DPRK joint New Year editorial hailed abroad
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- The joint New Year editorial of Rodong Sinmun, Joson Inmingun and Chongnyon Jonwi is fully supported by party leaders of different countries.
Eleazar Gutarra Maravi, chairman of the National Restoration Party of Peru, in a statement on January 5 fully supported the editorial, saying that what is most admirable in the content of the joint editorial is the idea of attaching importance to arms.
He noted that through the editorial, which declares the politics of attaching importance to the military as top priority of the nation, he could again realize Kim Jong Il's farsighted politics and strategic insight and ever-victorious stratagem as an outstanding commander.
Seeing socialism of Korea standing firm and turning into a powerful nation, I highly praise Marshal Kim Jong Il's army-first policy as the best policy, he said. He expressed full support to it.
P.K. Kodiyan, chairman of the All India Agricultural Trade Union, in a statement dated Jan. 6 supported the joint editorial which describes the New Year 2000 as a year of all-out forward march to make a decisive advance in building a powerful nation under the leadership of the Worker's Party of Korea.
He expressed belief that the heroic Korean people would make a great success in the New Year under the leadership of the WPK.
Meanwhile, the joint editorial was disseminated in Guyana and Uganda.
35th anniversary of Palestinian revolution commemorated
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- A meeting was held yesterday at the Chollima House of Culture to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the start of the Palestinian revolution.
Present at the meeting were Ri Song Ho, vice-chairman of the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and vice-chairman of the Korea-Palestine Friendship and Solidarity Committee, officials concerned and working people in the city.
Shaher Mohammed Abdlah, Palestinian ambassador to the DPRK, and an official of the embassy were invited.
The start of the revolution in Palestine on January 1, 35 years ago was a landmark event of epochal significance in the long-standing struggle for Palestine national liberation, ri song ho said, and went on:
Since the start of the revolution the Palestinian people have energetically fought to retake the national rights, rallied close around the Palestine liberation organization led by Yasser Arafat respected by the Palestinian people.
The Korean people reaffirm support for the Palestinian people in their just struggle to retake their legitimate national rights and will positively support their struggle for bringing earlier the day when the flag of the independent state of Palestine will flutter in the sky.
Shaher Mohammed Abdlah in his reply recalled that the President Kim Il Sung extended full support to the Palestinian Arab people in their struggle to retake their legitimate rights.
We will further tighten and upgrade the ties of friendship between the two peoples and two leaderships under the guidance of President Yasser Arafat and the great leader Kim Jong Il, he said.
He hoped that the friendly Korean people would surely realize national reunification and achieve progress and prosperity in all fields under the guidance of Kim Jong Il.
KCNA on reckless political gamble
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- The South Korean chief executive told a luncheon on January 7 that he "would establish a full security posture among other things this year" and that he instructed the "army to fully prepare for the north's possible action during the election."
His remarks betray the main purpose sought by the South Korean authorities in holding a "security meeting" from the beginning of the year.
Since their seizure of power the South Korean rulers have committed crimes against the reconciliation, unity and reunification of the nation in collusion with foreign forces, obsessed by personal luxury and glory and greed for power and disregarding the destiny of the country and nation and reunification.
Their anti-north diatribe is intended to cover up these criminal acts and go ahead with the policy of anti-north confrontation and war in the New Year, too.
Another important aim sought by them is to deliberately aggravate the situation and embroil the military in politics in a bid to "win" the "National Assembly election" this year.
The successive South Korean ruling quarters escalated tensions around "elections" and used the political and military situation on the Korean peninsula for scrambles for power. This was brought to light by such charades as the "north-wind case" and "firing case."
The present South Korean rulers, too, are deliberately aggravating north-south relations and hatching up new plots following the customary practice of the preceding dictators, while making a dogfight with the opposition parties over the "revision of the election law."
They are well advised to judge from the tragic end of the predecessors how adversely this reckless political gamble will affect the north-south relations as well as their political destiny.
Shameless jargon of murderer
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- The U.S. Army secretary recently flew into Seoul and cried that there would not be an investigation into all the killings of civilians in South Korea committed by the U.S. forces during the last Korean War and there was no case decisive enough to make compensation for the massacre in Rogun-ri.
