Korean books presented to India
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- Korean books were presented to India on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the great leader Kim Jong Il's election as Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army.
A presenting ceremony was held in India on December 9.
Works of the great leaders President Kim Il Sung and Marshal Kim Jong Il and other Korean books were handed to A.B. Bardhan, general secretary of the national council of the Communist Party of India.
The general secretary said that he would keep in the CPI library books presented earlier and those it received that time and make the best use of them to let all his party members study hard the works of the President and the Marshal to earnestly learn from the successes and experience gained by the Worker's Party of Korea and the DPRK.
Chinese photo exhibition and film show arranged
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- Chinese ambassador to the DPRK Wan Yongxiang hosted a photo exhibition and a film show at the Pyongyang International House of Culture yesterday as regards the hand-over of Macao to China.
In a speech made before the opening of the exhibition he said that the hand-over of Macao to China is an auspicious event as it is one more brilliant chapter in the Chinese history, adding that this means the Chinese people have made one more significant step forward in achieving the complete reunification of the country.
He expressed profound thanks to the Worker's Party of Korea and the Korean government and people for having sent full support to the just cause of the Chinese people.
We are confident that the traditional Sino-Korean friendly and cooperative relations will make fresh bigger progress and this friendship will be conveyed to the generations to come and remain shining forever thanks to the joint efforts of the parties, governments and the peoples of the two countries under the care of Jiang Zemin and Kim Jong Il, he stressed.
Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, in his speech said that the hand-over of Macao to the PRC is one more significant victory the Chinese people have won in their protracted struggle for national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
We are pleased to note that everything is going well in China and sincerely wish the Chinese people bigger success in their future struggle, he noted, expressing the expectation that the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would grow stronger and develop.
The participants looked round photos showing the history of Macao and watched the Chinese documentary film "Macao."
A reception was given by the ambassador.
Minutes of DPRK-China talks signed
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- Minutes of the 10th talks on the exchange and cooperation in meteorological science and technology was signed here today between the hydro-meteorological service of the DPRK and the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).
Deputy director of the hydro-meteorological service Kim Ho Il and CMA deputy administrator Zheng Guoguang signed the document.
Pyongyang Declaration signed by 250 political parties
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- More political parties have signed the Pyongyang Declaration "Let us defend and advance the socialist cause."
It was signed by the New Forces Party of Venezuela, the Tajik Communist Party and the Communist Party of Bangladesh recently, bringing the number of the parties that signed the declaration to 250 as of early November.
The declaration was adopted by leaders of many political parties of the world in Pyongyang in April, Juche 81 (1992) evincing their resolution to defend and advance the socialist cause.
Many fish farms built in DPRK
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- More than three times as many fish farms as last year have been built or rebuilt on an expansion basis in the DPRK this year although it has been pressed hard for everything.
Recently the servicemen of unit no. 583 of the Korean People's Army built a large fish farm on the west coast by reclaiming scores of hectares of tideland left uncultivated for many years.
More than 50 standardized fish ponds teem with Kinyom fish, carp and tropical catfish and other delicious and nutritious fresh water fish.
General Secretary Kim Jong Il visited the fish farm in may this year. He praised the servicemen for building a modern fish farm by fully utilizing locally available materials and told officials to widely generalize their experience.
The DPRK has natural and topographical conditions favourable for breeding variety of fresh water fish.
Fishes are raised not only in the ponds which depend on springs, spas and other natural water but in man-made reservoirs in different parts of the country that appeared when minor power stations were built.
Typical of them is the fish farm managed by Ra Hyo Jin which looks like a huge fish-breeding "complex" deep in a mountain.
The farm built terraced fish ponds covering an area of scores of hectares to raise fishes on a large scale. The ponds depend on spring water flowing down from the depth of the nearby mountain.
South Phyongan Province, South Hamgyong Province and North Hwanghae Province and other provinces built new fish farms, big and small, wherever water is available, taking advantage of favourable natural and topographical conditions, and expanded small ones, thus adding hundreds of hectares to the fish-breeding area.
