Measure for treatment of ailing Kim Ryang Mu demanded
Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) -- Wife of Kim Ryang Mu, permanent vice-chairman of the south headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification (Pomminryon), demanded the authorities find out and punish those who brutally tortured her husband at the basement of the "Agency for National Security Planning" building in Hwajong-dong, Kwangju, in July 1997, according to a South Korean press report.
Kim wants to be treated in the north but the authorities have avoided an answer to it, she said, strongly demanding the authorities take a measure to enable him to receive medical treatment as he wishes.
Book off the press
Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) -- "Building of Socialist National Culture," the 16th volume of the library "the Immortal Revolutionary Feats of the Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung," was recently brought out by the Workers' Party of Korea Publishing House.
It deals with the exploits performed by President Kim Il Sung in building socialist national culture.
It consists of three parts, ten chapters and 40 sections.
Part 1 comprehensively and profoundly explains and proves the ideological and theoretical feats and greatness of the President who authored the Juche-based theory on building socialist national culture and systematized it in an integral way through his extraordinary wisdom and outstanding ideological and theoretical activities.
Part 2 expounds the great and wise leadership of the President who brought about radical changes in all sectors related to the building of socialist national culture including education, literature and art, science and public health in each period of the developing revolution and turned the DPRK into a country of brilliant culture.
Part 3 comprehensively explains the immortal feats performed by him in building socialist national culture through his clairvoyant foresight and energetic leadership as well as their historical significance in accomplishing the Korean people's cause of socialism and communism and the world revolutionary people's cause of independence.
Korea, China cooperate in hydropower
Beijing, December 18 (KCNA) -- A resolution of the 52nd meeting of the council of Korea-China Hydroelectric Power Company was signed in Beijing on Dec. 17.
It was signed by vice-minister of power and coal industries of the DPRK Han Kuk Sung who is director of the Korean side of the council and vice-general manager of the state electric corporation of China Zu Taefeng who is director of the Chinese side of the council.
Return of Macao to China hailed
Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) -- Today Macao is to be returned to China.
Rodong Sinmun today dedicates a signed article to this event. The return of Macao to China following Hong Kong's handover is a fruition of the protracted struggle of the Chinese people for the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and another shining victory of the independent and sovereign foreign policy of the Chinese party and government, the article notes, and goes on:
The Korean people are rejoiced at the fraternal Chinese people's restoration of sovereignty in Macao and warmly hail it.
The return of Macao to China once again clearly proves that foreign domination and subjugation can never last forever and it is an irresistible trend of history for the divided countries and nations to go in for reconciliation, unity and reunification.
Foreign domination over South Korea cannot last forever, either.
It is possible to put an end to the history of division and achieve national reunification if the entire Korean nation struggles, closely united under the banner of patriotism and reunification.
The return of Macao to China based on the conception of "one country, two systems" following the handover of Hong Kong eloquently testifies to the validity and practicality of the DPRK's proposal for achieving reunification by a confederal formula.
The separatists at home and abroad, however, are seeking permanent division of the country, dead-set against the DPRK's proposal for reunification by a confederal formula.
The Korean people sincerely hope that everything will go well in china after the return of Macao to it and wish the Chinese party, government and people greater success in their future struggle for the reunification of the whole country.
Greetings to Malaysian Foreign Minister
Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) -- DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun sent a message of greetings to Datuk Sri Syed Hamid Albar upon his reappointment as Foreign Minister of Malaysia.
Expressing the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries will further develop in mutual interests of the two peoples, the message wished him greater success in his responsible work.
1999 marked by ever stronger desire for reunification
Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) -- This year has been marked by ever stronger desire for the reunification of Korea in the north, south and overseas.
The joint meeting of the DPRK government, political parties and organizations which was held in Pyongyang in February set this year as a "year for national independence and great unity" and discussed measures to open a new phase of national reunification.
Political parties and organizations in the north, south and overseas fully supported and approved the joint meeting and expressed a strong will to open a turning phase of national .
According to the information bulletin, the South Korean rulers recently set up a mechanism tasked to manipulate all the press organs.at the "intelligence service."