Rodong Sinmun today denounces this in a commentary.
All the massacres committed by the U.S. aggression troops in South Korea were organized and premeditated crimes made on the order of their brass hats, the daily says, and goes on:
They are war crimes which cannot be justified in any case because they are part of moves to obliterate the Korean nation.
The U.S. killed at least a million people in the one year of the war alone.
Uncle Sam's jargon is the has the height of impudence.
The truth can neither be concealed nor be erased. It is the will of the Korean people to delve into the crimes of the U.S. who covered the land with blood and corpses of our fellow countrymen to the end and make them pay dear. The international law does not require applying of prescription to the war crimes.
The U.S. should clearly know that the more they try to conceal the crimes fully exposed to the world, the more they reveal their true colors as wicked aggressors and murderers.
U.S.-Japan military confab condemned
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- The director general of the Japan Defence Agency and U.S. brass hats had a confab in Washington some time ago in a bid to stifle the DPRK. Commenting on this, Rodong Sinmun today says:
At the confab they stressed the need for the U.S. and Japan to "unify their policies" toward the DPRK, asserting that it poses short-term "threat" to them and continues missile development.
This betrays the intention of the U.S. and Japan to continue their anti-DPRK moves conspiring with each other as in the past, so in the year 2000, too.
They regard the DPRK as an obstacle to carrying into practice their strategies of Asia and world domination. They seek to grip the Korean peninsula as a "dagger" with which to cut off a big piece of fat, that is Asia, as they please and, furthermore, put the whole world under their control. Hence, they are making so desperate efforts to swallow up the DPRK.
Such anti-DPRK moves at the beginning of the year compel us to keep ourselves on a high alert and increase our self-reliant defence capabilities. We will as ever give top priority to the military as the most important state affair.
If the enemies finally force a war upon us, we will deal our telling blow at the aggressors.
Jail sentence passed on pro-reunification figure denounced
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the central committee of the Korean Buddhist Federation yesterday released a statement condemning the South Korean authorities for sentencing to jail rev. Jin Kwan on charge of the violation of the "security law" for the mere reason that he dedicated himself to the cause of national reunification.
The South Korean authorities arrested and detained rev. Jin Kwan on charge of the violation of the "security law" after accusing him of spearheading the Aug. 15 reunification events as the leader of the reunification vanguard of the south promotion headquarters of the grand pan-national reunification festival and exchanging facsimile messages with the north in the course of steering the events.
Recently, they sentenced him to one year in jail and one year suspension of qualification.
The central committee of the Korean Buddhist Federation terms this action by the South Korean authorities a vicious challenge to the unanimous desire of all the compatriots and Buddhists for national reconciliation and reunification and strongly denounces it, the statement notes, and goes on:
The suppression of rev. Jin Kwan by the South Korean authorities clearly shows that the "reconciliation" and "cooperation" on their lips are nothing but a jargon and hypocrisy to cover up their anti-reunification and anti-national nature.
The present rulers of South Korea should properly judge the will of the Buddhists to see a reunified country without fail, a paradise of the century, in which the desire to get rid of pain and attain happiness comes true, and immediately halt the suppression harmful to national reunification and great national unity. They should also withdraw the prison sentence passed upon rev. Jin Kwan and release him without delay.
The statement expressed the belief that all the Buddhist orders and organizations in South Korea would take positive actions to expose and frustrate the fascist repression of the pro-reunification patriots by the South Korean authorities and get rev. Jin Kwan freed.
Another massacre of innocent people disclosed
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- It was disclosed that the South Korean navy in cooperation with police killed at least 200 innocent civilians in cold blood in Phohang, North Kyongsang Province, during the Korean War (1950-1953), according to a radio report from Seoul.
In early July, 1950 they arrested at least 200 civilians in Kyongju, Phohang and Yongdok areas and took them by three warships to the sea where they were shot to death and the dead bodies were thrown into waters.
Disclosing this fact, Nam Song Hwi, the then naval commander in Phohang area, who is now residing in New York, admitted that the people were killed without a trial and the execution order came from the "Minister of National Defense" and "Minister of Home Affairs" at that time.