Energetic army-first leadership
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- The Korean People's Army is creditably discharging its mission as a pillar of the militarily powerful socialist nation and a death-defying corps in defending the leader.
The growth of the KPA in scope and strength would have been unthinkable without the energetic army-first leadership of the respected Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il.
This year alone Kim Jong Il inspected a number of KPA units including the Kum Song lifeguard unit no. 615, the command of the combined unit no. 324, an anti-aircraft artillery unit no. 959, unit no. 155, the island-defending unit under unit no. 1130 of the KPA and military academies including Choe Hyon Military Academy and the Tankmen and Truckmen's Military Academy.
Looking round the monuments to on-the-spot guidance and instructions of the President Kim Il Sung and rooms for the education in revolutionary history, first of all, he called on the servicemen to defend and exalt the leadership feats the President performed for army building.
He elaborated on the orientation and ways of effectively conducting diverse ideological education among the soldiers.
When visiting the KPA Kum Song lifeguard unit defending the area around Kaephung county and units nos. 287 and 715 and many other units situated in the forefront, he climbed up heights to learn about how the units work out operations and perform their duties and gave them detailed instructions to steadily increase the combat capabilities and turn defence theatres into impregnable fortresses.
On April 25 he inspected KPA units nos. 690 and 946 and a sub-unit under unit no. 963 to congratulate the soldiers on army day and enjoyed with them the performance given by the merited choir of the KPA.
He also inspected the command of combined unit no. 567 of the KPA guiding on the spot the joint drill of the soldiers of a unit under the unit and a winter drill of the soldiers of unit no. 682 and enjoyed a humble art performance in their quarters.
He, always finding himself among the soldiers, has led all the units to be "O Jung Hup's 7th regiment," the model regiment in defending the headquarters during the anti-Japanese armed struggle.
He took warm care of the life of the soldiers, looking round their quarters, mess rooms and store houses, etc.
The Korean People's Army, having him as its Supreme Commander, has grown to be invincible armed forces.
Noble life of woman revolutionary
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- Pramila Panday, vice-chairwoman of the All India Democratic Women's Association, and Dipaley Bimvat, editor-in-chief of the Indian magazine Press Link Digest issued statements on Dec. 9 and 7 on the occasion of the 82nd birth anniversary of Kim Jong Suk who is a great communist revolutionary fighter.
Pramila Panday in a statement said that Kim Jong Suk was an indomitable communist revolutionary fighter and an outstanding heroine of the Korean people, adding it was one of the most brilliant exploits performed by her in her life that she guaranteed the future of Korea.
She stressed that the exploits achieved by her on the road of revolution led by the President Kim Il Sung would shine forever with the history of the Korean people's revolutionary struggle and her lofty revolutionary spirit and noble virtue will be cherished in the mind of everyone with the passage of the time.
Dipaley Bimvat said that upon embarking on the road of revolution, Kim Jong Suk considered it as her life-long creed to defend the President Kim Il Sung politically and ideologically with her life and set a shining example in doing so and this spirit prevails among the servicemen of the Korean People's Army today.
60th death anniversary of O Jung Hup commemorated
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- Today commemorates the 60th death anniversary of O Jung Hup, a communist revolutionary fighter.
A national memorial service took place at the People's Palace of Culture to commemorate the death anniversary.
It was attended by Kim Yong Nam, Jo Myong Rok and other senior party and state officials, anti-Japanese revolutionary veterans, working people from all walks of life and servicemen of the Korean People's Army.
O Jung Hup was a hot-blooded loyal subject who distinguished himself in devotedly defending the leader in the period of the arduous anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle and a competent commanding officer of the Korean people's revolutionary army.
He died a heroic death during a battle in northeastern part of Mt. Paektu on December 17, Juche 28 (1939).
Minister Kim Il Chol of the People's Armed Forces in a memorial address described O Jung Hup as a prototype of communist revolutionaries who, guided by transparent revolutionary outlook on the leader, held in high esteem the great Kim Il Sung as the leader of revolution and defended him at the cost of his life.
