FM meets new Vietnamese ambassador
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun today met and conversed with Do Thi Hoa, new ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the DPRK, who paid a courtesy call on him.
Anniv. of 250-mile journey made by President commemorated
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- A national meeting was held at the People's Palace of Culture today to mark the 75th anniversary of the "250-mile journey for national liberation" made by the President Kim Il Sung and the 25th anniversary of the 250-mile excursion of revolution initiated by General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
Born in a family which was revolutionary and patriotic through generations, President Kim Il Sung cherished a great intention of making revolution. Hearing the unexpected news that his father, indomitable revolutionary fighter Kim Hyong Jik, was arrested again by the Japanese imperialist police in January, Juche 14 (1925), he set out on the "250-mile journey for national liberation" to wage a life and death struggle in order to take revenge upon the enemy for the nation's sufferings.
In Juche 64 (1975) 25 years ago Kim Jong Il paved the way for the excursion along the course of the "250-mile journey for learning" and "250-mile journey for national liberation" made by the President and saw to it that a vigorous movement was waged among school youth and children to learn from the President.
Ri Il Hwan, first secretary of the central committee of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, in his report said the "250-mile journey for national liberation" made by the President reflected the faith he cherished in his boyhood following the course of revolutionary activities of Kim Hyong Jik and seeing the people in dire distress.
The journey made it possible for the Korean revolution to greet a new era of history in which it could advance victoriously, inspired by a scientific guiding idea and a correct strategy of struggle, and enabled the Korean people to vigorously wage the anti-Japanese war, rallied close under the banner of national liberation, with the hope for the national resurrection, he said, and went on:
Marshal Kim Jong Il paved the way for the excursion along the course of the 250-mile journey for revolution, thus helping the school youth and children deeply grasp the greatness of the President, following the course of the "250-mile journey for national liberation" and "250-mile journey for learning" and harden their faith and will to carry forward and complete the revolutionary cause of Juche generation after generation under the leadership of Kim Jong Il.
Kim Jong Il saw to it that the party helped the youth league in organizing the excursion along the course of the "250-mile journey for national liberation" and "250-mile journey for learning," and showed profound love and trust in the excursionists.
The reporter called upon the school youth and children to continue to wage a vigorous movement to learn from glorious boyhood and youth of the President and the respected Marshal so as to deeply grasp the peerlessly great men's immortal revolutionary exploits and take an active part in the excursion to be a true young vanguard and children's lifeguards loyal to the Worker's Party of Korea.
Present at the meeting were Choe Thae Bok, Yang Hyong Sop, Kim Ki Nam, Kim Jung Rin and other senior party and state leaders.
Key to country's reunification
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- A key to making a breakthrough in national reunification this year lies in adherence to the three-point charter of national reunification, said the joint editorial of the newspapers of the party, army and youth issued in the DPRK on the occasion of the New Year.
The three-point charter was made by the President Kim Il Sung. It is a reunification program common to the nation which is supported not only by the compatriots in the north, south and abroad but also by the world people.
The three-point charter includes the three principles of national reunification, the 10-point program for the great unity of the entire nation for the country's reunification and the proposal for founding the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo (DCRK).
President Kim Il Sung advanced the three principles of national reunification, the keynote of which is independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity, at conversations with South Korean delegates to the north-south high-level political talks in Juche 61 (1972).
The principles call for reunifying the country independently free from intervention of outside forces, by peaceful means without resorting to arms and by promoting great national unity transcending the differences in ideas, ideals and systems.
The three principles were declared at home and abroad as a reunification program common to the nation through the historic July 4 joint statement of the north and south.
The 10-point program of the great unity of the entire nation for national reunification (1993) comprehensively elucidates all the issues arising in achieving great national unity including the general aim and ideological basis of the great national unity, principle to be adhered to for the unity and ways of achieving it.
It is a political program to strengthen the internal force of national reunification by achieving national reconciliation and unity.
The proposal for founding the DCRK (1980) is a blueprint of national reunification which shows general aspects of the reunified state and ways of building it.
A proposal to reunify the country by confederacy formula means to build a pan-national reunified state which represents all political parties, all the groups and all members of the nation from all walks of life with two systems and two governments existing in the north and south left intact. It also calls for reunifying the country by means of founding a confederal state in which two regional governments in the north and south are represented on an equal footing.
