Gift to Kim Jong Il from Mongolia
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a gift from the secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Mongolia.
The gift was handed to an official concerned by O. Ochirzhav, secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Mongolia who is heading its delegation on a visit to the DPRK.
Wreath before bust of Kim Jong Suk
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- Jose Manuel Inclan Embade, Cuban ambassador to Korea, and embassy officials laid a wreath before the bust of Kim Jong Suk, the great communist revolutionary fighter, at the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery on Mt. Taesong on Monday on the occasion of her 50th death anniversary.
Kim Jong Suk, an indomitable communist revolutionary fighter, set on the road of revolution in her early years, decorated her whole life with the history of infinite loyalty to the President Kim Il Sung and brought up the brilliant sun of Juche Korea.
The guests laid the wreath before her bust and paid homage to her.
Agreement signed between DPRK and Egypt
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- An agreement on cooperation in the field of information was signed between the DPRK Information Committee and the Ministry of Information of Egypt in Cairo on September 11.
Present at the signing ceremony were Paek Yong Ho, DPRK ambassador to Egypt, and embassy officials from the DPRK side and Abdel Rahman Hafez, chairman of the Council of the Radio and Television Union of Egypt, and a vice-Minister of Information who is the director of the International Relations Department from the Egyptian side.
The agreement was signed by the DPRK ambassador and the chairman of the council.
China deports South Korean clergymen
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- China deported South Korean clergymen who were engaged in illegal missionary work on September 17.
The Chinese public security authorities arrested and detained them for examination as they violated Chinese laws, conducting illegal missionary activities in Changchun, Jilin Province of China.
They were expelled to South Korea owing to the deportation order of the Chinese authorities.
KCNA on Japan's arrogant move
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- Officials related to an international environmental group disclosed on Sept. 19 that a ship of the Maritime Safety Agency of Japan is chasing a ship of the Green Peace, which opposes the transportation of mixture of plutonium and uranium to Japan, Kyodo News said.
The ship armed with 40 mm machine guns has begun chasing the Green Peace ship from Sept. 13. The Japanese government armed the ship with weapons of firing power stronger than ever before for the shipment of nuclear materials into Japan. The Maritime Safety Agency is mobilizing even planes for the pursuit.
This shows that Japan which gets mad over the policy for nuclear armament and a military power acts rashly for the shipment of a large quantity of nuclear materials into Japan following in the wake of the U.S. in the international arena.
After the Cold War, the U.S., styling itself the only superpower, has been engaged in high-handed practices like an international gendarme in dealing with a problem of the world peace and security, ignoring the position and authority of the United Nations.
Typical of this are criminal air-raids on Yugoslavia over the Kosovo problem.
Following in the wake of the U.S., Japan is nowadays stockpiling a large quantity of nuclear materials by shipping them from European countries in disregard of the international laws and public opinion. Worse still, today, it is trying hard to control the peaceful activities of the Green Peace by force of arms as it seeks to prevent disclosure of its nuclear armament in the international community.
Such astonishing arbitrariness and outrages of Japan going against the desire of humankind aspiring after a new era of peace are an outright defiance to peace and future of humankind. They will never be tolerated.
Yang Hyong Sop meets Mongolian delegation
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, met and conversed in a friendly atmosphere with the delegation of the ministry of foreign relations of Mongolia headed by O. Ochirzhav, secretary of State of the Ministry, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on Monday.
Present there were Pak Tong Chun, vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, and d. Byambaa, Mongolian ambassador to Korea.
The head of the delegation said that the Mongolian people are well aware of the exploits of the great leaders of the Korean people Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and that the Korean people have achieved great successes in socialist construction under their leadership.
Referring to the deep impression he got from the struggle of the Korean people for building a powerful nation, he said that the Mongolian government and people will make every effort for further development of the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.
DPRK Minister of Extractive Industries relieved and appointed
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- The presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK issued a decree on relieving and appointing the Minister of Extractive Industries on Monday.
Kil Song Nam was relieved from the post of the minister and Son Jong Ho was appointed to the post, according to the decree.
Historical fact cannot be distorted
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- Recently some countries spread unfounded rumours about the background of Korea's division. They say that Korea was divided under an "international agreement", not by outside forces.
