New world record set in weightlifting
Pyongyang, November 24 (KCNA) -- Ri Song Hui of the DPRK set a new world record and captured a gold medal on Nov. 22 by jerking 131 kilogrammes in the women's 58 kilogram category of the world weightlifting championships now under way in Greece.
Her results were one kilogramme more than the previous world record.
She placed second in the snatch and total to win two silver medals.
The championships drew weightlifters from more than 50 countries.
New port built
Pyongyang, November 24 (KCNA) -- A new Taehung port was built in Waudo district, Nampho of Korea recently.
The port covering some 80,000 square metres has a wharf capable of handling ships of thousands of tons in weight, depots, necessary facilities, public buildings and others.
All activities at the port are computerised.
This port is capable of handling more than 300,000 tons of cargo a year.
The appearance of the port in Waudo district, once a marsh on the bank of Taedong River, has radically improved its natural and ecological environment.
This is one more base for foreign trade that can positively contribute to the building of a powerful nation.
It will be instrumental in supplying a sufficient quantity of necessary equipment and materials to various fields of the national economy.
S. Korea's moves to develop long-range ballistic missile denounced
Pyongyang, November 24 (KCNA) -- The central committees of the Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea and the Korean Democratic Women's Union separately issued statements yesterday condemning the South Korean authorities for accelerating the development of long-range ballistic missile under the patronage of the U.S. imperialists.
The statements said:
The South Korean authorities are frantically intensifying the moves to develop long-range ballistic missiles in collusion with the U.S. imperialists.
These are unpardonable anti-national crimes going against the desire and aspiration of the nation and premeditated moves to throw hurdles in the way of peace and the peaceful reunification of the country and pursue inter-Korean confrontation even in the new century.
The statements demanded the U.S. imperialists and the South Korean authorities immediately halt the reckless arms buildup including the development of ballistic missiles and pull out all the aggressor forces and war equipment from South Korea.
If they keep to the road of confrontation and war persisting in the development of the long-range ballistic missile, defying our repeated warnings, they will be wholly responsible for all the ensuing consequences, they warned.
Defoliant victims demonstrate in S. Korea
Pyongyang, November 24 (KCNA) -- At least 2,500 defoliant victims in South Korea reportedly held a demonstration on November 22 in protest against the authorities indifferent to their misery and sufferings.
They had been taken to the Vietnam war of aggression provoked by the U.S. imperialists. They said that not only the ex-soldiers but their children are suffering severe pain due to the aftermath of defoliant.
During the demo that lasted over 2 hours the protesters strongly demanded the U.S. and the South Korean authorities pay compensation to them for the damage done to them.
Meanwhile, the Christian broadcasting system of South Korea denounced the authorities for failing to take any measure to help defoliant victims.
Friendly meeting with Chinese delegation
Pyongyang, November 24 (KCNA) -- A friendly meeting with members of the delegation of workers for the study of the history of the Yuwen Middle School in Jilin, China, headed by its party secretary Li Quan was held at Changdok Senior Middle School in Pyongyang yesterday.
Present at the meeting were Hong Son Ok, vice-chairperson of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, who is also vice-chairperson of the central committee of the DPRK-China Friendship Association, and officials concerned.
The guests laid a floral basket before the statue of the great leader President Kim Il Sung at the school and paid homage to him. they looked round experiment and practice rooms of the school.
The participants conversed with each other, deepening the feelings of friendship and enjoyed an art performance given by members of the art circle of the school.
S. Korean warmongers stage anti-air ball-firing exercises
Pyongyang, November 24 (KCNA) -- The South Korean warmongers staged anti-air ball-firing exercises in a shooting range on the west coast of South Korea on Nov. 22, according to a news report from Seoul.
They conducted firing exercises of various forms, crying out for increased anti-air combat capacity to repel a "surprise air attack of enemy planes in an emergency."
They announced that there would be target practices for portable surface-to-air guided missile "mistral" and the bulkan artillery pieces deployed around Seoul in 1992.
S. Korean rulers warned of strong countermeasure
Pyongyang, November 24 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary dismisses long-range ballistic missiles which are being developed by the South Korean rulers in secrecy as ones aimed to strike the whole area of the north.
