Greetings to Kim Jong Il from ITF president
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il on Jan. 1 received a congratulatory message from Choe Hong Hui, president of the International Taekwon-do Federation, on the occasion of the New Year Juche 89 (2000).
In the message choe expressed the warmest congratulations to Kim Jong Il on behalf of the 50 million Taekwon-do players all over the world.
Noting that the respected Marshal is the destiny and future of the motherland and glory of all victories, he said that he feels the greatest honor and happiness in enjoying the worthwhile life of his remaining days under the Marshal's trust and benevolent love.
The message said:
I will always remember the honor and happiness of being warmly embraced by you 20 years ago and invariably trust and follow you with transparent conscience, entrusting my destiny to you.
I will build up the ranks of the ITF and increase the number of orthodox Taekwon-do players so as to actualize the pledge to contribute to the cause of national reunification with Taekwon-do I made to the President Kim Il Sung and you.
Unconverted long-term prisoners hope for repatriation
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- Unconverted long-term prisoners in South Korea are reportedly hoping for their repatriation to the north.
At least 40 unconverted long-term prisoners expressed their hope for return to the DPRK, according to the Family Movement for Realizing Democracy (FMRD).
Saying there could be still more unconverted long-term prisoners wanting to be repatriated though they have not yet expressed their will, Nam Kyu Son, director of the FMRD, declared that it would make energetic efforts for their repatriation.
Public security servicemen vow to defend class position
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- Servicemen of the Ministry of Public Security met on Thursday to vow to make a giant leap in their work of ensuring public security and safeguarding people in hearty response to the tasks set forth in the joint New Year editorial.
A reporter and speakers at the meeting stressed the need to reliably ensure by law the struggle of the people who have turned out in the general advance for the building of a powerful nation under the leadership of the great Kim Jong Il, holding fast to the line of attaching great importance to ideology, the military and science and technology.
They recalled that it is an important duty of public security institutions to firmly defend the class position of socialism.
They expressed the determination to prevent the imperialists' ideological and cultural poisoning with the steadfast class stand and staunch anti-imperialist fighting spirit, keep them from invading the class position of the DPRK even 0.001 mm, and build the DPRK into an invincible fortress of socialism.
Friendly meeting with foreigners
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- The DPRK Foreign Ministry on Thursday hosted a friendly meeting with members of the diplomatic corps and missions of international organizations here on the occasion of the New Year.
Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun in his speech said happy New Year to the participants and expressed the belief that the New Year would be a free and peaceful year when threats of aggression and war are removed and stability, harmony, equality and serenity are ensured all over the planet by joint efforts of the world people advocating independence.
Hoping that the world progressives would unsparingly extend support to the Korean people's just cause this year, too, he wished those diplomatic envoys and friends of different countries greater successes in their work for the development of the friendly and cooperative relations with the Korean people.
Palestinian ambassador Shaher Mohammed Abdlah, doyen of the diplomatic corps, hoped that the Korean people would register creation, progress and victories in all fields under the wise and seasoned leadership of the great Kim Jong Il this year.
He wholeheartedly wished Kim Jong Il a long life in good health.
A performance of artistes was given at the meeting.
Commemorative coins of Jong Song Ok to be issued
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- Commemorative coins "marathon champion Jong Song Ok" are to be issued in the DPRK.
A decree of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK on the issue of coins was made public on Jan. 5.
Jong Song Ok took the first place in the women's marathon race of the 7th World Athletics Championships last year, demonstrating the honor of Juche Korea.
The coins will be issued in gold and silver.
Jong Song Ok in her sportswear is brought into bold relief in the front center of the gold coin and letters "women's marathon champion Jong Song Ok" and "7th World Athletics Championships Sevilla 1999" and the value of the coin are inscribed around it in English.
The DPRK national emblem is inscribed in the center of the reverse side and letters "Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" and the purity, weight and year of the issue of the coin in upper part and bottom.
The silver coin is the same with the gold in picture.
The diameter of the pure gold coin is 35 mm while the pure silver coin is 40 mm.
S. Korean rulers massacre political prisoners
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- It has been recently disclosed that the "ROK" army and police shot to death in groups 1,800 political prisoners who were imprisoned in the Taejon prison of South Chungchong Province in July, 1950, Seoul-based radio no. 1 reported.
