Floral basket to Kim Jong Il from Palestinian President
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a floral basket from Yasser Arafat, President of the State of Palestine, on the New Year, Juche 89 (2000).
The floral basket was handed to an official concerned by Shaher Mohammed Abdlah, Palestinian Ambassador E.P. to Korea, yesterday.
New committee for unconverted long-term prisoners formed
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- 30 human rights, religious and social organizations including the Family Movement for Realizing Democracy, the Citizens' Solidarity for Democratic Society and the Catholic Human Rights Committee reportedly formed the Committee for the Promotion of the Repatriation of the Unconverted Long-Term Prisoners in Seoul on Dec. 27.
The organizations at an inaugural ceremony said: Ringing in the New Year, we have the national task to overcome the barrier of division. Especially, the issue of the repatriation of the unconverted long-term prisoners is a task which should be carried out without fail and the Committee for the Promotion of the Unconverted Long-Term Prisoners has been formed to this end.
The organizations decided to make arrangements for a visit to the north, hold various seminars and intensify international solidarity activities to promote the repatriation in the future.
Friendly meeting with Cuban embassy officials held
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- A friendly meeting was held at the Taedonggang club for the diplomatic corps yesterday under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the victory in the Cuban revolution.
Present on invitation were Jose Manuel Inclan Embade, Cuban ambassador to Korea, and embassy officials.
Pak Kil Yon, vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, and other officials concerned were present there.
The participants had a variety of amusement games and talked with each other in a friendly atmosphere.
Confab aimed at bridging over crisis
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- The present chief executive of South Korea on December 27 requested Chun Doo Hwan, Roh Tae Woo and other former "president" to support the present regime in the grip of political crisis, according to a radio report from Seoul.
He said the present political situation is so ominous that he felt sorry for the people and asked the former "presidents" to help in bridging over the crisis.
Earlier, he stated at an "emergency meeting of chief secretaries of 'Chongwadae'" that the political stability is "most important in promoting the north policy" and goaded his underlings into saving the crisis.
Wretched is the position of the present South Korean chief executive who cannot but ask for a help from former rulers while engrossing himself in consolidating his foundation for the "general election" slated for next spring.
War exercise to be staged in S. Korea
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- The marine corps of the "ROK" army is reportedly scheming to stage another war exercise on the east coast of Phohang, North Kyongsang Province.
While clamoring about somebody's "surprise marine infiltration," the South Korean authorities claimed that the exercise to be staged under the simulated conditions of "marine infiltration" by the "enemy's" commando unit would involve "intensive firing at infiltrators and encircling operation."
This indicates that the South Korean warmongers are getting more frantic in their anti-north moves with the New Year just at hand.
U.S. systematic aerial espionage against DPRK disclosed
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- "U.S. attitude towards North Korea," a report worked out by the East Asia section of the U.S. State Department in 1972 was reportedly declassified at the U.S. national archives to disclose that right after the "Pueblo" incident, the U.S. flew spy and reconnaissance planes over Korea on an extensive scale.
According to the report, the U.S. flew its reconnaissance planes over North Korea as part of the operation "black shield" from January 24, 1968, the day after the incident, and flew a strategic reconnaissance plane "SR-71" under the plan "large scale."
This irrefutably proves that the U.S. has ceaselessly committed aerial espionage against the DPRK in wanton violation of the Armistice Agreement.
Commemorations held abroad
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- Meetings were held in Tanzania, India and Czech from Dec. 18 to 22 to mark the 8th anniversary of the great leader Kim Jong Il's election as Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and the 82nd birth anniversary of Kim Jong Suk.
Speeches were made at the meetings.
The chairman of the Tanzania-DPRK Friendship Association noted that Marshal Kim Jong Il, a faithful successor to the President Kim Il Sung's revolutionary cause of Juche, has successfully pushed forward the buildup of revolutionary armed forces and socialist construction by providing the army-first leadership.
Kim Jong Suk was an ardent revolutionary fighter who devoted herself to the Korean liberation and people's happiness, he added.
The chairman of the Mt. Paektu Czech-Korea Friendship Association said that today the Korean people are waging a vigorous struggle to reunify the divided country, adding that all the Koreans in the north, south and abroad are joining in the grand march for the reunification of the country upholding the idea of the great unity of the entire nation set out by Kim Jong Il.
Messages of greetings to Kim Jong Il were adopted at the meetings.
Meanwhile, film shows were held in Bulgaria, Tajikistan, China, Indonesia, Egypt and Uzbekistan on the same occasions.
Among the Korean films shown there were "the Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il Guides Work in Various Fields." "the 60th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Heroic Korean People's Army."
And V.K.Dugal, headmaster of the Sumafield School in India, released a statement on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's election as Supreme Commander of the KPA.
Japanese government urged to make official apology
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- The Democratic Party of Japan on Dec. 24 made an outline of policy for urging the government to make an official apology over the issue of the "comfort women for the army" and pay funds to the victims, according to Tokyo Shimbun of Japan.
The outline said that the "comfort women for the army" suffered an organized and ceaseless sexual abuses by the former Japanese army.
It urged the government to take immediate measures including expression of apology and financial payment.
Demolition of concrete wall demanded
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- Papers here today carry articles demanding the demolition of the concrete wall, a symbol of the division of the Korean nation.
The concrete wall built by the South Korean military fascist dictators in the 1970s in the area south of the Military Demarcation Line to divide Korea into two artificially is a symbol of the division of the Korean nation and the confrontation between the north and the south.