U.S. urged to take proper attitude toward DPRK
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- Any positive change in the relations between the DPRK and the U.S. this year depends on the attitude and position of the U.S., says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article as regards the U.S. recent talks about "dialogue" and "lifting of sanctions against the DPRK" and "improvement of relations" with it. The U.S. i0 entirely responsible for the long-standing hostile, belligerent relations with the DPRK, the article says, and goes on:
The U.S. is the heinous aggressor for it has long been indulged in the aggression on Korea and the sworn enemy who has brought unspeakable misfortune and disaster to the Korean people.
If the U.S. has a true will to ease the tensions and guarantee peace on the Korean peninsula and is in a position to improve the relations with the DPRK, it can rectify its hostile policy toward Pyongyang.
First of all, it should neither peddle again such fictions as "nuclear suspicion" in the early 1990s and the "missile issue" at the end of the 90s nor use them as pretexts for escalating their moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK.
It should think twice that its adventurous war maneuvers against the DPRK may lead to the second Korean war that may quickly develop to be a new world war and its consequences would be disastrous.
What is important in making a switchover in the U.S. policy of aggression toward the DPRK is to get its troops withdrawn from South Korea.
The article urges the U.S. t0 comply with the DPRK's demand for building a new peace mechanism and fulfil its commitments, keenly aware of its duty and responsibility to find a solution to the Korean problem.
Nation's cultural heritage "Jejungsinphyon"
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- Korea has created and developed Koryo medicine from old times and boasts numerous cultural heritages of the nation.
One of them is "Jejungsinphyon" which was published 200 years ago.
Kang Myong Gil (1737-1800), a famous medical scientist in the 18th century, wrote it for nearly 20 years.
"Jejungsinphyon," a comprehensive medical manual, literally means a new medical book which brings man to life. This shows well the level of development of Koryo medicine at that time.
The book having 8 volumes deals with different fields of medicine in 70 categories under 600 subtitles. It concisely indicates more than 1,200 prescriptions and methods of treatment including the ways of examining a person's pulse and the nature of diseases.
The book also explains drugs for the readers' convenience.
Vol. 7, a part for the aged, deals with the health of the aged and treatment and prevention of diseases.
This proves that Korea attempted to develop geriatrics as an independent branch 200 years ago.
The book was widely distributed abroad and its original text is now preserved at the Grand People's Study House.
Thanks to the policy of the Worker's Party of Korea which values cultural heritages of the nation, the book was published in present-day Korean language in 1965 and 1980.
Talk about "priority to human rights" and "liberalization"
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article lays bare the reactionary and deceptive nature of "priority to human rights" and "liberalization" much touted by the imperialists these days.
The nature of the imperialists' loudmouthed "priority to human rights" and "liberalization" is reactionary in that it is aimed at justifying their interference in other's internal affairs and aggression, establishing an international order for plunder, a neo-colonialist international order, in a bid to realise their dream of world domination, the article observes, and goes on:
The imperialists seek to establish a neo-colonialist international order to justify their aggression and looting.
"Priority to human rights" and "liberalization" are to serve this purpose.
They badly needed ideological anesthetic, given that they could not invade and plunder other countries as wantonly as they did in the past colonial days.
Virulence of this reactionary anesthetic lies in that it attaches super-statehood to "human rights" and "liberty."
Its reactionary nature also finds its expression in that it is applied only to small independent countries.
The imperialists are urging those small and independent countries, with which they are not pleased and which can be held in contempt, to grant "human rights" and effect "liberalization."
They are trying to deceive developing countries, asserting that only when "priority is given to human rights" and "liberalization" is effected can "democracy" be guaranteed.
It was developing countries without exception that were directly hit by their "globalization" scheme.
"Globalization" serves as a basic way for the imperialists to build a neo-colonialist international order. They are working hard to realize "globalization" by painting it as "humanitarian."
The progressive people of the world are urged to clearly see through the true aims and deceptive nature of all sorts of unsound reactionary ideologies of imperialism and thoroughly frustrate them to realise their desire.
Kim Jong Il sends wreath to bier of So Tong Bom
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il sent a wreath to the bier of So Tong Bom, chairman of the central committee of the Korean Journalists Union, expressing deep condolences over his death.