The three-point charter of national reunification is a program that makes it possible to reunify the country, long-cherished desire of the nation.
Koreans in the north, south and abroad, therefore, sat together last year and decided to build a monument to the three-point charter of national reunification in Pyongyang.
Its construction is being pushed ahead in full gear.
Activity of Chollima increased in Korea
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- The Korean working people are full of revolutionary enthusiasm to glorify this year with signal victory in the crucible of greatly increased activity of Chollima.
A great Chollima advance is being made at the Pyongyang-Nampho Motorway construction, the Kaechon-Lake Thaesong Waterway project, the land leveling and rezoning in North Phyongan Province and other parts of the country.
This year the Korean people are determined to speed up the onward march in the crucible of greatly increased activity of Chollima to make a signal advance in building a powerful nation.
The first great Chollima advance was made in Korea during the period of the first five-year plan which was carried out from 1957 to 1960 after the war. In that period the industrial production increased 36.6 percent on an annual average while the agricultural production shot up 32 percent in four years.
The Korean people thus carried out the historic task of industrialization in a matter of 14 years, which took other countries a full century or even a few centuries.
Since then, the greatly increased activity of Chollima has denoted the spirit of the Korean people vying with times and bringing earlier future.
The economic situation of the country remains very difficult.
The moves of the imperialists and the enemies to isolate and stifle socialist Korea have become all the more pronounced. Several years of severe natural disasters have inflicted tremendous losses on all the economic fields.
There is still a serious food shortage as agriculture was hardest hit by them.
The situation prevailing in the country compels us to run faster in all sectors of socialist construction than at the time of the great Chollima advance after the war when we took a hundred steps, a thousand steps while others took only one step or ten steps.
It is the faith and will of the Korean people to significantly increase the activity of Chollima once again and demonstrate the spirit of Chollima Korea to the whole world.
They will glorify this year, the 55th foundation anniversary of the Worker's Party of Korea, with brilliant exploits in the crucible of greatly increased activity of Chollima despite manifold ordeals and difficulties.
Joint editorial, banner of struggle and feats
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- A joint editorial of the newspapers of the party, army and youth issued to mark the New Year Juche 89 (2000) is a precious ideological and mental pabulum for the Korean people.
The Korean people are hardening their determination to make leaping progress in building a powerful nation and demonstrate the invincible stamina of socialist Korea to the world by carrying through the tasks set forth in the editorial.
Clarified in the editorial are the policies, intention and revolutionary position of the Worker's Party of Korea and the tasks and ways of their materialization.
The Worker's Party of Korea in the editorial put forward a slogan "glorify this year, the WPK's 55th anniversary, with signal victory in the crucible of greatly increased activity of Chollima "
It was from Juche 84 (1995) that the joint editorial began to be published in Korea.
At that time, Korea published a joint New Year editorial in the papers while telecasting the President Kim Il Sung delivering his last New Year's address to the people.
This gave the Korean people the faith that his New Year's address continues.
All the joint editorials issued so far were the ideological banner of inspiring the Korean people to the struggle and feats as his New Year's address did.
The editorials brought the great traits of integral whole between the leader and the people into full play.
They encouraged the people in the belt-tightening "arduous march" and forced march and helped them step up production and construction with indefatigable will.
They created Kanggye Spirit and kindled a torch at the Songjin Steel Complex. They have made the people adhere to socialism and advance the Korean revolution successfully even in the crucible of manifold trials and hardships.
Preparatory committees formed abroad
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- Preparatory committees for celebrating the 58th birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il were inaugurated in Italy and Denmark on January 14.
The general secretary of the Struggle for the Peace and Socialism of Italy said at the inaugural meeting that Kim Jong Il's birthday is not only the greatest national holiday of the Koreans but also a common auspicious day of the progressives of the world.
He stressed the need to significantly celebrate February 16 together with the Korean people and to make full arrangements for it.
Korean books presented in Nepal
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- A ceremony for presenting Korean books was held in Kathmandu on Jan. 14 on the occasion of the 58th birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
At the ceremony, vols. 5 and 6 of part 1 the anti-Japanese revolution of "With the Century," the reminiscences of the President Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il's famous works "Socialism Is A Science" and "On Preserving the Juche Character and National Character of the Revolution and Construction" and other Korean books were handed over to Hikmat Karki, chairman of the central committee of the National Liberal Students League of Nepal.
