Gift to Kim Jong Il from Venezuela
Pyongyang, October 17 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a gift from Palabesino city, Lara State of Venezuela, on the occasion of the 54th birthday of the Worker's Party of Korea.
A meeting for conveying the gift was held on Oct. 12 at the Palabesino City Hall. The gift was conveyed to the head of the visiting delegation of the DPRK for Koryo medical lectures by the mayor of the city.
DPRK delegate's speech at 54th session of UN General Assembly
Pyongyang, October 17 (KCNA) -- The DPRK delegate made a speech at the plenum of the 54th session of the UN General Assembly on Oct. 7 when the issue of implementation of the results of the summit for social development was discussed.
He said:
Although the international concern for social development has been further enhanced for 4 years since the Copenhagen Declaration and action program were adopted, the issues of poverty and unemployment, which are the main challenge to the domain of social development, have not been settled but aggravated. So, this General Assembly and the Year 2000 Special Conference must correctly find their cause and seek ways of their solution.
The continued challenges to the domain of social development are caused by unequal international economic relations hindering the economic development of developing countries. Today the developed countries are resorting to the unilateral and prejudiced economic steps such as high interest investment protectionism, thus widening the gap between the rich and poor countries and producing a lot of jobless people in developing countries.
It is important to pay due attention to establishing fair international economic relations based on the principle of independence, equality and reciprocity, eliminating protectionism and solving debt problem in developing countries.
Meanwhile, the UN should actively help its member countries in their efforts for social development and the UN organizations pay primary concern to the solution of social problems in developing countries.
Each country must work out a policy for social development to suit its specific conditions because socio-economic conditions and level of all countries are different.
Immediate release of reunification envoys urged
Pyongyang, October 17 (KCNA) -- The South Korean authorities recently arrested and prosecuted the adviser of the south headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification (Pomminryon) Ra Chang Sun, representative of the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) that represents the south headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country's Reunification Hwang Hye Ro and other representatives of reunification organizations on charges of violation of the fascist "security law" for visiting Pyongyang to participate in the August 15 Grand Pan-National Pro-Reunification Festival.
Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary condemns this as an unpardonable anti-national, anti-reunification criminal act, dismissing it as a vicious challenge to the reconciliation and unity of the nation and its desire for the country's reunification.
It goes on:
The representatives of the south headquarters of Pomminryon, Hanchongryon and the National Alliance for Democracy and Reunification are the patriots who had done praiseworthy things for the unity of the nation and the reunification.
Their participation in the August 15 Grand Pan-National Pro-Reunification Festival held in the north helped deepen the compatriotic feelings of the people in the north and the south and stirred up the nation's desire for reunification.
They left meaningful footprints on the road of the patriotic struggle for reunification, their hearts burning with patriotism and strong desire for reunification.
The South Korean rulers arrested the patriots who should be cheered by the whole nation with flowers for their contribution to the unity of the nation and the development of the reunification movement. This proves that the South Korean rulers do not have any will to realize the unity of the nation and reunification. If even a drop of the nation's blood had run in their bodies, they would not have committed such a treachery and hideous outrage without hesitation.
Their loudmouthed "dialogue" and "reunification" is nothing but hypocrisy flouting the nation.
The South Korean rulers should stop their fascist suppression of the reunification envoys and release them immediately.
U.S. warned not to militarily browbeat DPRK
Pyongyang, October 17 (KCNA) -- Dailies here today have come hard on U.S. conservative hard-liners for ballyhooing these days about "strengthening cooperation" among the United States, Japan and South Korea in a bid to find a solution to the DPRK's "missile issue."
A signed commentary of Rodong Sinmun observes this is a clear indication that though the United States is uttering such glossy words as "easing sanctions" and "improvement of relations" before us, it, in fact, has not yet dropped its wild design to stifle the DPRK with strength.
It goes on:
The United States together with the South Korean ruling quarters, is getting frantic in the war exercises under the simulated conditions of an actual war after working out the anti-DPRK war scenario "operation plan 5027-98," while pushing ahead with "TMD" system in real earnest with the Japanese reactionaries in a bid to put the DPRK within the range of their missile strike.
Quite clear is the aim sought by the U.S. in crying out for the solution to the DPRK's "missile issue" like a thief crying "stop the thief."
It is seeking to disarm the DPRK and achieve its aggressive purpose with ease by painting the DPRK as a harasser of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, not the United States.
As part of its moves to encourage the arms buildup of the South Korean ruling quarters the United States has decided to deliver a sophisticated marine observation and intelligence system to them and allowed them to develop missiles with a range of 500 km.
This compels us to increase our self-reliant defence capability in every way including missile development.
If the United States is truly interested in the settlement of the peace on the Korean peninsula and the issues between the DPRK and the U.S., it should give up its hostile policy towards the DPRK and refrain from posing a military threat to it.
If the U.S. thinks it can bring the DPRK to its knees with strength it is a serious miscalculation. The DPRK, too, has strength. If the United States tries hard to isolate and stifle the DPRK with strength, clinging to a ridiculous double-dealing tracts, the DPRK will decisively stand up against that move to the end.
A signed commentary of Minju Joson warns: If the United States persists in its obstinate moves to stifle the DPRK militarily defying its repeated warnings, it will be wholly responsible for all the ensuing consequences.