Overseas Koreans' preparatory committees inaugurated
Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- A preparatory committee of the United Federation of Koreans in Russia was inaugurated on January 8 to celebrate the 58th birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
A preparatory committee of the United Federation of Koreans in Ukraine was formed on Jan. 5.
The preparatory committees decided to hold different events to celebrate Kim Jong Il's birthday as the greatest auspicious holiday of the nation, a grand festival common to humankind.
Work of preserving Juche character and national character
Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- Korea will render greater depth to the work of preserving the Juche character and national character of the revolution and construction this year.
Maintaining the Juche character means that the popular masses shape the destiny of their country and nation independently and creatively as the masters of their destiny. Sustaining the national character means preserving and developing the good qualities of the nation and embodying them in all spheres of social life.
It is the consistent position of the Worker's Party of Korea to establish Juche and sustain the national character in the revolution and construction.
The joint New Year editorial of the newspapers of the party, army and youth calls for living our own way and pushing ahead with socialist construction in the Korean-nation-first spirit that our leader, our party and our nation are best and our socialist system is best whatever others may say.
In response to the editorial, the Korean people and army are now firmly defending the political system and economic structure of Korean style and Korean way of life, smashing the imperialists' moves for "globalization" with a stiff attitude toward their policy of strength and with the revolutionary principle to react to their carrot strategy. It is the President Kim Il Sung's mode of making revolution to work out and embody lines and policies in keeping with the requirements and specific conditions of the Korean revolution, rejecting flunkeyism and dogmatism.
He set forth the line of the anti-Japanese armed struggle, the line of the party building, the line of building armed forces, the line of building people's government, the line of socialist construction, the line of building self-supporting national economy and other Juche-based lines and policies in all fields and led the Korean revolution along the road of victory. The "10-point program of the great unity of the whole nation for the reunification of the country" advanced by him is based on love for the country and the spirit of national independence to achieve national reunification with the united strength of the nation.
The great leader Kim Jong Il in his works, including "Socialism Is A Science" and "On Preserving the Juche Character and National Character of the Revolution and Construction", clarified that the Juche character and the national character are the life and soul of the Korean revolution and he is defending the sovereignty of the nation.
The Korean people are now waging a dynamic drive to bring about a new turning point in all political, economic, military, educational, public health, literary and art and sports fields, so as to preserve the Juche character and the national character in all sectors of the revolution and construction.
They are also giving full play to the good national character in spoken and written language, morality and cultural life and entertainment.
Arms buildup in S. Korea
Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- The South Korean warmongers are reportedly seeking to possess large landing craft which can be rebuilt as a light aircraft carrier in an "emergency."
They announced that they would purchase the landing craft carrying forces about 700 strong and 10 helicopters at the estimated cost of more than 400 billion won to drastically increase the capacity of landing operation.
This betrays the bellicose nature of the South Korean authorities who are beefing up armed forces of aggression against the desire of the fellow countrymen.
Unconditional repatriation of unconverted long-term prisoners demanded
Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- The Committee for the Promotion of the Repatriation of Unconverted Long-Term Prisoners demanded the unconditional repatriation of unconverted long-term prisoners to their hometowns at a meeting of representatives held at the Catholic hall on January 18, according to a report from Seoul.
Noting that it is quite natural from the viewpoint of human rights to repatriate unconverted long-term prisoners, including Kim In So, Kim Yong Thae and Ham Se Hwan, to their hometowns, the organization declared that it would undertake a broad-based signature campaign demanding their unconditional repatriation.
S. Korean rulers' arms buildup
Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary rails against the frantic moves of the South Korean rulers for arms buildup.
The commentary says:
The "Ministry of National Defence" of South Korea recently announced a plan for military spending for 2000.
According to this plan, the South Korean warmongers are to ship into South Korea 100 units of "Harpy," an unmanned attacker, from a foreign country this year and deploy them for action, and to introduce different types of offensive missiles, submarines and large-sized transport ships.
This plan of the South Korean rulers is to further increase their capabilities to undertake attack and operations against the north and thus make a preemptive strike against it.
Drawing attention to the fact that the South Korean warmongers have become ever more reckless in their moves for confrontation and war against the north from the outset of the year, the commentary continues:
Raising a hue and cry over the non-existent "provocation" and "threat" from the north, the warmongers are creating a warlike atmosphere.
