Personal letter to Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a personal letter from U.S. President Bill Clinton. The letter was handed by William Perry, special adviser to the U.S. President and his special envoy, to Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK.
Kim Yong Nam meets U.S. President's special envoy
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, today met and conversed with William Perry, special adviser to the U.S. President and his special envoy, and his party at the Mansudae Assembly Hall. Then he gave a luncheon in honor of them. Present there were Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the C.C. of the Worker's Party of Korea, first vice foreign minister Kang Sok Ju, vice foreign minister Kim Kye Wan, major general of the Korean People's Army Ri Sang U and other officials concerned.
S. Korean unionists' struggle supported
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- The central committee of the Korean Metal, Machine, Mining and Power Workers Union sent a letter on Tuesday to the unionists of the "Federation of Metal Workers Unions" (Kumsokryonmaeng) in South Korea who are waging a powerful struggle for vital rights and democracy.
The letter said: The unionists of Kumsokryonmaeng are staging a struggle demanding the repeal of "restructuring" and stoppage of lay-off in response to the resolution of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions to call a second all-out strike. This is a righteous and just struggle to oppose flunkeyist treachery and fascist outrage of the South Korean authorities and defend elementary vital rights.
The c.c. of the Korean Metal, Machine, Mining and Power Workers Union extends full support and encouragement to their struggle. The South Korean authorities' suppression of the unionists of Kumsokryonmaeng shows their wicked intention to put down the workers' demand at the point of bayonet and continue to depend on foreign forces and cling to anti-social misrule. As long as the colonial rule of the U.S. continues and flunkeyist quislings strut about in South Korea, the position of the workers cannot be changed.
The letter expressed the belief that the South Korean workers, compatriots and class brothers, will fight it out to make their demands met and clearly show the united might and mettle of the working class to the South Korean rulers.
"Chemical, biological and radioactive defence command" to be formed
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- The South Korean war hawks are announcing that they will frame up the "chemical, biological and radioactive defence command" and operate it early in June, a Seoul-based radio reported.
The mission of the "command" is reportedly to prevent someone's "chemical, biological and radioactive attack" and "poison gas terrorism".
They are raising a hue and cry about non-existent "attack" and "terrorism" in a bid to create distrust in fellow countrymen and consciousness of crisis among the people and step up preparations for a war against the north.
Czech memorial committee formed
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- The Czech Memorial Committee for the Revolutionary Exploits of the President Kim Il Sung was formed on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of his demise. The inaugural meeting, held on May 21, elected Jere Jarka, chairman of the Mt. Paektu Czech-Korea Friendship Association, to be the chairman of the committee and decided to organize various memorial meetings and widely introduce and propagandize the revolutionary exploits of President Kim Il Sung.
WPK's cause supported by CPG
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- Honorary Chairman Harilaos Florakis and general secretary Aleka Papariga of the central committee of the Communist Party of Greece separately met a delegation of the Worker's Party of Korea on May 21 that participated in an international meeting of communist and workers' parties.
The Honorary Chairman said that the WPK is firmly defending socialism in defiance of all sorts of machinations of the imperialists. His party's support and solidarity for the cause of the WPK remains unchanged, he added.
The general secretary said the participation of the WPK delegation in the international meeting of communist and workers' parties gave a great inspiration and strength to her party and that the friendly and cooperative relations between the WPK and the CPG will be unchangeable in the future, too.
War provocation moves by S. Korean authorities
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- The South Korean authorities set in motion the 6th supply depot under the "munition command of the army" to stage an exercise "99 mobilization" based on simulated wartime supply activities, on three occasions from May 10, a Seoul-based radio said.
A considerable number of "homeland defence reserve forces" were involved in the exercise.
Meanwhile, the South Korean authorities waged an artillery tactical exercise with guns of different kinds including 105 mm guns.
"Cabinet reshuffle" in S. Korea
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- Papers here today comment on a "cabinet reshuffle" made by the South Korean chief executive some days ago. The chief executive replaced 11 of 17 ministers including the ministers of "finance and economy" and "unification" and appointed new "Minister of Planning and Budget", "chairman of the Central Personnel Committee" and "director of the Administration and Information Agency."
In actuality, it is not a "cabinet reshuffle" but "formation of a cabinet," the paper says, and goes on: The total "reshuffle" made 15 months after the chief executive took office is a product of a deep-going ruling crisis. He designed to bridge over the immediate ruling crisis by setting up the "administration" with his close associates.
The South Korean authorities are now crying that "able persons" with "specialized knowledge, reform-oriented mind and fresh way of thinking" were appointed to key posts of the "cabinet." However, it is of no use to replace some "ministers in the oblique "government" forsaken by the people. It is foolish for the South Korean chief executive to try to tide over the ruling crisis with such a political farce as "cabinet reshuffle".