The South Korean rulers are working hard to develop such new-type attack weapons in a bid to further escalate the inter-Korean military confrontation and tensions and ignite a war against the north in league with their imperialist masters, the commentary says, and goes on:
Some time ago, the South Korean chief executive begged Clinton, Cohen and his other masters to allow South Korea to develop missiles with the range of 500 km. Meanwhile, the South Korean rulers have pushed ahead with secret plans to introduce all types of missiles and their technologies from the United States and other countries and increase the range and efficiency of their missiles.
Their move to develop ballistic missiles poses a potential threat as it reveals their criminal design to threaten the north with missile attack and take a preemptive strike at the whole area of the north any time.
We will not remain a passive onlooker to the reckless act of the South Korean rulers who are reacting to the north's peaceloving efforts with the moves to develop ballistic missiles aimed at invading the north.
We are fully ready to mercilessly annihilate the U.S. imperialists and the South Korean rulers who are keen on invading the DPRK.
If the South Korean rulers persist in their desperate moves to develop ballistic missiles despite our warnings, we will take a stronger countermeasure against it.
Desire for reading stronger in Korea
Pyongyang, November 24 (KCNA) -- Reading has become a social trend in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Everywhere you can see people avidly reading books.
In particular, a daily average of more than 10,000 people go to the grand people's study house that keeps 30 million volumes of books in the central part of Pyongyang.
Aware that one cannot keep his step with the present cantering march without studying, people are making reading an inseparable part of their life.
The DPRK attaches great importance to the study of all the people, always considering that high ideological awareness, scientific and technological knowledge and cultural attainments can be gained only through study and practice.
A well-organized all-people-study system was established long ago to provide people with all conditions so that they can possess useful knowledge needed for the socialist construction.
Special attention of the great leader Kim Jong Il to the study of all people promotes reading in the country.
In recent years, Kim Jong Il sent a lot of books to the Grand People's Study House even under the difficult conditions of the "arduous march" and forced march so that the people from all walks of life including students can contribute to the building of a powerful nation with rich scientific and technological knowledge.
This year, too, the house was supplied with many video cassettes and books on medicine and health, science and technology, industry, agriculture, biology, nature and space, entertainment, culture and world cooks.
The number of the books at all the libraries in provinces, cities and counties is on a steady increase to help the working people in their study.
U.S. to throw 600,000 GIs in "Korean War"
Pyongyang, November 24 (KCNA) -- The U.S. imperialists are scheming to throw 600,000 troops, five flotillas, 200 warships and 1,200 planes from the mainland in an "all-out war" on the Korean peninsula within three months after the deployment of the emergency forces, according to a news report from Seoul.
The South Korean "Defense Ministry" disclosed on Monday that the U.S. Pacific Command, one of the nine combined commands, which is to take charge of the plan, controls the U.S. Forces in the pacific and the indian ocean.
It is envisaged in the U.S. imperialists' "emergency measure" that the U.S. fighters to be hurled into the Korean peninsula in "contingency" will fly to it from the mainland in 13 hours, a naval flotilla will be deployed in 14 days and combat equipment for a ground force brigade shipped in 10 days.
The South Korean authorities are now earnestly begging for shorter time for the emergency deployment of U.S. Forces and the U.S. Pacific Command is "seeking a way" to meet their demand.
Letter to President of S. Korean Red Cross
Pyongyang, November 24 (KCNA) -- Jang Jae On, chairman of the central committee of the DPRK Red Cross Society, sent a letter to his South Korean counterpart Jong Won Sik today.
The letter reads:
We were told that the south headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification (Pomminryon) informed the north headquarters of Pomminryon of the critical condition of Kim Yang Mu, permanent vice-chairman of the south headquarters who is suffering from serious illness and asked the north side to take a step necessary for his medical treatment in the north.
Kim Yang Mu has devotedly worked for the patriotic cause of reunification and is suffering from an incurable disease.
However, the authorities of your side are incriminating his patriotic activities and trying to arrest and punish him, instead of providing him with conditions for medical treatment. This is a very deplorable deed either in view of national unity and reunification or in view of humanitarianism.
Deeply apprehensive of this, we invite Kim Yang Mu and an aide to Pyongyang as proposed by the south headquarters of Pomminryon as a medical organ of our side he expressed its readiness to treat him.
I hope that you will understand our compatriotic measure and correctly hand the letter of invitation in the name of the north headquarters of pomminryon to the South headquarters of Pomminryon.
Meanwhile, the north headquarters of Pomminryon in a letter of invitation dated November 24 said that it would provide Kim Yang Mu's party with all convenience during their stay and ensure their personal safety and safe return.