Two declassified papers carrying such atrocities were included in the secret documents related to the Korean War kept at the U.S. national archives. They were worked out by Edward of the U.S. embassy in South Korea at that time.
They said the atrocities were committed on the "order of the uppermost echelons" of the South Korean "government" in those days.
This fact is part of the massacres of political prisoners committed by the U.S. and the South Korean rulers on the eve of the Taejon liberation operation launched by the Korean People's Army.
Great importance to national defence called for
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- Negligence of national defence would lead socialism to collapse and invite imperialist slavery, but attaching great importance to it would make it possible to lead an independent life as the defender of socialism, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
Noting that the cause of socialism is achieved and defended by force of arms, the article continues:
It is necessary to increase defence capacity in every way, while building up the political and economic potentials strong enough to defend socialism. This will provide most powerful strength to smash the enemy's anti-socialist campaign and the most correct way to do so.
There should be an army true to the cause of socialism, that is armed forces powerful enough to foil the anti-socialist moves of all the class enemies at home and abroad and the imperialists, as well as the self-reliant national defence industry.
It will not be possible to defend socialism if people lack faith in it, even if they have a powerful army and national defence industry.
Ideologically weak armed forces are worse than a stick and the army which is not true to the cause of socialism can not defend it.
Begging the enemy for something and making concession to him are a taboo in defending socialism.
It can be defended only by strength.
But for the invincible people's army, the unconquerable fortress of Korean-style socialism, and the most powerful national defence industry, more than ten wars of aggression would have been provoked by the imperialists on the Korean peninsula and our socialism could not have been defended.
In that case it would not have been possible for us to have such a high pride, self-esteem and national dignity in winning victory after victory in the confrontation with imperialism, unaided.
The most correct way of protecting socialism is to attach great importance to the national defence.
Anti-reunification utterance of S. Korean chief executive
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- The South Korean chief executive was recently reported to have let loose a spate of remarks intended to turn aside from the issue of reunification, while being skeptical about it.
He said at an interview with Asahi Shimbun of Japan that "he would leave the issue of reunification to his successors as one to be solved in future" in the wake of his meeting with the head of the social democratic party of Japan at which he asserted "making haste for reunification is not good for both the north and the south."
He repeated only "peaceful coexistence" and "exchange," arguing "now minus aspect of reunification is bigger than its plus one" and "a sudden reunification would create great mental difficulties."
Those remarks of the South Korean chief executive are nothing but anti-national, anti-reunification outbursts pouring cold water on the nation's ardent desire for reunification.
The reunification is a historic task pending a most urgent fulfillment. This alone provides the only way out and will bring prosperity to the Korean nation.
That was why we appealed to all the people to make this year, the 55th anniversary of the country's liberation, a year of a new historic turn in the struggle for the national reunification.
It was against this backdrop that the South Korean chief executive talked about the principle governing the relations between countries called "peaceful coexistence," describing the national reunification as an issue to be handled in distant future. This cannot be construed otherwise than an attempt to perpetuate the national division and have it universally recognized.
The South Korean chief executive once professed to be a "president for reunification" after winning political clout through his oft-repeated talk about the urgency of the national reunification. However, his recent behaviour clearly proves how craftily he has deceived the people and mocked at the national desire for reunification.
If he has true national conscience and political faith, he should frankly clarify why he has turned aside from the issue of national reunification, the most urgent historic task for the Korean nation.
The Korean nation will never pardon the flunkeyist and traitorous forces for their anti-national, anti-reunification moves to prolong their remaining days in reliance upon the foreign forces who wish the permanent division of Korea, clean indifferent to its reunification, the call of history.
Solidarity with Korean people called for
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- The Asian Regional Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification made public an appeal to progressive political parties and public organizations of the world on January 2 in support of the joint editorial of Rodong Sinmun, Joson Inmingun and Chongnyon Jonwi headlined "glorify this year, the WPK's 55th anniversary, with signal victory in the crucible of greatly increased activity of Chollima "
The appeal expressed full support for the joint editorial calling for highly displaying the stamina of socialist Korea this year on which falls the 55th anniversary of the Worker's Party of Korea.
It fully supported the joint editorial on achieving the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea by means of founding the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo on the basis of the three principles of national reunification and the ten-point program of the great unity of the whole nation, and expressed the belief that Korea is sure to be reunified.
