March 23 through 27. Scientific and technological festivals were held in provinces, cities and counties and at factories and enterprises and on coop farms from December last year to February this year. Involved in them were upwards of 61,400 working people from all walks of life, servicepersons and public security men. On display were over 28,000 data on scientific and technological achievements.
Some 250 data on successful scientific researches and technical innovations of high value were submitted to the national festival from festivals in local areas. "Large crank heat treatment method," "production of pig iron by use of anthracite at oxygen-blown blast furnace," "establishment of TV broadcasting voltage stabilizing system" and other scientific and technological findings were considered to be of high value at the festival. Jo Chang Dok, vice-premier of the cabinet, attended the closing ceremony of the national festival on March 27.
War hawks bound to meet miserable end
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today comments on the joint drill of the ground, naval and air forces condemned "Hoguk 99", which was started by the South Korean hawkish elements in the central inland and west coastal area on Sunday. This is another anti-north war racket kicked off by the South Korean authorities led by its chief executive after they made outcries over "threat of mass destruction weapons" and "infiltration" from the north recently, the news analyst notes, adding: This saber rattling like all the war drills the South Korean war hawks have staged so far with outside forces or separately is war exercise aimed at invading the north.
The on-going war drill "Hoguk 99" is bringing dark clouds of nuclear war to the Korean peninsula. This once again clearly illustrates that the South Korean rulers are the most vicious war-thirsty elements going against the reconciliation and unity of the nation, peace and peaceful reunification. The South Korean war hawks, who brand fellow countrymen as "principal enemy" and are running amok to stifle the north by force of arms in collusion with outside forces, can never go scot-free. If they dare ignite a war, ignoring the north's repeated warnings, they will not be able to escape from miserable self-destruction.
It is biggest fortune to have great leader
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- "I have keenly realized that the Korean people are very proud of having the great leader," said chairwoman of the Party for Peace and Unity Sazhi Umalatova who visited the DPRK. All the achievements made in the DPRK which stands imposingly as a socialist fortress today are unthinkable apart from the wise leadership of the great Kim Jong Il, she said, and went on: Kim Jong Il is the true people's leader who always mixes with people and it is the greatest fortune for the Korean people to have him. Only when Kim Jong Il is held in high esteem is it possible to firmly defend socialism in Korea and strengthen the socialist forces of the world. The chairwoman hoped the Korean people would always hold him in high esteem and defend the socialist country to the end. She expressed the belief that the Korean people would bring about a great turn in building a Juche-based powerful nation under the leadership of Kim Jong Il.
Day of abolition of illiteracy marked in DPRK
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- 50 years have passed since illiteracy was abolished in March 1949 in the DPRK. Korea was liberated from the colonial rule of the Japanese in August Juche 34 (1945). Right after liberation more than 2.3 million adults were illiterate in the North Korea. That was due to the Japanese aggressor's colonial policy of obliterating colonial national culture.
The Japanese illegally occupied Korea, forced Koreans to take Japanese names and deprived them of a chance to learn or use the Korean written and spoken language. The abolition of illiteracy was an urgent question in just-liberated Korea. The President Kim Il Sung caught the swing of affairs and made sure that anti-illiteracy campaign was launched in 1946. It was thanks to his wise guidance that illiterates disappeared nationwide in March 1949, and the use of Chinese characters was banned in the same year.
The Worker's Party of Korea and the DPRK government have paid primary attention to education since the liberation of the country. The first meeting of the provisional people's committee of North Korea held in February 1946 took up the question of pencil production as its first item and factory colleges appeared at the height of the hard-fought Fatherland Liberation War (1950-1953) decisive of the destiny of the country.
Korea launched into universal compulsory primary education in 1956, universal free education in 1959 and universal compulsory 11-year education in 1972. In the pre-liberation days. Korea did not have even a single university, but it has hundreds of universities today. It has a huge army of nearly 2 million intellectuals. Korea began national education with an anti-illiteracy campaign. It set itself the goal of intellectualizing all members of society, which calls for raising their cultural level to that of university graduates.
KCNA urges United States to discharge its responsibility
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- The South Korean authorities are now trying to build up public opinion over the loud-mouthed "exchange of unconverted long-term prisoners for ROK army POWs and those abducted by the north" at an international human rights conference in a bid to lay an obstacle in the way of the repatriation of the unconverted long-term prisoners. The South Korean authorities have illegally kept the unconverted long-term prisoners behind bars for scores of years, putting them to unheard-of tortures and maltreatment for refusing "ideological conversion". It is a foolish attempt to conceal their human rights abuses to propose to "exchange" them for non-existent "ROK army POWs" and "those abducted by the north."
We have already repatriated all POWs to the side of the United States under the Korean Armistice Agreement (KAA). Therefore, POWs problem does not exist in the north nor can there be such a thing. "Those abducted by the north" on the lips of the South Korean authorities is a far-fetched assertion. There are in the north people who defected to the north from South Korea, longing for the DPRK. But there is none of "those abducted by the north". In actuality, the POWs issue is a matter that should be discussed and settled between the DPRK and the United States under the KAA. So, the South Korean authorities have neither justification nor qualification to poke their nose into the matter. Nevertheless, the South Korean authorities proposed to exchange the unconverted long-term prisoners, who should have been repatriated to the north long before, for the non-existent "ROK army POWs". This only betrays the lack of political common sense on the part of the present authorities.
Underlying their attempt are the sheer impudence of the South Korean authorities as well as their intention to make use of the issue of unconverted long-term prisoners, a humanitarian issue, for a political purpose. The South Korean authority's unceasing political gambling over the issue of the repatriation of the unconverted long-term prisoners is mainly attributable to the attitude of the United States, their master and signatory to the KAA, evading its responsibility. From long ago, the DPRK made it clear that the responsibility for the repatriation of the unconverted long-term prisoners, the north's prisoners of war, rests entirely with the United States and demanded more than once that the United States sincerely discharge its obligation as a signatory to the agreement, but it has turned blind eyes to it till now.
Especially, our side is now unearthing the remains of American soldiers who died in the area of the North Korea during the Korean War and handing them to the U.S. side from a humanitarian point of view. The United States, however, is turning aside from the issue of the unconverted long-term prisoners though it should have sent them back to our side as a signatory to the KAA. This can never be overlooked. This is a challenge baffling common sense from the legal and humanitarian points of view. The United States, though belatedly, should discharge its responsibility and obligation under the armistice agreement and international law so that the unconverted long-term prisoners may return to the northern half of the country. This will be helpful to the solution of GIs' remains.