In the period of the hard-fought anti-Japanese war he always took the lead in guaranteeing the safety of commander Kim Il Sung in every way and displayed matchless self-sacrificing spirit and performed heroic exploits in the efforts to carry out Kim Il Sung's revolutionary lines and operational plans, Kim Il Chol said, and continued:
O considered Kim Il Sung's ideas and lines most reasonable, made a deep-going study of them, unconditionally defended his ideas anytime and anywhere and waged an uncompromising struggle against the phenomena contrary to his ideas and lines.
O was a regimental commander who asked Kim Il Sung to give him a new task after carrying out Kim Il Sung's orders and instructions, a military commanding officer who was happier to do difficult things, not easy ones.
Kim Il Sung, when recollecting O, spoke highly of O Jung Hup's great achievements, saying that to him O Jung Hup was a revolutionary comrade-in-arms and a like-minded man and, at the same time, a savior of his life.
Valuing the revolutionary forerunners most and putting them forward, the respected Kim Jong Il said O Jung Hup was a role model of revolutionary soldiers unfailingly loyal to Kim Il Sung and a vanguard fighter who devotedly defended the leader. He made sure that the whole party, the entire army and all the people learn from the noble revolutionary spirit and traits of O Jung Hup and people's army units conduct "O Jung Hup's 7th regiment title movement."
O's lofty revolutionary spirit and ennobling traits serve as a precious example that tells the people to adopt what attitude and stand and what faith and constancy in upholding the leader of revolution.
Meanwhile, a wreath was laid before his bust at the Mt. Taesong revolutionary martyrs cemetery to commemorate his death anniversary.
Papers here today run articles on his death anniversary.
Removal of all barriers to Korean reunification urged
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- Various foreign organizations expressed full support and solidarity to the appeal of the government, political parties and organizations of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea demanding the removal of the concrete wall.
The Egypt-Korea Friendship Association in its statement on December 9 said that the concrete wall built by the South Korean authorities under the patronage of the U.S. is a product of the "two Koreas policy" of the U.S. and the South Korean authorities.
Without tearing down all the barriers to the reunification, it is impossible to improve the north-south relations or achieve any progress in the cause of the Korean reunification. The South Korean authorities should pull down the concrete wall at once as demanded by all the Korean people and the world peace-loving people who want national reconciliation and reunification, stop blocking the free travel and contact between the north and south and the reunification movement of the patriotic figures in South Korea, the statement said.
Guyanese organizations for the study of the Juche idea including the Guyanese National Committee for the Study of the Juche Idea of Comrade Kim Il Sung in a joint statement on December 7 said that the South Korean authorities are challenging the demand of the times for the removal of the concrete wall by freezing the relations between the north and south and building higher political and judicial barriers to the reunification.
The statement strongly urged the U.S. and the South Korean authorities to immediately pull down the concrete wall which has kept Korea divided into the north and south for 20 years.
Letters sent to South Korea via Panmunjom
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- Jang Jae On, chairman of the central committee of the Red Cross Society of the DPRK, and the north headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification (Pomminryon) today sent letters to Jong Won Sik, president of the South Korean Red Cross, and the south headquarters of Pomminryon, via Panmunjom as regards medical treatment of Kim Yang Mu, permanent vice-chairman of the south headquarters, who has devoted himself to the patriotic cause of reunification.
In the letter, Jang Jae On recalled that a medical organ of the DPRK expressed its willingness to treat Kim Yang Mu, who is in a critical condition owing to a serious illness, as requested by him.
However, the South Korean red cross has not shown any positive response to our humanitarian and compatriotic measure even today when not a few days have passed, Jang Jae On said, and continued:
This is a very regrettable thing both in view of the spirit of the Red Cross which regards it as its basic mission to value and save human lives and from the viewpoint of national unity and reunification.
Now that his condition has worsened, I once again request your organisation to immediately take a measure so that a medical organ of our side can treat him at an early date.