It printed copies of such smear articles as "notes on experience" in the name of criminals and human scum who defected to the south from the north. And they are distributed to three provinces in northeast china and overseas areas to intensify the anti-DPRK campaign.
This evidently proves that the present rulers of South Korea are anti-national elements seeking confrontation with the north more viciously than their predecessors, the bulletin says, and goes on:
Their frantic anti-DPRK smear campaign is intended to get out of the serious ruling crisis and put down the growing yearning of South Korean students and people for the DPRK.
We will never allow in any case such moves as disparaging our dignity and system and launching smear campaigns.
If the groups of the present South Korean "people's government" continue the vicious anti-north smear campaign to incite tensions and confrontation between the north and the south, they will be held entirely responsible for all the ensuing consequences.
The South Korean rulers should be mindful that their more vicious anti-DPRK moves will only invite bitterer denunciation at home and abroad and accelerate their doom.
Army-first revolutionary leadership praised
Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) -- Candidate academician of Russian history Vladimir Tolstikov, chairman of the Russian Association for Friendship and Cultural Cooperation with the DPRK, issued an article titled "Great Politics Ensuring Victory of Socialism."
He wrote in the article that the army-first revolutionary leadership that originated from Korea is the most outstanding and greatest political philosophy and political mode in this century.
He continued:
The main source of indestructible and invincible Korean-style socialism lies in that it is based on the Juche idea which calls for giving prominence to the popular masses as master and relying on their inexhaustible strength. the army-first politics is the very political mode that makes it possible to successfully meet the requirements of the Juche idea.
It was Kim Jong Il, a great architect of the army-first politics, who saved socialist Korea when it stood at the crossroads of rise or fall due to the imperialist allied forces' encirclement, blockade, threat and provocations and natural calamities which resulted in serious economic difficulties and an acute food shortage.
It was again he who steered it to stand high in the world as an invincible fortress.
In Korea misfortune turned into a blessing, and adversity into favourable conditions thanks to the army-first politics of Kim Jong Il.
The army-first politics based on the profound army-first philosophy, the revolutionary philosophy, is a most effective political mode which makes it possible to look after the destiny of the people to the last in a responsible manner and it is of universal significance as it is in full line not only with the specific conditions of Korea but with the demands of our times and the law governing the accomplishment of the socialist cause.
It is necessary to understand that Kim Jong Il's army-first politics is not simply aimed to defend the country from the imperialist invasion by increasing the national power.
This politics sets it as a goal to make the country strong and prosperous and increase the national power in all aspects and let people enjoy happiness and comprehensively indicates effective ways of attaining it.
Herein lie its tremendous vitality and its great attraction, concluded the article.
Consequences of natural disasters in Korea
Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) -- Years of abnormal climatic conditions in Korea have seriously affected its national economy as a whole.
In particular, the agricultural domain has suffered from serious damage, which makes the food problem difficult.
From the beginning of the year, all the people and the entire army have been mobilized for farming to settle the food problem. However, the country was hard hit by drought occured from January to May, heat and cold weather in June and July and downpour and typhoon in late July and early August which seriously affected the growth of crops.
So, crops could not sturdily grow in summer, and in autumn, too, they were affected by the damp heat accompanied by humidity and cold weather. As a result, all domains of agriculture failed to reap estimated yields of crops as a whole.
Natural disasters have hindered production and construction in different sectors of the national economy.
This year large hydraulic power stations and hundreds of minor hydraulic power stations could not keep electricity production going as the country had little rain.
Consequently, the supply of electricity is not properly made for production, construction and people's living. Thermal power plants are not operating their generators at full capacity owing to the shortage of coal.
In the coal industrial domain, at least 30 large coal mines were totally inundated and some 180 pits submerged last year owing to the natural disasters. And over 1,000 compressors, pumps and other coal mining equipment were damaged.
When these consequences were not totally eradicated the country was hit by downpours in late July and early August.
As a result, coal production was decreased and business activities of power and all other industrial domains are seriously affected.
Abnormal climatic conditions are seriously affecting mines, forestry, railway transport, land and environment protection and other domains.
Though natural disasters are serious and the food problem remains difficult, the Korean people are making every possible effort to clear away their aftereffects under the revolutionary slogan "Let's always be cheerful though our path is thorny "