National immunization days
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- October 20 and November 20 are defined as national immunization days in Korea.
To mark the days, the national inspection office of the Ministry of Public Health organised some 12,000 inoculation teams and about 45,000 health workers were mobilized in poliomyelitis vaccination throughout the country.
Preventive inoculation for all children below the age of five has been completed.
This is an example that shows the validity and vitality of the Worker's Party of Korea's policy of preventive medicine.
On these days every year, the hygienic and anti-epidemic organs at all levels conduct preventive inoculation and raise the people's immunity in a responsible manner. The inoculators of the preventive and curative medical service organs conduct vaccination for the people according to the yearly inoculation calendar distributed by the National Medical Authority.
Despite difficulties in the economy, the state takes positive measures to produce sufficient quantities of preventive medicines.
Greetings to Lebanese President
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, on sunday sent a message of greetings to Emile Lahoud, President of Lebanon, on the occasion of the 56th anniversary of its Independence Day.
The message sincerely wished the Lebanese President and people greater success in their work for prosperity and territorial integrity of the country, expressing the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would be further expanded and developed.
Hong Song Nam, premier of the DPRK cabinet, sent a message of greetings to his Lebanese counterpart Selim al Hoss and Paek Nam Sun, DPRK Foreign Minister, to him who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigrants.
S. Korean ruler's unethical, anti-reunification acts denounced
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- The overseas headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification (Pomminryon) made public a statement on Nov. 15 condemning the South Korean "government" for their unethical, anti-reunification acts.
Noting that though the veil of the South Korean "government was changed into "people's government" its nature remains unchanged as it suppresses the conscience of the people and the desire of the nation on the strength of the "security law," the statement denounced the present "government" for harshly cracking down upon the participants in the August 15 Grand Pro-Reunification Festival.
Recalling that the pro-reunification patriotic organizations and personages are waging a strenuous struggle for independence against the U.S. and for the country's reunification in the teeth of the harsh suppression, the statement condemned the present South Korean "government" for suppressing Kim Yang Mu, permanent vice-chairman of the south headquarters of Pomminryon, on the charge of violating the "security law" although he is suffering from an incurable disease.
It demanded the "government" immediately abolish the "security law," take every necessary step for his treatment and stop defining such independent and pro-democracy mass organizations as the south headquarters of Pomminryon and the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils as "enemy benefiting organizations."
Resignation of "Labor Minister" urged
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- The South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in a press conference on November 18 demanded the "Labor Minister" resign, a Seoul-based radio reported.
The KCTU denounced him for blocking the legitimization of the organisation by unreasonably refusing to accept the application for establishment of trade unions.
The KCTU will present the application again, it said, adding that in case the application is turned down again, the organisation will launch an overall struggle for the resignation of the "Labor Minister" in solidarity with civic and public organisations.
Victory of Cuban people
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- A resolution that demands the United States lift economic sanctions against Cuba was adopted with approval of an overwhelming majority at the 54th session of the UN General Assembly.
Commenting on this, Rodong Sinmun sunday described it as a great victory of the Cuban people.
The analyst said:
The adoption of the resolution meant a brilliant victory of the Cuban people in the confrontation decisive of independence or humiliation and a disgraceful setback of the United States bent on stifling Cuban socialism and of its followers. The fact clearly proves that the U.S. policy of anti-Cuban economic blockade has come to a total failure.
The adoption of the resolution eloquently showed how strong the world opinion against anti-Cuban blockade is.
The United States must clearly see the situation and draw a lesson. Embargo, blockade and other anachronistic practices no longer work in today's world. The United States must immediately stop the sanctions aimed at stifling the DPRK, Cuba and other independent countries.
21st century to shine with august name of Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- I have got deep understanding of the great feats performed by General Secretary Kim Jong Il and his incomparably high prestige during my stay in Korea, said Candido Muatetema Rivas, deputy secretary general of the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea, when interviewed by KCNA before his departure from here.
Noting that he clearly realized the great leadership of Kim Jong Il while touring Pyongyang and other places of Korea, he continued:
The Korean people could become a dignified heroic people, the Worker's Party of Korea a great party which leads the masses to victory without any deviation and the armed forces of Korea invincible ones because the Korean people hold Kim Jong Il in high esteem as their great leader.
The world progressives are highly praising the immortal exploits performed by Kim Jong Il on behalf of the times and history. He brightly illumines the road to be followed by the times through his energetic ideological and theoretical activities.
Kim Jong Il is the greatest man of the present times. The 21st century will shine with his august name.
Japan's dominationist design denounced
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- The Japanese government has planned to develop and launch four information-gathering satellites with an investment of about two billion dollars by the year 2002 in a bid to monitor and grasp the regional situation including the Korean peninsula and conduct espionage.
