"Jonsung Cup" sports contest closes
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- The "Jonsung Cup" sports contest, which opened on July 22 on the occasion of the War Victory Day (July 27), closed.
The participants competed in 10 sports events including swimming, yachting, water skiing, model warship and diving.
Players of the sports group of the Ministry of Land and Marine Transport took the first place in rowing and canoeing.
Greetings to Jamaican Prime Minister
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- Hong Song Nam, premier of the DPRK cabinet, sent a message of greetings to P. J. Patterson, Prime Minister of Jamaica, on the occasion of the 37th Independence Day of the country.
The message wished the government and the people of Jamaica prosperity and welfare.
Greetings to Swiss President
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, sent a message of greetings sunday to President Ruth Dreifuss on the National Day of the Swiss Confederation.
The message congratulated the president on the National Day and expressed belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would further expand and develop.
Korea hit by torrential rain
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- Unprecedentedly heavy rain visited various parts of Korea from afternoon of July 30 to early sunday.
The pacific atmospheric high pressure and the cold front moved to Korea from northeast China and hot and moist air from the south, followed by a 150-400 mm downpour with a strong wind in south and north hwanghae, Kangwon and south Phyongan provinces.
There was over 150 mm rainfall in Paechon, Yonan, Kimchon and Thosan counties in south and north Hwanghae provinces for three hours.
A 52 mm rainfall was registered in Kaesong area, bigger than the heaviest observed for 24 hours till now.
The water level in rivers Rimjin and Ryesong was one to two metres higher than the danger line due to high tide.
The rainfall in Kangwon Province, including Chongchon county, and in Sangwon and Hoechang counties overnight stood at 150-250 mm.
North Phyongan Province was also hit by torrential rain.
For example, six hour-downpour in Pakchon county registered 337 mm.
In consequence, paddy and non-paddy fields in many parts of the country were submerged, buried under silt and washed away to adversely affect crops. Roads, buildings, railroads and communications network were either destroyed or paralyzed.
Officials and working people in the flood-hit areas took emergency measures on the basis of a detailed survey of the damage and are mobilizing all means and forces to recover from it.
S. Korean authorities' moves to destroy "Jongyojo"
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary assails the South Korean authorities for scheming to paralyze the activities of the National Teachers Union (Jongyojo), a legal organization since July 1, and make it defunct.
Recalling that the South Korean rulers passed a "bill on the foundation and operation of the teachers union" through the "National Assembly" in late December last year, yielding to the strong massive struggle of the teachers for the legalization of "Jongyojo" and the pressure of public opinion at home and abroad, the commentary discloses the real aim sought by the South Korean rulers in including in the "bill" provisions denying the right to collective action, the core of the "three rights of labour", in other words, banning the right to strike and the right to dispute, allowing only the foundation of the central organization of "Jongyojo" and limiting its membership to teachers of primary, middle and high schools.
The commentary goes on:
This move of the South Korean rulers is intended to reduce "Jongyojo" to a castle on the sand without grass-roots level organizations, a weak titular trade union. It is, in essence, aimed to destroy "Jongyojo".
What is all the more intolerable is that they are going to block teachers at all levels from joining "Jongyojo" by forming a government-sponsored teachers organization.
This is an intolerable challenge to the South Korean teachers who have waged a bloody struggle for the legalization of the existence and activities of their organization for more than a decade, commanding support and encouragement from broad pro-democracy forces.
The South Korean authorities are well advised to drop the fascist plot to disorganize and destroy "Jongyojo" and fully guarantee the freedom of all its activities including the right to trade union activities.
What will war on Korean peninsula bring
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- Representative of the Communist Party of Paraguay Dora Guilen, who is leading member of the Latin American Solidarity Committee for Supporting the Struggle of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) and the South Korean people, warned the hard-line conservative forces of the United States against acting recklessly with infantilistic show of "strength," saying that a U.S. war on the Korean peninsula is only harmful and it is a suicidal act to take its own life.
In an article headlined "what will war on Korean peninsula bring?" sent to the Pyongyang mission of the NDFSK, he disclosed the moves of the U.S. bellicose elements to provoke an anti-north war in the Korean peninsula.
The article continued:
A war on the Korean peninsula is neither a war like a military drill of unilateral offensive as in Yugoslavia and Iraq nor a dispute like a simple conflict.
A war here is a large thermo-nuclear war in which more than a thousand nuclear bombs with explosive power of 13,000 kilotons deployed in South Korea will go off and a world war which will soon escalate beyond the Korean peninsula.
It is also an armed conflict which will cause a tremendous loss of human lives and disasters.
The U.S. hard-line conservative forces should know Juche Korea well and act with discretion.
The DPRK is imposingly standing as an ideologically powerful nation and the world's military power startling the world people because it is led by General Secretary Kim Jong Il, the son of partisans and the brilliant commander of Mt. Paektu.
The might of Juche Korea where the entire party, the whole army and all the people are united in one mind, is more powerful than atomic bombs. What will the U.S. get if it pounces upon this country?