The aim sought by them in this madcap arms buildup is to do harm to their fellow countrymen in collusion with foreign forces.
The South Korean warmongers' escalating moves for a war against the north from the onset of the year once again lay bare their true colors as traitors to the nation and fratricidal war agitators.
Their anti-national moves for confrontation and war will only hasten their self-destruction.
Truth of "Panmunjom incident" brought to light
Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- It was reportedly disclosed that the "Panmunjom incident" sparked by the U.S. on August 18, 1976, was a provocation designed to unleash a war against the DPRK.
A U.S. organization disclosed the recently declassified document called "minutes of Washington Special Measure Team." According to it, no sooner had the reckless attempt of the U.S. to chop a tree that day ended in a failure by the counter-action of soldiers of the Korean People's Army than they held a "meeting of special measure team" in the white house and hatched a plot to put pressure on the DPRK and use armed forces against it.
At the meeting the then U.S. State Secretary Kissinger said that he considered the plan for chopping the tree desirable, revealing his sinister scheme to lead the incident to the provocation of a war.
The meeting was presided over by Kissinger and attended by those concerned of the State Department, the Defense Department, the joint chiefs of staff, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council.
Examined there were steps including a real bombing drill of "B-52" bombers, seizure of DPRK's fishing boats and merchant ships, launching of missiles into the coasts of the DPRK and start of South Korea-U.S. joint war maneuvers.
The recent disclosure of the steps taken by the U.S.'s in connection with the "Panmunjom incident" provided an undeniable testimony to the fact that the incident was orchestrated on their script for a war of aggression.
Wallpaper praising Kim Jong Il displayed in S. Korea
Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- A wallpaper praising General Secretary Kim Jong Il was pasted on the concrete wall built across the central sector of the front, Seoul-based radio Voice of National Salvation quoted the Kangwon provincial committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea as saying.
Written in the wallpaper which was pasted under cover of darkness at the dawn of December 29 last year in the name of the patriotic soldiers society were the letters reading:
"Officers and men of the 'ROK' Army. This is the day the concrete wall was built 20 years ago.
We cannot remain any longer guards of the concrete wall, a symbol of national division and confrontation.
Let all of us pool our efforts and resourcefulness to blow up the concrete wall, a disgrace of the nation, and build a country under the guidance of Marshal Kim Jong Il where the north and south will be one."
Military provocation at Panmunjom
Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- The "ROK" Army committed another military provocation in a bid to deliberately aggravate the situation at Panmunjom on January 18, military sources said.
That day they introduced heavy weapons to two posts under cover of darkness. And soldiers on duty at a post made very threatening and vulgar outcries against soldiers of the Korean People's Army on duty at a post 50 metres from it.
On Jan. 19, too, a sergeant of the "ROK" Army at work uttered insulting words to soldiers on duty at our post.
The ceaseless military provocations in Panmunjom area are premeditated moves to escalate the tensions.
The South Korean rulers should stop at once such military provocations aggravating the situation in Panmunjom area and sternly punish those responsible for them.
Mass killings under fire
Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- Recently data on mass killings of innocent people by GIs during the last Korean War have been disclosed one after another, causing a big stir worldwide.
The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK today released a statement in this regard.
40 more mass killings by GIs have been brought to light in different parts of South Korea to the consternation of the international community a few months since the mass killing of at least 400 innocent people by GIs in Rogun-ri, Yongdong county, North Chungchong Province, in July 1950 right after the outbreak of the Korean War was disclosed by AP in September last year, he said, and cited facts to prove that the U.S. forces suffered repeated setbacks in face of the immediate counterattack by the Korean People's Army after provoking a war of aggression on the North Korea in an attempt to dominate Korea and, furthermore, the whole of Asia, and killed a large number of Koreans throughout the war.
He said:
All the massacres committed by GIs in Korea were without exception intentional and premeditated ones perpetrated on the carefully worked out plan and orders of their command. They were crimes against humanity, a most wanton violation of the publicly recognized international treaty and wartime regulations which ban targeting non-combatants.
Progressive humankind who truly love peace and respect human rights and the world conscience should brand GIs' unheard-of massacres during the Korean war as crimes against humanity and bitterly denounce them.
