DPRK FM spokesman on Kumchang-ri underground facility
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea today answered the question put by the KCNA over the groundless rumours afloat before the announcement of an official stand on the result of the U.S. delegation's visit to the Kumchang-ri project in the DPRK as follows: In line with the DPRK-U.S. agreement reached in New York in last March, the U.S. delegation visited the project in Kumchang-ri over May 20-22 at the invitation of the DPRK.
At a time when the United States raised the issue of "suspected underground nuclear facility" of the DPRK, we held that we might allow a one-time visit to the Kumchang-ri project as an exception if the United States gives the DPRK either 300 million U.S. dollars in cash or other economic benefit of an appropriate form equivalent to that amount in compensation for its slandering and insulting the DPRK.
Accordingly, we considered the corresponding measure taken by the United States to be in conformity with our interests and allowed its visit to the Kumchang-ri project. During the U.S. delegation's visit, we allowed it an adequate access to the project and rendered cooperation to it. The visit proved objectively that the underground facility in Kumchang-ri is an empty tunnel, not related to nuclear development at all.
As a result, it was clearly proved once again that we have been sincerely implementing the Geneva agreed framework. The point is for what the tunnel in Kumchang-ri will be used. This depends entirely upon the attitude of the U.S. side concerning the implementation of the DPRK-U.S. agreement reached in New York.
Committees to remember Kim Il Sung formed
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- Committees to remember the great leader President Kim Il Sung were formed in Poland and Congo. Inauguration meetings were held separately on June 2 and 3. The meetings set the period from June 2 to July 8 as days of recollection and decided to hold multifarious events including meetings, lectures and reading sessions to remember the President.
At the meetings speakers said that President Kim Il Sung is a veteran statesman who made distinguished contributions to strengthening the unity of the world progressives and friendship and cooperation among the non-aligned and developing countries and to realizing independence of the world and achieving victory of the socialist cause.
Cuban guests visit Sinchon Museum
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- Cuban ambassador to Korea Jose Manuel Inclan Embade and his embassy officials Tuesday visited the Sinchon Museum in South Hwanghae Province on the occasion of the June 25-july 27 month of international solidarity with the Korean people. The museum exposes monstrous crimes committed by U.S. aggressors by massacring in a most brutal manner 35,383 inhabitants, or one fourth of the county's population, in 52 days, when they occupied the county during the Fatherland Liberation War (June 1950-july 1953).
The massacre perpetrated by them in Sinchon put into the shade the barbarism committed by Nazi Germany in Oswiecim during World War II.
The Cuban guests looked round exhibits and visual aids, an air raid shelter of the former Sinchon county party and the Wonam-ri powder magazine where U.S. aggressors burnt to death more than 900 patriots, a tomb of 5,605 patriots, a tomb of 400 mothers and a tomb of 102 children.
The visitors laid bunches of flowers at the tombs and observed a moment's silence.
Vietnamese embassy officials help farmers
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- Vietnamese ambassador to Korea le Xuan Vinh and his embassy officials visited the Korea-Vietnam Friendship Jamjin Co-op Farm on Tuesday to help it in farming. The guests, who called at the co-op farm in Kangso district, Nampho, on the significant day which marks the 30th anniversary of the on-site guidance of the President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il to the farm, helped farmers in transplanting rice seedlings. During a break, they sang songs together with farmers and conversed with them, deepening friendly feelings.
"Minister of National Defence" begs U.S. for "cooperation"
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- The newly-appointed South Korean "Minister of National Defence", Jo Song Thae, reportedly called at the South Korea-U.S. "combined command" on June 7 and begged the U.S. master for "cooperation." At a talk with his master, he asked the United States to exert efforts to consolidating the "prospective" relations of security cooperation".
To that effect, he called upon the United States to sustain close relations in all aspects including the policy towards the north as well as "military cooperation," aware of the South Korea-U.S. "joint defence." This is interpreted as part of the confrontation moves against the north to put pressure upon it through "cooperation" with the United States.
Newly-appointed "Minister of National Defence" Jo Song Thae, who is persistently resorting to "cooperation" with the United States, is just the same wicked element as his predecessor Chon Yong Thaek, who described the north as a "principal enemy." in that sense, they are twin war hawks.
S. Korean warships in N. Korean waters again
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- The South Korean rulers committed on June 7-8 a grave military provocation of illegally intruding a group of warships again into the north side's territorial waters off the west coast, military sources said.