The U.S. hard-line conservative forces should know the declaration of Juche Korea that if a war is imposed upon it, it will not miss the opportunity to wipe out aggressors is not a mere advertisement. And they should see its war capacity and the changed situation.
There is no guarantee for the safety of the U.S. mainland when the U.S. ignites a war against the north in the Korean peninsula and the war will stigmatize the U.S. as a nuclear war criminal and bury it in the cesspool of history.
It is not without reason that news analysts said a war in the Korean peninsula will build a strong anti-U.S. front in Asia.
The U.S. bellicose circles should see the realities squarely and immediately stop their criminal moves to provoke a war in the Korean peninsula and give up their ambition to swallow up Juche Korea.
It will be a right option in the interests of the U.S. to take the road of relaxation, not DPRK-U.S. confrontation, and do its best for the improvement of DPRK-U.S. relations.
U.S. should approach DPRK with good faith
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- The United States has recently alleged that it may "improve relations" with the DPRK only when the latter abandons nuclear and missile development which it says poses threat to the United States.
It has also put pressure on the DPRK, asserting that the latter's satellite plan is aimed at "developing ballistic missiles".
Commenting on this, Rodong Sinmun today says:
This is a nonsense of reversing black and white.
It is nonsensical to assert that the DPRK missile poses threat to the United States. We do not threaten the United States but the latter with huge nuclear weapons and long-range missiles threatens the DPRK.
Its assertion is seeking to disarm the DPRK.
The United States is cunningly attempting to shift the blame for the non-fulfillment of the DPRK-U.S. agreed framework on to us and, furthermore, abrogate it.
We have already made it clear that we do not want to consider the United States as the sworn enemy but will develop relations with it on the principle of equality and mutual benefit if it recognizes our sovereignty and freedom of option and approaches us with good faith. This is the DPRK's principled stand.
The point rests with the attitude of the U.S., not with the DPRK.
We will continue strengthening self-reliant defence capabilities as long as the U.S. military threat upon us continues.
We do not have lingering attachment to the DPRK-U.S. agreed framework. To make matters worse, the United States is trying to abrogate the agreed framework. If it is abrogated, the DPRK and the U.S. may go their own way.
Law on external economic arbitration adopted
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- The law on external economic arbitration was adopted recently in the DPRK.
The law is aimed to correctly examine and solve disputes in external economic relations and protect the rights and interests of the parties concerned by establishing strict system and order.
The law consists of four chapters (the first chapter--the essence of the law on external economic arbitration, the second--the proposal of arbitration, the third--the examination of arbitration and the fourth--the decision and execution) and 43 articles.
Under this law, disputes in external economic relations are to be settled by arbitration committees such as the Korean International Trade Arbitration Committee and the Korean Marine Arbitration Committee.
Those arbitration committees will examine and settle such disputes as those between Korean organs, enterprises and organizations and foreign businesses and investors, between foreign investors, between foreign investors and businesses and between Korean organs, enterprises and organizations and foreign investors and businesses and overseas. Koreans and foreign individuals.
In the settlement of disputes the state will ensure objectivity, scientific accuracy, impartiality and promptness and saddle wrong parties with responsibility.
It will also respect international treaties and usage and adhere to the principles of developing the cooperation and exchange with international organizations and foreign countries in arbitration.
Magnolia, national flower of Korea
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- Magnolia is the national flower of Korea.
This flower is loved by the people as a symbol of the nation.
Magnolia is a broad-leaved tree with white flower, beautiful and fragrant.
It grows 6-10 metres high and its flower, 8-10 centimetres in diametre, comes into bloom one by one on top of each branch in May-June.
Each flower consists of 6-9 petals and three calyces.
Its elliptical fruit gets ripe in September. In order to multiply magnolia, its branch should be planted in April to take its roots and transplanted next spring.
The flower of the tree is used as raw material for aromatic essence and its leaf and bark as pharmaceuticals.
In spring of Juche 53 (1964) the President Kim Il Sung named the tree "Mokran" (magnolia), saying its flower is fragrant and beautiful.
Magnolia is a world famous flower for the beauty of its fresh leaves and trunk, he said. And he defined it as the national flower of Korea and took a measure to widely propagate it.
The flower, associated with his warm love of the country, has been widely cultivated as a symbol of the nation under the deep care of people true to his noble intention.
It grows in all parts of Korea except northern highlands which are over 1,400 metres above sea-level.
In particular this tree has been planted in large numbers in revolutionary sites, pleasure grounds and parks across the country.
DPRK's cause of reunification supported
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- A rally was held in Malta on July 23 in the month of international solidarity with the Korean people.
The general secretary of the central committee of the Communist Party of Malta and the chairman of the Malta-Korea Friendship Association in their speeches expressed invariable support and solidarity with the Worker's Party and the people of Korea in the just struggle for the independent and peaceful reunification of the country.
A resolution was adopted at the rally.
The resolution strongly demanded that the United States take immediately a measure to withdraw its troops from South Korea, abandon the hostile policy toward the DPRK and replace the Armistice Agreement with a peace agreement.
