Indian public figure on Korea's reunification
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- Chairman of the All-India Youth Federation Sitram Sharoma in a statement released on May 7 said that the prospect of Korea's reunification is bright and optimistic as it is led by General Secretary Kim Jong Il who has personified the idea on the country's reunification and the gifted leadership ability of the President Kim Il Sung.
Kim Jong Il's work Let Us Reunify the Country Independently and Peacefully through the Great Unity of the Entire Nation is an eternal library which gives comprehensive and scientific answers to all questions arising in carrying out the cause of great national unity, the cause of national reunification. It is also a great banner that powerfully encourages the entire nation to realise the cause of reunification, he said.
The five-point policy of the great unity of the entire nation set forth in the work is fair policy acceptable to anyone who loves the country and the nation, he said adding: The South Korean authorities should replace the policy of confrontation with the DPRK with a policy of reconciliation with the north and set on the road of reconciliation and unity within the nation from a patriotic-minded stand.
397th foreign baby at Pyongyang Maternity Hospital
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- The 397th foreign baby was born at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital of the DPRK. Mother of the baby is Jaeda Ammar, wife of Riyad Appas, third secretary of the Syrian embassy in Korea. She gave birth to the charming daughter on May 6 and left the hospital in good health on May 11, saying: I have heard a lot of stories about the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital from long ago, and realized here that the hospitality, devotion and medical technology of Korean doctors are beyond imagination.
My daughter, the first girl of Syria who was born at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital, the cradle of love, in the era of General Secretary Kim Jong Il, will be symbolic of friendship between the two countries. Jaeda Ammar said that during her stay in hospital, she came to know clearly how much medical benefit the Korean women get, and she extended deepest thanks to Marshal Kim Jong Il, representing her and all children born in the hospital.
In this hospital, a great number of children including 246 sets of triplets were born.
Foreign women from various countries including the wife of the former Palestinian ambassador to Korea underwent medical treatment here and gave birth to dear children.
Jindallae, Saeppyol, Solmae, Solkwang and other foreign children were born at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital.
Man-hunt by fascist gangsters
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- The South Korean authorities recently arrested Kim Su Ja, chairperson of the Seoul Progressive Youth Society, and five others on the charge of formation and affiliation with enemy-benefiting organization on the strength of the security law.
Commenting on this, Rodong Sinmun today says: It cannot be incriminated that the society has aspired after the building of a new society in which the labour liberation and human emancipation are realized, awakened local workers ideologically, called on business trade unions in their strikes and waged the solidarity struggle of workers and students. It is the unanimous aspiration of the South Korean students and people to advocate the advanced idea and build a new society based on independence, democracy and reunification according to the idea.
The South Korean authorities, upset by the worker-peasant, worker-student solidarity struggle gaining momentum on the occasion of the anniversary of the May 18 Kwangju Uprising, are getting frantic in suppression, bereft of reason.
Their suppression of the society is part of the premeditated fascist offensive stemming from their criminal attempt to crack down on and stamp out the massive anti-government struggle of the workers, students and other people at any cost.
Press conference at Yugoslav embassy
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- A press conference was held at the Yugoslav embassy in Korea on Wednesday. Present were newspaper and news agency reporters in Pyongyang, foreign journalists and press attaches of foreign embassies here.
In his speech Yugoslav ambassador Ljubomir Djukic said that the U.S.-led NATO has destroyed many military and civilian objects since it launched air raids on Yugoslavia.
He stated they far surpass the crimes of Nazi Germany in barbarity and cruelty.
He went on: The indiscriminate air raids by NATO left hundreds of thousands of workers jobless. That is why peace-loving countries and people call for stopping air raids at an early date.
A brutal air raid on the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia by NATO is unprecedented in history.
Although the U.S.-led NATO continues to intensify air raids, it will not break the will of the Yugoslav people to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.
Answers were given to questions at the press conference.
S. Korean authorities should take decisive step
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- The spokesman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland made public a statement on May 12 with the approach of the 100th day after a proposal for holding wide-ranging dialogues between the north and south including dialogue between authorities was put forward at a joint meeting of the DPRK government, political parties and organizations early in February.
The proposal is an important initiative reflecting the urgent desire of the nation to resume dialogue between the north and south which was suspended at the time of the Kim Young Sam government this year, last year of the '90s, at any cost, open a new era of national reconciliation and unity and greet the 2000s, the statement said, and went on: However, the South Korean authorities have not taken any practical steps to implement the priorities of dialogue between the north and south.
Discarding its early stand of welcoming our proposal for dialogue as positive, they are now laying obstacles in the way of dialogue between the north and south.
Recently, they had confab on the policy against the north with the United States and Japan before framing up a coordinating and control group, which shows that their anti-north cooperation with foreign forces is being deepened and systematized still further.