Moreover, the united nations should make a thoroughgoing investigation into massacres committed by GIs in Korea in the name of the "UN forces" by abusing its flag, punish those responsible for them under the international law, take a step to immediately dismantle the South Korea-based "UN command" having disgraceful records of massacres and thus remove the inglorious mark left in its history.
The Nazi war criminals who gave inhuman treatment to Europeans and Jews and killed them during World War II have been chased and punished till now. If the massacres committed by the United States during the Korean war are to be overlooked for being a "superpower", this will be a negation of the "universality of human rights" and most unacceptable double standards.
Now the United States which tops the list of human rights abuses styles itself a "judge of human rights," talking about "defence of human rights" more noisily than any others. Worse still, it is encroaching upon even the sovereignty of independent states as it wishes, insisting that human rights are above state sovereignty.
No one can predict what massacres will be committed in the future if the United States is allowed to continue such atrocities.
Not only the United Nations and all other international organizations but also governmental and non-governmental human rights and judicial organizations and groups should render positive cooperation in the efforts to fully probe the truth behind the mass killings of civilians committed by the United States and its followers the South Korean authorities during the Korean war so that such genocide in the 20th century may not be repeated in the new century.
We will always remember the shocking massacres committed by the U.S. against innocent Koreans during the last Korean war and before and after it and make it pay dearly for such atrocities.
500-mile journey made by President in teens
Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- 75 years have passed since the President Kim Il Sung covered a 250-mile journey with the great intention of liberating the country in his teens.
On this significant day, senior middle school pupils of Korea are to make an excursion along the course of the 250-mile journey made by him.
The excursion team made up of more than 2,500 pupils is to leave Pyongyang on Jan. 22 and arrive in Phophyong, Ryanggang Province, on Feb. 3, which is associated with his revolutionary activity.
During the period the excursionists will visit his statues and historic sites and monuments dedicated to his revolutionary feats.
True to the will of his father who said that if the country was to be free, one should know Korea well, he left Badaogou on March 16 Juche 12 (1923) on the "250-mile journey for learning."
He arrived at his hometown Mangyongdae after 14 days. He cherished a great intention of making revolution, experiencing the nation's misfortunes and pain and the dark realities of the country.
Hearing the news that his father was arrested by the Japanese imperialist police in Juche 14 (1925), two years after his return to the homeland, he covered the "250-mile journey for national liberation" on January 22.
Embarking upon the road of revolution with the great intention for national liberation, he left the homeland crossing the River Amnok with a firm pledge that he would not come back until Korea became independent.
His noble intention and pledge were fully realized through the 20-odd-year-long rigorous anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle.
That is why the 500-mile journey made by him in his teens is instilling noble revolutionary spirit, ardent patriotism and strong will into the rising generation.
Excursions to mark anniversaries of the journeys have been annual events of pupils from across the country since Juche 64 (1975) which drew a total of 1.8 million.
Chollima statue, symbol of Korea
Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- The Chollima statue was erected on Mansu Hill, Pyongyang, in April Juche 50 (1961).
It depicts a horse galloping with its wings spread. This Chollima is a symbol of Korea.
It is a historical monument which was built to symbolize the Chollima movement, the general line of the Worker's Party of Korea in the period when a great revolutionary advance was made in the socialist construction.
The statue is composed of a worker, spurring the Chollima on to a leap forward, with the red letter of the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of Korea in his raised hand and a woman peasant seated behind him with a sheaf of ripe rice in her arms. The bronze statue is supported by granite pedestal.
It stands 46 metres high and the sculpture itself is 14 metres high and 16 metres long.
It gives a truthful artistic depiction of the solid political and ideological unity of the Korean people around the Worker's Party of Korea and the desire and creative energy of the Korean working people to do away with everything backward in all aspects, economic, cultural, ideological and moral, and push ahead with the socialist construction at a rapid tempo under the leadership of the party.
The President Kim Il Sung gave origin to the Chollima movement symbolizing the Chollima, a legendary horse which runs 400 km a day, during the difficult period of the post-war reconstruction.
The Korean working people continued working miracles in all fields of the socialist construction under the slogan "Let us rush ahead in the spirit of Chollima " to demonstrate the dignity and honor of the country and nation to the world.
This spirit has been carried forward.
The Korean people are all out in the struggle to glorify this year, the WPK's 55th anniversary, with signal victory in the crucible of greatly increased activity of Chollima.
Chollima will remain a spirit and symbol of Korea.