On Tuesday, five South Korean warships, that intruded deep into the north side's territorial waters southeast of Ssanggyo-ri, Kangryong county, South Hwanghae Province, hastily fled as naval patrol ships of the Korean People's Army sailed towards them and the coastal battery took a firing posture. Earlier on Monday, they intruded nine warships, that were anchored in Soyonphyong and Taechong islets, deep into the north side's territorial waters southeast of Ssanggyo-ri three times.
These ceaseless military provocations eloquently show that the South Korean rulers are running amok to find an excuse for unleashing a new war, instigated by the U. S. They are well advised to stop their rash acts, clearly mindful of the fatal consequences of these provocations.
Kim Jong Il's exploits praised
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- The chairman of the Madagascan Party for Defence of Popular Rights on June 1 issued a statement in connection with the lapse of 35 years since General Secretary Kim Jong Il started the work at the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of Korea.
The statement said one of his greatest achievements recorded in human history was that he conducted outstanding ideological and theoretical activities to make the Juche idea created by President Kim Il Sung the guiding idea of Korea and the times, the guiding idea for humankind representing the present time and the future.
He modeled the WPK after the great Juche idea to strengthen and develop it into the most powerful and ever-victorious party in the world, it noted, and continued: As he led the party work, the WPK could become the great headquarters of the revolution which leads the socialist cause to victory, the most revolutionary party which has taken its root deep among the people and become a harmonious whole with them, shedding rays to the world as the eternal party of President Kim Il Sung.
S. Korean authorities urged to implement priorities
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- None of the priorities to be fulfilled to open the north-south dialogue has been implemented in South Korea though the first half of the year has passed, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary.
The joint meeting of the DPRK government, political parties and organizations held in early February proposed priorities to the South Korean authorities -- drop of "cooperation" with foreign forces, discontinuation of joint military exercises with them, abolition of the "security law" and guarantee of free reunification movement and activities to the pro-reunification patriotic organizations and officials. It also made clear that north-south high-level political talks would be opened in the second half of the year after the priorities are implemented.
The commentary says: The South Korean authorities have paid no heed to implementing them, casting a gloomy shadow over the prospect of the talks.
They are floating a string of lies intended to create the impression that something has been settled between the north and south while advertising that the north withdrew priorities. This is nothing but a selfish assertion.
The north proposed to the South Korean authorities the priorities for the purpose of removing the obstacle and holding substantial dialogue for reunification with them. These priorities are pending implementation. We make it clear once again that the priorities should be implemented unconditionally. The South Korean authorities should rescind a wrong thought to use the issue of inter-Korean dialogue, which is vital to the nation, for achieving their sinister political aim. The whole nation is closely following their attitude.
Anniversary of Kim Jong Il's start of work at WPK C.C.
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- Men of the press and railway transport workers respectively held seminars on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of General Secretary Kim Jong Il's start of work at the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of Korea.
It was stressed at the seminars that Kim Jong Il is the great leader who set a brilliant example in building a socialist ruling party and the paramount paragon of loyalty and filial piety who is brilliantly accomplishing the cause of upholding the immortal leader. Concrete materials were cited to prove that he is the genius of revolution who is leading the building of a powerful socialist nation and the tender-hearted father who is looking after the destiny of the Korean people with the policy of love and trust.
Leader and people sharing sweets and bitters
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- Both the leader and the people sharing sweets and bitters has now become a tradition in the DPRK. In a year back the President Kim Il Sung called officials to his residence who happened to have a lunch together.
The officials were surprised to see food on the table. The menur included only boiled uncrushed maize and soup of dried radish leaves prepared with bean paste. An anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter, who sat at the same table, asked the President why he was taking such a simple meal when it was neither the time of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle nor the wartime. The President answered that he was recalling the past arduous days while he was frequently eating boiled uncrushed maize.
The President, who regarded "to believe in the people as in heaven" as a maxim and shared sweets and bitters with the people, never allowed any privilege and preferential treatment. During the arduous anti-Japanese armed struggle, he took the same meal as that of the ordinary soldiers and went in the same uniform as they did.
He distributed equally to his soldiers parched rice powder that had been offered as his own share and ate it together with them. This is a story of "bowl of parched rice powder" widely known among the Korean people. Besides, the President took simple meals like an ordinary man, saying he should take cooked millet as the ordinary people did even after the liberation of the country and in the post-war period.