Minju Joson says he can never bridge over the serious ruling crisis with replacement of some "ministers."
Promising women pro-boxers
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- Sports highlights at the recent Mangyongdae Prize competitions included a women's pro-boxing held at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium.
Korea is a late-comer in the women's pro-boxing world.
Sponsored by the National Pro-Boxing Association, this game was sensational.
Good performances exhibited particularly by the entries from the Nampho City Team made the game a great success.
Their strong will and enterprising spirit in scaling new technical heights helped them improve their skill and manage to perform the ten-round game regularly.
In the course of this, Jo Sun Bok won national championship in 10 challenge cup series. Ji Un Bok won championship in February this year by defeating her challenger. Jo Sun Bok who took part in the demonstration match held in china last year manifested good performance.
They are now going through rigorous training under the guidance of senior coach Ri Tong Bok and coach an Yu Chol.
S. Korean rulers urged to repatriate unconverted long-term prisoners
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- The Korean Democratic Lawyers Association issued a statement on Tuesday denouncing the South Korean authorities for refusing to send the unconverted long-term prisoners back to the northern half of Korea and violating their human rights.
The statement said: Sores of unconverted long-term prisoners in South Korea are ardent patriots who devoted themselves to the struggle against the outside aggressors and anti-reunification forces and for the reunification and independence of the country.
Nevertheless, instead of repatriating them to the north, the authorities forced "ideological conversion" upon them in prison. Even after releasing them disabled, the authorities have put them under supervision and control by the "law on supervision for public peace," treating them like criminals.
The South Korean authorities are now insisting on the "exchange" of the unconverted long-term prisoners for "ROK army POWs" and "those abducted by the north," but there is no one in the north to be exchanged for anybody.
In the north are only those who defected from the South Korean Army and joined in the people's army during the war and those who came over to the north of their own accord. They have no intention to go back to South Korea, a veritable hell.
Such being the case, the South Korean authorities' insistence on the "exchange" is designed to forcibly drag them back.
The South Korean authorities should unconditionally repatriate the unconverted long-term prisoners of the north origin as well as long-term prisoners hailing from South Korea whose families and relatives are residing in the north or who hope to live in the north aspiring after socialism.
If the South Korean authorities persistently refuse to repatriate them and bring a deplorable event upon them, they will be entirely to blame for it.
Officials of Hanminjon help farmers
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- Chief Pak Kwang Gi and officials of the Pyongyang mission of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (Hanminjon) visited Haksan Co-op Farm in Pyongyang on Tuesday to help the farmers in rice-transplanting.
In front of the historic monument erected on the farm, they were briefed on the history of the farm and the immortal exploits performed by the three brilliant commanders of Mt. Paektu, leading the farm.
Then, they transplanted rice seedlings with farmers.
Central lecture on 44th anniversary of Chongryon
Tokyo, May 24 (KNS-KCNA) -- A central lecture was given in Tokyo on May 24 to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon).
Present were Chongryon officials including chairman Han Tok Su, first vice-chairman So Man Sul and chief vice-chairman Ho Jong Man of the central standing committee of Chongryon.
Participants listened to a tape-recorded lecture titled "the respected Marshal Kim Jong Il is the great father who defends and glorifies the destiny of Koreans in Japan."
IMF's high-handedness protested
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- Ri Kap Yong, chairman of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, on May 21 met with the president of the International Monetary Fund on a visit to Seoul and urged him to discontinue intervention in the economy and nullify foreign debts, according to a radio report from Seoul.
Saying that the high rate of interest, financial curtailment and overseas sale of enterprises forced by the IMF are a very harsh intervention, he called for giving it up.
The "restructuring" forced by the IMF has brought a large-scale unemployment, he said.
Japan-U.S. secret promise
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- The Japanese Asahi Shimbun on May 23 said that when Japan and the United States amended the "Japan-U.S. security treaty" in 1960, they excluded "emergencies" on the Korean peninsula from the objects of "consultation in advance". This was brought to light by the April 20, 1964 confidential document of the U.S. State Department available at the U.S. state archives.
It is noted in the document that Japan and the United States excluded "emergencies" on the Korean peninsula from the objects of "consultation in advance" in secrecy in a bid to swiftly use the U.S. forces present in Japan, and decided to consult with Japan after the end of "emergencies" in case the U.S. forces in Japan make a sortie without "consultation in advance".
It has been discovered that as regards "consultation in advance" about "emergencies" on the Korean peninsula former U.S. state assistant secretary persons in 1959 told the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Commission of the U.S. that the United States signed a top secret agreement with the Japanese government on admitting exceptions. The July 1974 U.S. official document that demanded the extension of this exceptional step was found.