The Asian Regional Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification calls upon personages of the progressive political parties and public organizations all over the world who love peace and justice to extend firm solidarity to the people of the DPRK in the struggle to glorify this year greeting the 55th anniversary of the WPK as a year of proud victory and fully discharge their honorable internationalist duty for human cause of independence and socialism under the uplifted revolutionary banner of independence against imperialism, the appeal said.
U.S. policy toward DPRK condemned
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- A resolution condemning the U.S. policy toward the DPRK was adopted at a meeting of the national council of the Nepal Communist Party (United Marxist-Leninist) on Dec. 25 last year.
The resolution on international affairs called for a lifting of U.S. sanctions and blockade against the DPRK.
Movement for national reunification
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today carries a signed article on the immortal exploits performed by General Secretary Kim Jong Il in the history of the movement for national reunification.
Kim Jong Il, the lodestar of national reunification who is carrying forward the President Kim Il Sung's cause of national reunification and leading it to victory, has performed great immortal exploits in the history of the movement for national reunification, the paper says, and goes on:
He has absolutely defended the idea and policies of the President for national reunification and formulated them, giving important guidelines for accomplishing the cause of reunification and a precious sword of victory to our nation.
He published the famous work "Let Us Resolutely Struggle To Carry Through the Three Principles of National Reunification," prescribing the three principles of national reunification -- independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity -- laid down by the President as the justest program of reunification and the charter of reunification common to the nation.
Thanks to his energetic ideological and theoretical activities, the Korean nation's movement for reunification entered a new road of development and the moves of the anti-reunification forces inside and outside to deny the three principles of national reunification were frustrated.
He, in the famous works "Let Us Carry Out the Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung's Instructions For National Reunification" and "Let Us Reunify the Country Independently and Peacefully Through the Great Unity of the Entire Nation", formulated the three principles of national reunification, the proposal for founding the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo and the 10-point program of the great unity of the whole nation put forward by the President as the three-point charter of national reunification, and advanced the five-point policy of great national unity.
He provided the Korean nation with the immortal program of national reunification and has led the grand march of the nation for reunification to victory with his energetic leadership, which is one of the great exploits performed by him in the history of the movement for reunification.
He is the recognized great master of leadership who wisely leads the movement of the Korean nation for national reunification with his brilliant wisdom, scientific insight, patriotic all-embracing politics and benevolent politics.
The successful 20d world meeting for the reunification of Korea, the formation and development of the national alliance for the country's reunification and the successful opening of ten rounds of the pan national rallies could hardly be thinkable were it not for his outstanding and tested leadership.
His great immortal exploits in the history of the movement for national reunification will shine long with the history of the nation.
Spokesman of DPRK FM on sovereignty over Panama Canal
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry today answered the question put by KCNA regarding Panama's recent restoration of sovereignty over Panama Canal from the U.S.
Noting that Panama completely restored the sovereignty over Panama Canal which has been under the U.S. control for almost a century and got the U.S. troops withdrawn from the canal zone on December 31 last year, the spokesman continued:
This is a historic victory the Panamanian people have achieved in the protracted struggle to defend the sovereignty of the country and national dignity and, at the same time, a common victory won by the peoples in Latin America and the rest of the world in the struggle against all forms of dominationism.
Recalling that the Panamanian government manifested its strong position to reject any foreign troops' intervention in the canal in future, he expressed support for and solidarity with the principled stand of the Panamanian people to defend the sovereignty of the canal.
The Korean people have carried on a staunch struggle against the U.S. forces' presence in South Korea that has lasted for over 50 years, he noted, and continued:
Even today, when humankind greeted a new millennium with expectation and hope for independence and peace, our people are suffering misfortune and pain resulting from the more than half century-long territorial partition and national division. Its root cause is none other than the U.S. forces' presence in South Korea.
The United States should properly judge the trend of the times and withdraw its troops from South Korea without delay as it did in Panama.
DPRK FM spokesman on settled Indian airliner hijacking
Pyongyang, January 7 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK today answered a question put by KCNA as regards the recently settled Indian airliner hijacking.
It is fortunate that the incident ended without any big human loss, he said, and continued:
As we have already repeatedly stated, we are opposed to all forms of terrorism, including hijacking.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, a dignified UN member nation, will, in the future, too, stick to the invariable position on not allowing terrorism of all forms and any aid to it.