Commenting on this, Rodong Sinmun today says Korea was divided by outside forces, not under the "agreement."
The commentary cites historical facts to prove that there were discussions between big powers about helping Korea to build an independent and sovereign state after World War II but there were no discussions about division of Korea.
It goes on:
The United States is chiefly responsible for the division of Korea. If it had not occupied South Korea by force of arms in place of Japanese imperialists following their defeat, Korea would not have been divided at all.
The division of Korea began with the U.S. occupation of South Korea. It still continues as a result of the U.S. base intrigues and brigandish frauds for permanent division of the Korean peninsula. Nothing can deny or distort the stark historical facts.
Even so, some countries, ignoring this, take a wrong attitude and stand. This is an act of defying the national interests and sovereignty of other countries for their own interests, only to give rise to serious apprehension.
The DPRK government will never remain a passive onlooker to the unfounded rumours about its sovereignty and national dignity.
Those that deny and distort the stark historical facts on the background of Korea's division should ponder over the consequences to be entailed by their misbehaviour.
Supreme incarnation of defense of leader in death-defying spirit
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- September 22 is the 50th death anniversary of the anti-Japanese heroine Kim Jong Suk.
An endless stream of working people from all walks of life and the soldiers of the people's army in Korea are visiting her bust and statues and revolutionary sites. They pay their respects to woman commander of Mt. Paektu Kim Jong Suk, looking back with deep emotion upon her brilliant life and revolutionary exploits.
Her lofty life was run through with the spirit of devotedly defending the leader.
She set the brilliant example in the most arduous and fierce anti-Japanese war.
In June Juche 29 (1940), she firmly defended the great commander Kim Il Sung in a critical situation during a battle with her body as fortress and shield.
Such spirit and way of struggle were fully displayed in the battle fields decisive of life and death and in the days of underground struggle.
An anti-Japanese revolutionary veteran, Hwang Sun Hui, recalling the dedication by Kim Jong Suk, said:
The first generation of the Korean revolution fought like a phoenix for the President Kim Il Sung, upholding the slogan "Let us defend the headquarters with our lives " set forth by Kim Jong Suk in the most arduous anti-Japanese armed struggle.
Indeed, she was the supreme incarnation of defence of the leader in death-defying spirit.
After the liberation of the country she always devoted all her energies for safety of the President and for the implementation of his line for a new state building.
Her boundless loyalty to the leader is precious heritage for the Korean people and the younger generation.
The slogan "Let us defend the headquarters of revolution led by the great comrade Kim Jong Il at the risk of our lives " is an unchangeable faith and will deeply preserved in the minds of the soldiers of the people's army and the people.
Kim Jong Suk will be immortal in the minds of all people for the spirit of devotedly defending the leader, the spirit which is brilliantly handed down from generation to generation.
National symposium held
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- A national symposium was held at the People's Palace of Culture on Monday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of the great communist revolutionary fighter Kim Jong Suk.
Present there were Yang Hyong Sop, Kim Ki Nam and officials concerned.
Speakers said that Kim Jong Suk joined the anti-Japanese war in her teens and earned fame as woman commander of Mt. Paektu and performed great exploits to materialize the cause of building the party, state and the army after the liberation of the country.
The most important feat she performed is that she held the respected President Kim Il Sung in high esteem as the sun of the Korean revolution, the speakers stressed, and went on:
Kim Jong Suk is a paragon who set a model of a revolutionary who devotedly safeguarded the leader, regarding it as the noblest duty.
She was an outstanding leader of women's movement who upheld the idea of emancipating women, an original idea set forth by the President, and tirelessly worked for its realization.
Her leadership in the army building was a glorious one through which she clarified the idea of building the army of the leader for the first time in history and devoted her all to its materialization.
The speakers noted that the most significant and brilliant of her feats is that she gave birth to the respected Kim Jong Il and brought him up as the bright star of Mt. Paektu, thus laying a solid foundation for inheriting the revolutionary cause of Juche and providing humankind with a great fortune of having the sun of the 21st century.