The wall stretching over 240 km from the east to the west is a military structure of 5 or 8 metres high, 10 or 19 metres wide at its bottom and 3 or 7 metres wide on its top.
It was designed in such a way as to make its northern side vertical and its southern side little sloping so that it might be favorable for military operations against the north.
It is a national tragedy and shame of the Korean nation to have the wall of division in its territory, Rodong Sinmun says in an article, and goes on:
This wall has prevented even wild animals from freely moving between the north and the south, to say nothing of fellow countrymen, and blocked reunification and seriously damaged the natural ecological environment.
Free come-and-go, full opening and the improved relations between the north and the south are impossible as long as there exists the concrete wall.
Noting that the attitude towards the demolition of the concrete wall is a touchstone that distinguishes those who really want the national reunification from the separatists, Minju Joson says in an article that if the South Korean authorities want the country to be reunified and have the will to achieve national reconciliation and unity, they should tear down the concrete wall at once.
National landscape exhibition
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- A national landscape exhibition is now under way at the Korean Art Gallery.
Displayed at the exhibition are at least 320 landscapes (Korean painting, oil painting, graphic painting, embroideries, handicrafts and jewel painting) depicting historic sites and scenic spots associated with revolutionary activities and leadership exploits of the three commanders of Mt. Paektu, and new appearance of cities and mountain villages.
Korean paintings "Spring of Mangyongdae", "Peak of Mt. Paektu, the Holy Land Praising the Great Men and Woman" and "Native Home in Hoeryong in Spring" and other landscapes are based on pointillism and one brush stroke method, unique Korean painting techniques.
They reflect people's best wishes for the President Kim Il Sung's immortality and their longing for Kim Jong Suk and their reverence for the great leader Kim Jong Il.
Various works including oil paintings "New History of the Soil Kangwon Province" and "Moonlight At Fish Farm" truthfully depict evening landscape of mountains and streams and rural villages whose appearance has changed beyond recognition.
An ornamental embroidery done with golden and silver threads "Native Home In the Secret Camp On Snow-covered Mt. Paektu" and a frontage embroidery "Frost Works On Chol Ridge" catch eyes of visitors for their unique techniques.
There are also works portraying picturesque sites at east and west coasts and landscapes of seaside villages.
Kaesong Koryo Insam liquor
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- As an old brand, this liquor is well known as an "elixir of life". Distilled by traditional methods, it has different vintages such as Insam liquor, Samno liquor, Insam vodka and Songak vodka. It won several gold medals and diplomas at international commodity fairs in Germany, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia.
Vast land turns into standardized fields
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- A vast expanse of land has been repartitioned into standardized fields in the DPRK.
Kangwon Province set an example in this. It rezoned tens of thousands of hectares of fields into standardized ones to successfully carry out the comprehensive mechanization of farming.
For example, the second work-team of the Ranjong co-operative farm in Kosan county had more than 800 patches.
Land rezoning turned them into 36 standardized fields and brought nearly 2 hectares of land under cultivation.
In the past there were only patches, each covering 30-40 Phyong (1 Phyong equals six square feet) and there was neither road nor irrigation and drainage systems to speak of in the province.
After land rezoning odd 2,680 irrigation and drainage systems have been set up in the arable land and roads stretch in the fields with an interval of 500 metres in favour of mechanization.
The province finished the land rezoning in a matter of a few months though it was hard pressed for everything including machines and fuel.
Credit for this great change goes to the energetic leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
He visited the province to guide its land rezoning and elaborated on the orientation and ways of finishing the project at the earliest possible date. He said that the land rezoning was important not merely in solving the food problem of the province but also in setting an example and generalizing it throughout the country.
Even after the project was finished, he visited its fields several times and took a measure of sending there modern farm machines and materials so that the rezoned land could pay off in farming.
North Phyongan Province, too, is undertaking land rezoning on a full scale.
The province, drawing on the experience gained by Kangwon Province in land rezoning, has readjusted a large area of cultivated fields into standardized ones in the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and fortitude.
Greetings to President of Niger
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, yesterday sent a message of greetings to Tandja Mamadou on the assumption of office as President of Niger.
The message wished the President success in his responsible work for the stability and prosperity of the country and expressed the belief that the friendly relations between the two countries would continue to develop.
Japanese detained for espionage against DPRK
Pyongyang, December 29 (KCNA) -- The Korean Central News Agency, upon authorization, today issued a report about the detainment of a Japanese Takashi Sugishima for his espionage in violation of the law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The report reads:
On November 30, 1999, a researcher of the Japan Market Economy Institute Takashi Sugishima, 60, who came to the DPRK in the capacity of a delegation member, committed espionage in violation of the law of the DPRK.
For this he was detained by a relevant organ of the DPRK on December 4.
The investigation that has so far been conducted proved that he conducted such espionage as gathering information on matters of the party, state and military secrets of the DPRK, relations between the DPRK and the U.S., between the DPRK and Japan and other secret materials related to the DPRK's foreign policy.
He confessed that he has long been given a task and money by the relevant specialized organs of Japan and South Korea to conduct espionage against the DPRK.
He also confessed that for such espionage he collected information by use of a portable tape recorder and camera and other devices.
According to the results of the investigation into his case, it has been proved by material evidence that he has long conducted espionage against the DPRK, in conspiracy with the official intelligence services of Japan and South Korea.
The investigation continues.