The South Korean authorities, it held, should dismantle the concrete wall dividing Korea into the north and south, abolish the "National Security Law" and stop the joint military exercises with foreign forces against the DPRK.
They should also show an affirmative response to the fair and just reunification formula put forward by the DPRK, far from advocating the deceptive and reactionary "sunshine policy", the resolution stressed.
Greetings to Moroccan King
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, today sent a message of greetings to Mohamed VI upon his accession to the throne of Morocco.
The message expressed the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and Morocco would continue to develop on good terms and wished the King success in his responsible work for the country's prosperity and people's welfare as well as good health and happiness.
Rodong Sinmun observes anniversary of August 2 work
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today editorially observes the 25th anniversary of the publication of the historic August 2 work, in which the Kim Jong Il advanced the policy of modeling the whole party on the Juche idea.
In the work he put forward the revolutionary policy of modeling the whole party on the Juche idea in keeping with the historic circumstances in which the modeling of the whole society on the Juche idea got into full swing and gave an all-round elucidation of the tasks and ways to implement it.
Kim Jong Il pointed out that modeling the whole party on the Juche idea means, in essence, strengthening and developing the Worker's Party of Korea into an eternal party of the great President Kim Il Sung.
The policy represents the steadfast will of Kim Jong Il to incessantly cement and develop the WPK into a revolutionary party that holds in high esteem Kim Il Sung as an eternal leader and teacher of the party and into a militant one whose entire membership acts in line with the idea and will of the President and carries out all work the way he did.
The advancement of the policy gave fresh momentum to the WPK's struggle to firmly establish the monolithic ideological system in the whole party and society and steadfastly preserve the lineage of Juche.
This also marked a historic event that made it possible to build the WPK into a force guiding the construction of socialism and communism under a long-term plan, the editorial says, noting a revolutionary change has been effected in party building and in the struggle to accomplish the cause of revolution over the past 25 years.
The editorial continues:
The entire membership of the party is united single-heartedly on the basis of the President's revolutionary idea and it has become a pure party which allows no alien ideological trend to infiltrate -- this is the real picture of the WPK advancing under the uplifted banner of modeling the whole party on the Juche idea.
The WPK is demonstrating its might as a promising one heading for a bright future, rallied close around Kim Jong Il. This is the main result of the strenuous efforts made to model the whole party on the Juche idea in the last 25 years.
The editorial underscores the need to strengthen the WPK and enhance its leadership role in every way, holding higher the banner of modeling the whole party on the Juche idea.
We should build more firmly the wpk into a vanguard of loyalists who uphold the ideology and leadership of Kim Jong Il in good faith and devotedly defend him.
No matter what trials we may confront and no matter how complicated the situation may be we should remain rallied more firmly around Kim Jong Il in mind and purpose and in the sense of moral obligation.
National meeting held
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- Today marks the 25th anniversary of General Secretary Kim Jong Il's publication of the celebrated work that laid down the policy of modeling the whole party on the Juche idea on August 2, Juche 63 (1974).
A national meeting was held at the People's Palace of Culture today to mark the anniversary.
A report was delivered at the meeting by secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea Central Committee Kim Ki Nam.
The reporter said:
Kim Jong Il's publication of the work was a historic event that marked an epoch-making occasion in strengthening and developing the WPK into an eternal revolutionary party of Juche type and an invincible militant one capable of creditably carrying to completion the cause of the leader who explored the road of a revolution.
The work enabled the WPK to deepen and put its work and activities onto a new higher stage with the most clear-cut program for party building and leadership principle and successfully push ahead with the cause of modeling the whole society on the Juche idea by enhancing the party's leadership role.
In the course of the glorious struggle to model the whole party on the Juche idea, the WPK has been strengthened and developed into a genuine model of revolutionary parties in the era of independence, which is in excellent shape as a party of the leader and into an invincible party capable of confidently leading the cause of socialism to victory braving any storm and stress. It is the greatest feat the respected Kim Jong Il has performed under the banner of modeling the whole party on the Juche idea and a most striking manifestation of the loyalty and the sense of moral obligation to be expressed by communists toward the preceding leader that he has built the WPK into the party of the great leader Kim Il Sung which shines with his august name and revolutionary history.
The WPK has grown to be a militant, dynamic and strong party in which the leader's ideological system and the leadership system have been firmly established, unshakable unity has been attained on the basis of strong sense of organization and discipline and which forms an integral whole with the popular masses. This is the real picture of the ever-victorious WPK, a revolutionary one of Juche type that has grown strong and developed under the banner of modeling the whole party on the Juche idea, provided by Kim Jong Il.
All party members, servicemen of the people's army and the people should firmly arm themselves with the ideas and theories of Kim Jong Il and become absolute worshippers, resolute defenders and faithful implementers of his line and policies so as to actively contribute to building and developing the party, the army and the government as well as the economy and culture in conformity with the idea and intention of Kim Jong Il.
The meeting was attended by senior party and state officials, including Han Song Ryong, Ri Yong Mu and Choe Thae Bok.