This shows Japan has left its whole territory unlimitedly to the U.S. forces as their operational and sortie bases against the DPRK from long ago.
Credit for spring goes to gun of brilliant commander
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- A popular poet of South Korea, Kim Kyong Min, released an epic "credit for spring goes to the gun of brilliant commander" in praise of General Secretary Kim Jong Il's philosophy of the gun, Seoul-based radio Voice of National Salvation said.
The epic says: The gun is the enemy of spring in the South Korea, but the spring of Pyongyang, that is everlasting in the face of blockade and pressure, is guaranteed by the gun of the brilliant commander.
On my way of climbing Mt. Paektu, I came to know that Marshal Kim Jong Il is a person who is affiliated with the gun. He mastered how to fire a gun in his early years, when he realised that with a gun one is sure to win.
It is none other than our Marshal who devoted his soul to the iron and shared affection with the gun. The gun of the Marshal is his comrade that is at his side with faith and accompanies him with aim.
The May spring of the south witnessed blood shed by guns of traitors. But the gun has become a comrade in the north so that spring comes from obligation and faith, turning red as an everlasting spring of Kim Jong Il.
The gun in the south is considered to be a dirty one that is obedient to the ruling quarters and despotic to the popular masses. It is a pronoun of submission and crime, an evil one that should not have been.
But, in the north there is a person who calls the gun motherland, love and independence. He is none other than the brilliant commander Kim Jong Il, a peerlessly great man.
The two pistols left by Kim Hyong Jik were the first seed of arms on this land. They were instrumental in bringing the liberation and victory by Kim Il Sung, who was a commander of the anti-Japanese guerilla army.
The Marshal's outlook on the gun has been perfected by the takeover of guns made in blood.
The gun of Kim Jong Il is the hand of patriotism and a smile that builds up a powerful nation and gives happiness to the people.
The American empire was amazed not by nuke-bomb but by his philosophy of the gun which makes it possible to win by the force of ideology, leadership and virtues.
S. Korean chief executive's "solicitation diplomacy"
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) -- The chief executive of South Korea is reportedly to set out on a foreign trip from May 27. In this regard some mass media of South Korea and other countries have recently made propaganda for someone's "support" and "cooperation" for the "sunshine policy" and "engagement policy" of the South Korean authorities.
The South Korean chief executive himself in an "interview" cried out for "cooperation" in "security", repeating the same tone of argument and revealed again his sinister attempt to bring the internal affairs of the Korean nation to international arena.
Such a fact indicates that his projected foreign trip is a "solicitation diplomacy" pursuing a criminal purpose to beg for international "support" to his anti-national, anti-reunification policy toward the north and further aggravate the military tensions on the Korean peninsula.
The "sunshine policy" and "engagement policy" are in essence aimed at refusing the other party's option for system and "inducing" somebody to degenerate under the deceptive signboards of "reconciliation" and "cooperation."
The chief executive of South Korea said during his visit to the United States last year this is the same as the policy with which the U.S. collapsed the former Soviet Union and other east European socialist countries.
The "sunshine policy" and "engagement policy" are, in the long run, nothing but a reversion of the anti-north confrontation policy of the South Korean authorities, local henchmen following the U.S. policy of aggression on Korea.
This is a product of imprudent expansive delusion.
"Solicitation diplomacy" to gain support from someone with such anachronistic anti-north policy cannot be construed otherwise than the anti-north, anti-reunification behaviour of the flunkeyist traitor.
And those who are going to support his criminal acts will be branded as those who are to join in his anti-north separatist policy.
Never should it go unnoticed that in defiance of our repeated warnings, some countries surrounding Korea are going to sell modern submarines and other war materials and equipment to South Korea for a small amount of money. This is in essence a shameless undisguised hostile act against the DPRK.
This act of surrounding countries helps toward the U.S. arbitrariness under the situation in which the United States is deploying more armed forces in South Korea from the mainland under the pretext of filling up "vacuum of combat power on the Korean peninsula" caused by the Kosovo crisis.
The moves of the South Korean authorities pursuing the anti-reunification policy to isolate and stifle the north and of those countries that are siding with it will inevitably go bankrupt.
While watching their moves, we will take a strong countermeasure corresponding with our sovereign right in case it is considered necessary.
The master of the Korean issue is the Korean people and all attempts to internationalize it contrary to their will are the criminal moves to ignore the national right to self-determination and dignity of the Korean people and obstruct the reunification of Korea, which can never be tolerated.
The South Korean authorities should discontinue the anti-national, anti-reunification flunkeyist treacheries, and countries surrounding the Korean peninsula should act with prudence lest they should be embroiled in the criminal Korea policy and anti-north confrontation policy of the United States and the South Korean authorities.