This scheme has come from its policy of turning Japan into a military power as well as its overseas expansionist design, Rodong Sinmun today says in a signed commentary, and goes on:
The strategic purpose of Japan is to keep a close watch with its own intelligence satellites on the military and political situation of Asia-Pacific countries centering on the Korean peninsula and spy on their military secrets and inner situation for its overseas aggression and thus gratify the design for its exclusive domination over the region.
Herein lie the reactionary nature and danger of Japan's moves to introduce intelligence satellites.
The United States incites this ambition of Japan, its junior ally, so as to attain its own political and economic purpose.
It is clear that Japan will introduce information-gathering satellites by any means as it seeks an exclusive domination over the Asia-Pacific region through the intensified moves to turn Japan into a military power.
Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to encourage such moves of Japan in an attempt to get profit politically and economically.
Japan and the U.S. are in military alliance and both of them have the dominationist design. Though containing each other, they are unanimous in dreaming an overseas aggression.
History can never be erased
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- Minju Joson sunday criticized the Japanese reactionaries' move to deny the past.
The Japan Ministry of Education formally endorsed the request of two textbook companies for changing the term "comfort women for the army" into "comfort women" and deleting the term "forcible" in social science textbooks of secondary schools.
The news analyst says:
This reveals the Japanese government's stand to deny and whitewash the crime-woven history of Japanese imperialism.
The correction of terms in textbooks is also part of their move to deny the history in a more crafty manner that characterizes Japan.
History can neither be erased nor be forged. The history of most heinous crimes of Japanese imperialism will never be forgotten no matter how many generations may alter.
Can the unethical crime concerning "comfort women for the army" without precedent in human history be erased even if the relevant term is deleted in textbooks?
If Japan wants to greet the new millennium without shame, it must begin liquidating the crime-woven past, rather than deny or whitewash it.
Repatriation of POWs demanded
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- The secretariat of the pan-African movement issued a statement on November 12, demanding the repatriation of unconverted long-term prisoners including Kim In So, Kim Yong Thae and Ham Se Hwan in South Korea to the DPRK.
The statement defined this as the most serious human rights problem in the world.
The statement continued:
If the South Korean authorities ignore the solution to this problem today when the 21st century is at hand, they will not be able to avoid criticism from people around the world.
The South Korean authorities must show their will for reunification by taking measures to return all the unconverted long-term prisoners to the DPRK as they wish.
Robert Williams, vice-chairman of the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Committee for Support to Korea's Reunification and general secretary of the Good Green Guyana, issued a statement on November 15, urging the South Korean authorities to take due measures to return the unconverted long-term prisoners to their hometowns in North Korea as they wish, rather than pay lip service to "humanitarianism."
Accounts of witnesses to GIs' massacre
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- A South Korean newspaper quoted accounts of people who witnessed brutal massacre committed by U.S. aggression troops in Yongdong township Yongdong county, North Chungchong Province in July 1950.
Kil Jon Sik, who served as a soldier in a mechanized regiment of the "ROK army" at that time, said: The statement that U.S. Planes bombed civilians, mistaking them for "enemy" is a lie. U.S. soldiers of a cavalry division mercilessly killed people of Jugok-ri and Rimgye-ri on a railway bridge in Rogun-ri on July 26 after taking them about for three days when they must have known the civilians were not "enemy."
Another witness, Choe Jong Thae, said: U.S. soldiers were crazy with killing people because their superiors had ordered them to regard all that moved before them as enemy.
The massacre of U.S. troops was indeed a ruthless "scorched-earth operation."
Ki Sang Won, who was a country-boy at that time, said:
The sound of the firing of machine guns and rifles and bombing outdid the cries of people. At that time, I could know the yankees from across the ocean were not "helpers" but murderers.
Abolition of "security law" demanded
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- The European regional headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification recently released a statement demanding the abolition of the "security law" and the dissolution of the "Intelligence Service" in South Korea.
Recalling that the present "government" imprisoned more people of conscience than the successive flunkeyist and traitorous regimes, the statement demanded it abrogate the "security law" even now and disorganize the "Intelligence Service", the headquarters for information gathering, inspection, plot, wiretapping, surveillance and torture.
It also urged the regime to drop its foolish ambition, accept the three-point charter of national reunification and unconditionally release all the pro-reunification patriotic figures of conscience.
S. Korean unionists stage rally
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- A rally of workers reportedly took place in Seoul on Sunday with the attendance of more than 20,000 unionists under the Federation of South Korean Trade Unions.
The rally was organized by the federation in the wake of the suspension of its participation in the deceptive "labor-management-government committee" on Nov. 15 protesting against the authorities' refusal to meet the just demands of the workers.
The federation urged the authorities to pay wages to union activists and give up the moves to sell off electrical companies to foreigners.
The ralliers staged a demonstration to have their demands met.
Greetings to President of Burundi
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, on Nov. 19 sent a message of greetings to Pierre Buyoya, President of Burundi, on the occasion of his 50th birthday.
The message sincerely wished the President greater success in his work for the stability and prosperity of the country and good health and happiness.