Unpardonable criminal act
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- The South Korean "Defence Minister" called a conference with leading press organs in Seoul on Sept. 19, at which he referred to the mission and scale of the troops to be dispatched to East Timor, according to news reports from Seoul. He said that the troops would be made up mainly of "highly trained special task force" and they would be armed not only with ordinary infantry weapons but with mortars and armored vehicles.
Earlier, on Sept. 18 the present chief executive of South Korea also called a press conference after his return from foreign visit where he justified the sending of the "ROK army" to East Timor, appealing to all "the people to support the dispatch."
This clearly reveals that the anti-national "government for the people" is trying to repeat the criminal dispatch of its army to south Vietnam in 1965 by hurling the army into the internal dispute-torn East Timor by all means at the beck and call of its master, the U.S., despite the strong opposition of the fellow countrymen.
The South Korean rulers assert that the dispatch is for "recovery of peace and security" and "humanitarian rescue activities" in order to conceal its criminal attempt. But it will convince nobody.
The vicious moves of the self-proclaimed "government for the people" to dispatch its army to East Timor just as they did to south Vietnam can never be tolerated.
U.S. lifts economic sanctions against DPRK
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- U.S. President Bill Clinton on Sept. 17 formally announced that according to the results of the recent DPRK-U.S. talks held in Berlin, the U.S. would lift a series of economic sanctions imposed upon the DPRK by it under the trade with the enemy act, the export administration and control act and the national defense production act for scores of years after defining it as an "enemy state".
The United States is committed to lift sanctions imposed upon the DPRK in import and export of goods and materials, investment in agriculture, mining industry, infrastructure and other sectors, financial transactions, transport by commercial vessels and planes, and so on.
Being a step taken by the U.S. to fulfil its commitments under the DPRK-U.S. agreed framework signed in 1994, it is a good development, though it is not comprehensive and came belatedly.
The United States should show good faith by lifting the remaining sanctions against the DPRK so as to make it a comprehensive and substantial measure.
Furthermore, if the U.S. is truly willing to totally drop its hostile policy toward the DPRK and improve relations with the DPRK, it should withdraw its forces from South Korea, sign a peace agreement with the DPRK and thus root out the military threat to the DPRK.
The DPRK will reciprocate the U.S. practical action to drop its hostile policy toward the DPRK and improve its relations with it.
The DPRK will watch how the United States will practically implement the measure for lifting a series of sanctions announced by it this time.
Kim Jong Il sends wreath to bier of Jon Jae Yon
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong sent a wreath to the bier of Jon Jae Yon, People's Artiste of the KPA April 25 Film Studio, expressing deep condolences over his death.
Greetings to Armenian President
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, today sent a message of greetings to Robert Sedrakovich Kocharyan, President of Armenia, on the occasion of its National Day.
The message wished the president and the people of Armenia success in their work for the stability and peace of the country and expressed the belief that the friendly relations between the two countries would favorably develop.
Kim Yong Sun meets Japanese delegation
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Sun, secretary of the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of Korea and chairman of the Korean Asia Pacific Peace Committee, met and had a talk with the delegation of the Japanese Women's Liaison Council for Solidarity with the Korean Women led by its representative Sumiko Shimizu, deputy leader of the Social Democratic Party of Japan and a member of the House of Councilors, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on September 21.
Present there was Ri Chong Il, chairwoman of the Korean Women's Society for Solidarity with the Asian Women.
At the meeting Sumiko Shimizu said that responsibility for failure to improve Japan-DPRK relations entirely rests with Japan and they support a statement issued by the DPRK government in august.
Visits
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- The DPRK delegation led by Kim Su Hak, Minister of Public Health, left Pyongyang today by air to participate in the 17th meeting of health ministers of the Southeast Asian Regional Office of the World Health Organization to be held in Myanmar.
The delegation will visit India, Indonesia and Thailand before the meeting.
Meanwhile, V. Chikin, first secretary of the central committee of the Belarussian Communist Party, and his party arrived here today.
Greetings to Maltese President
Pyongyang, September 21 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, today sent a message of greetings to Guido de Marco, President of the Republic of Malta, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of its independence.
The message expressed the belief that the friendly relations between the two countries would expand and develop.