They are staging joint military exercises against the north with foreign troops almost every day and attempting to resume the Team Spirit joint military exercises.
Never should it go unnoticed that they are creating public opinion as if they were interested in north-south dialogue, while turning aside from the implementation of priorities. They should not weigh the issue of implementing priorities but take a decisive step to remove obstacles they have laid in the way of dialogue.
S. Korean ruler's attempt to suppress worker's struggle
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- Prime minister of South Korea Kim Jong Pil at a meeting of ministers related to labour on May 10 revealed again his attempt to harshly suppress meetings and strikes of workers, branding them as unlawful, a Seoul-based radio reported.
The authorities confirmed and announced the repressive plan allegedly to sternly counter labour strikes against the restructuring by law, including a large-scale meeting of the Federation of Metal Industrial Workers Unions and the Federation of Hospital Workers Unions under the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions slated for May 12 and a second strike of the Seoul Subway Trade Union scheduled for May 14.
This is an open challenge to the just struggle of South Korean workers for vital rights.
Scheme to intensify cooperation system against N. Korea
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- The U.S. military magazine Defense News on May 10 quoted officials of the Defence Agency of Japan as saying that the agency and the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea on May 6 set up a hot line for exchange of military information about North Korea, according to a report.
A communication circuit is reportedly to open in addition between military officials of both sides toward the end of this month.
This clearly shows that the Japanese reactionaries and the South Korean ruling quarters are getting more frantic in the moves to intensify the cooperation system to stifle the DPRK by force of arms.
U.S. special exhibition
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- The United States held a special exhibition on the 50th anniversary of the Korean War at the Macarthur Memorial in Virginia on May 10, according to a report.
The exhibition will last till May next year. It is aimed at making false propaganda about the fiction of southward invasion by North Korea.
The United States is to hold four more similar exhibitions till October 2003 following the special exhibition.
Such smear campaign of the United States designed to cover up the criminal nature of its war of aggression and hoodwink people is a mockery of and challenge to world's justice and conscience.
Dry weather in DPRK
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- The dry weather persists in the DPRK.
This year, the DPRK has been frequently affected by warm and dry winds from the west. As a result, its precipitation is very small and most of regions have been hit by droughts. Rainfall from January to May 10 in Pyongyang and South Phyongan Province is 76 to 117 mm each, or 33 to 56 mm less than the average, that in north Phyongan and Jagang provinces is 81 to 153 mm each, or 7 to 31 mm less than the average and that in north and south Hwanghae provinces is 58 to 144 mm each, or 51 to 110 mm less than the average.
And the rainfall in Kangwon Province is 68 to 240 mm, or 40 to 146 mm less than the average, that in north and south Hamgyong provinces 23 to 94 mm each, or 21 to 91 mm less than the average and that in Ryanggang Province is 42 to 72mm, or 4 to 21 mm less than the average. Particularly, Chongjin has had no rain for 92 consecutive days and Wonsan and Hamhung for 119 consecutive days.
Droughts are still persisting in the DPRK.
Powerful socialism, led by great commander
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- A retired general, Vladimir Beryozin, who is a member of the Council of the Union of Communist Parties-the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and vice-chairman of the Auditing and Control Commission of the Council, released an article titled "Powerful socialism is led by great commander in praise of the great leader Kim Jong Il."
The article says: Kim Jong Il is a great commander whom I have worshipped all my life. The Soviet Union, that boasted of a vast territory and powerful military strength, has broken down abruptly as it had not a great man. But, Korea, not a big country led by the great commander is glorifying itself as a dignified socialist country.
Above anything else, he has consistently paid deep attention to the policy of giving priority to the army and trained the army to be an invincible revolutionary one, thus firmly defending the destiny of the country and the nation with military power. While looking down upon the bluff of the imperialists, he overpowered the enemy with a bomb-like declaration, demonstrating the might of Korea and the greatness of socialism to the world . Indeed, he is a courageous and unrivalled commander.
He, endowed with a gifted leadership of braving any sorts of campaigns and difficulties with continued offensives, has set the co-ordinates of offensive Korea should make this year. The successful launch of Kwangmyongsong 1, the first satellite of Korea that startled the world, was a grandiose prelude to the advance towards the building of a powerful nation. Korea is precisely socialism and vice versa, and powerful Korea is powerful socialism.
As led by Kim Jong Il, who has been building the fortress of socialism into an invincible one of single-hearted unity with magnanimity and obligation befitting commander and love and trust befitting commander, powerful socialism will shine in the prime of youth.
Greetings to Namibian President
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, sent a message of greetings to Namibian President Sam Nujoma on May 10 on the occasion of his 70th birthday.
The message sincerely wished him good health and happiness as well as greater success in his work for the peace, stability and prosperity of the country and expressed the belief that the good relations of friendship and cooperation between the DPRK and Namibia would continue to develop.