I hope that your organisation will correctly hand the letter of the north headquarters of Pomminryon concerning his medical treatment to the south headquarters of Pomminryon and adopt necessary measures so that responsible officials of the south headquarters and the wife of the patient can meet us in Beijing.
In the letter, the north headquarters of Pomminryon said that, since hearing the news that Kim Yang Mu, who has put his heart and soul into achieving the unity of the entire nation and the reunification of the country, is suffering mental and physical pain caused by a serious illness, it has made every possible effort to help in his treatment.
However, the South Korean authorities have not yet taken any measure, the letter said, and continued:
Under these conditions we cannot leave the issue of his treatment only to the South Korean authorities for an indefinite period.
In this connection, we agree to your offer for holding a working-level contact and propose to meet in Beijing at the earliest date of this month for a debate on measures.
At the contact, our headquarters would like to discuss detailed measures for his treatment in Pyongyang and hand over invitations for those who are supposed to accompany the patient as additionally requested by your side.
We hope that, at the contact, both sides will also discuss such measures as a working plan of Pomminryon for the year 2000 concerning the struggle for the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from South Korea and the total abrogation of the "security law" including the national reunification movement and the issue of more powerfully pushing ahead with the project for erecting the monument to the three-point charter of national reunification as a nationwide work.
As three delegates of the north headquarters of Pomminryon including its vice-chairman are supposed to take part in the contact, we ask your headquarters to dispatch three responsible officials including its vice-chairman and the wife of Kim Yang Mu to the contact.
Uncle Sam's remarks under fire
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- The U.S. chairman of the joint chiefs of staff had a war confab with the South Korean authorities in Seoul in which he cried for operating "a round-the-clock communications channel" on the plea of "military threats" from the DPRK.
Rodong Sinmun today says his remarks are meant to set the date and time for the outbreak of a war against the DPRK.
The news analyst says:
His utterances prove once again that the U.S. claim that outbreak of war is a matter of time is not mere propaganda.
What remains to be done is find a pretext and set a date for the provocation of a war.
No doubt, the U.S. tries to unleash another Korean war.
It dares to test the potentials and will of the DPRK.
If it calculates that the Korean people will give themselves up, when hit by a few cruise missiles and bombs, it is seriously mistaken.
The U.S. aggressors may pounce upon the DPRK if they want a bitter defeat.
The DPRK is in full readiness to annihilate the aggressors to the last man.
Prelude to new repressive campaign
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- The South Korean chief executive at a recent "state council meeting" described a demonstration staged by members of at least 50 organizations including the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in Seoul on Dec. 10 as a "shocking violent demonstration", threatening that such "violent" demonstration would "never be tolerated."
Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary dismisses his remarks as an open threat to working people from all walks of life calling for democracy and the vital right and a prelude to a new repressive campaign.
The commentary goes on:
As far as rallies and demonstrations of the workers and other people in South Korea are concerned, they are of peaceful nature from A to Z as they are intended for democracy and the vital right. They have turned out in a struggle as they cannot remain idle any longer to starve to death, deprived of the means of living owing to the traitorous misrule of the rulers. This is just and an exercise of their inviolable right in any aspect.
The rulers, however, cracked down on the peaceful demonstration of the workers and other people at the point of bayonet with the mobilization of huge riot police. More than 200 people were wounded in a demonstration.
Such being the case, the South Korean chief executive threatened to mercilessly crack down upon the just struggle of the workers at the point of bayonet. This is as shameless an act as a murderer branding a victim as an assailant.
KCTU demonstration in S. Korea
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- Tan Pyong Ho, chairman of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and over a hundred other unionists reportedly staged a demonstration in protest against the announced results of the deceptive "investigation" made by the "special prosecution" in Seoul on Monday.
They denounced this as "the second clumsy operation to cover up" the fact that the prosecution has been systematically involved in the "high-quality clothes bribery case" and the "case of inducing the mint company trade union to strike", scandals of the ruling quarters.