General Secretary Kim Jong Il, who is identical to the President in boundlessly humble and popular personality, is leading the same frugal life as that of the people, who are undergoing temporary trials caused by the recent natural disasters for several consecutive years and by the isolation and suffocation moves of the imperialists.
He is always wearing a humble suit of jumper on his ceaseless on-site guidance. During his trip he usually takes rice balls or boiled potatoes as his meals. He unreservedly eats simple meals together with soldiers of the people's army.
As they are led by the great leader, who is pulling through trials and difficulties always together with the people, the Korean people are filled with conviction and optimism with which they are marching cheerfully although their path is thorny.
Anniversary of June 10 independence movement marked
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- Papers here today dedicate signed articles to the 73rd anniversary of the June 10 Anti-Japanese Independence Movement of the Korean People. The Korean people waged a massive demonstration against the Japanese imperialists' colonial rule on June 10, 1926.
Rodong Sinmun says that through the demonstration the Korean people showed their spirit of independence was alive in the teeth of the Japanese imperialists' harsh suppression by force of arms and nothing could break the desire and will of the nation for national sovereignty and independence.
The South Korea still remains a colony of outsiders and the Korean people have not established the national sovereignty on a nationwide scale though over half a century has passed since the liberation of Korea from the Japanese imperialist colonial rule, the paper says, and goes on: This is entirely attributable to the outsiders' domination and interference in South Korea and the flunkeyist and traitorous acts of the South Korean rulers in collusion with outsiders.
The Korean people should stage a nationwide struggle to build a new world without any aggressors and traitors at an early date. Whoever loves the country and the nation and has the soul of the Korean nation cannot turn aside from the national reunification, and it is sure to be realized as the great leader Kim Jong Il is leading the cause of great national unity and reunification.
U.S. new war moves denounced
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- Senior officials of Korean religious organizations released statements on June 8 denouncing the U.S. moves to unleash a new war which have reached the phase of putting them into practice in real earnest.
Chairman Kang Yong Sop of the central committee of the Korean Christian Federation noted that the "operation plan 5027-98" proves that the U.S.'s loudmouthed "peace" and "security" on the Korean peninsula are nothing but a deceptive scheme and that they are the very one who is bringing a dark cloud of war over the heads of the Korean nation and a harasser of peace. He went on: The U.S. war hawks should clearly see who is their opponent and put an end to the reckless war maneuvers against the north and accede to our proposal for establishing a new peace mechanism at an early date.
Chairman Jang Jae on of the central committee of the Korean Catholic Association recalled that the U.S. newly sets a stage of "occupation and rule" over the DPRK and formed a "combined civil command" within the South Korea-U.S. "combined forces command," which will take charge of "occupation and rule after the end of war."
He warned the U.S. war hawks that they will meet only a shameful doom if they think they can frighten the Korean people with the "policy of strength".
Meeting of South Korean residents in Japan
Pyongyang, June 9 (KCNA) -- A meeting of South Korean residents in Japan was sponsored by the Federation of South Koreans in Japan for Democracy and Unification (Hanthongryon) in Tokyo on May 18, demanding national independence, people's right to existence and abolition of the "National Security Law" on the occasion of the 19th anniversary of the Kwangju Popular Uprising, according to the June 1st issue of the Koreans' newspaper "Minjok Sibo" published in Japan.
Kwak Tong Ui, chairman of Hanthongryon, addressing the meeting, said that South Korea has not yet been freed from the U.S. colonial domination though 19 years have passed since the Kwangju Popular Uprising. Great national unity is the only way of establishing national independence and the struggle of the popular masses is the way of achieving independence, democracy and reunification which Kwangju citizens desire, he stressed.
At the meeting a keynote report and speeches were made.
A resolution adopted at the meeting opposed the U.S. war moves threatening the national rights to independence and existence and demanded a halt to the institution of the legislation on emergencies in the areas surrounding Japan and large-scale military exercises of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.
It called for repealing the "law-abiding oath system," releasing all the prisoners of conscience unconditionally and withdrawing the illegal definition of Hanthongryon, the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification and the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils as enemy-benefiting organizations. And it called for abolishing the "National Security Law," an anti-reunification law, and realizing national independence and great national unity.