The chairman said that they will widely distribute the famous works of the great leaders of Korea, books introducing the history of the revolutionary struggle of Korea and the successes and experiences made in its socialist construction among the youth and students of Nepal so that they may prepare themselves to take the future of Nepal on their shoulders.
KCNA on revival of Japanese militarism
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan held a regular convention on Jan. 19 at which it adopted the promotion of an official visit to "Yasukuni Shrine" as a follow-up action guideline.
A strange organization called "Let All Dietmen Visit 'Yasukuni Shrine' Society" was formed in Japan. Scores of dietmen visit it in groups every year, advocating the revival of militarism. It was against this backdrop that the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan resolved to promote the official visit to "Yasukuni Shrine". This is an unpardonable mockery and insult to the peoples of Korea and other Asian countries who suffered untold damage as a result of the aggression and occupation by the Japanese imperialists.
"Yasukuni Shrine" symbolizes Japanese militarism. Buried there are the bodies of Tojo and other top class war criminals who inflicted horrible disasters on humankind.
The LDP's decision cannot be construed otherwise than a premeditated move to spread the trend of militarism to Japanese society and instill the reactionary view on history into the Japanese people.
In recent years the Japanese right-wing forces have made every effort to agitate narrow-minded ultra-nationalism and adopted the legislation related to the "Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Guidelines" and thus restored the right to participate in war and the right of belligerency and legalized "Hinomaru" and "Kimigayo" symbolic of militarism as the national flag and anthem.
The Japanese reactionaries' moves to fascistize society and place Japan under a wartime system are at the stage of completion.
The Japanese right-wing forces forget that the revival of militarism will lead them to self-destruction.
To dissolve fascist repressive apparatuses
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- The secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland on January 20 issued information bulletin no. 800 denouncing the South Korean rulers for having decided to drastically intensify the investigation authority of the "defense security command of the 'ROK' Army".
The South Korean rulers revised the "law on military court" this time in a bid to make the "defense security command of the 'ROK' Army" which had investigated only the "offenders" against the "security law" and "law on protecting military secrets" investigate even the "violation" of the "law on south-north exchange and cooperation" and "law on assembly and demonstration".
Through the revision they openly revealed their attempt to crack down on the South Korean people's patriotic movement for democracy and reunification with the mobilization of even the "defense security command", the information bulletin said, and continued:
By expanding the investigation authority of the "defense security command", they have made it interfere in north-south non-governmental contact, dialogue and cooperation and put a brake on them as it wishes and commit in an undisguised way the fascist suppression of pro-reunification democratic forces including the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils.
They must know well about the unanimous aspiration and will of the South Korean people for justice and progress and unconditionally dissolve the "security law" and other anti-reunification fascist laws and such fascist repressive apparatuses as the "Intelligence Service" and the "defense security command of the 'ROK' Army".
S. Korean rulers' move under fire
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- The "National Assembly" of South Korea recently passed a "bill on erecting Syngman Rhee's bust". According to it, his bust will be erected in the building of the "National Assembly." Originally, the present South Korean rulers attempted to pass the "bill" at the "National Assembly" in the first year of their office.
But they were forced to withdraw it by a strong opposition from the South Korean people. This time they brought it again for discussion and railroaded it through the "National Assembly."
Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary terms this as an unpardonable mockery and insult not only to the South Koreans but to the entire Korean nation.
The commentary goes on:
The traitor Syngman Rhee was a pro-U.S. stooge, the very one who fostered the division of the nation and the murderer who brought disasters to the nation.
What merits a more serious attention is that the "National Assembly" passed the "bill" against the background of the ever mounting criticism of the chief executive of South Korea who initiated to "build Park Chung-Hee's memorial" and held the post of "honorary chairman."
The South Korean authorities seek in this to garner some "votes" from pro-U.S., pro-Japanese forces in the "National Assembly election" slated for April this year in a bid to realize their ambition for long-term office.
Urgent humanitarian issue
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- Minju Joson today in a signed article strongly demands that the unconverted long-term prisoners in South Korea be repatriated to the DPRK unconditionally at the earliest date in accordance with the requirement of the international law and the principle of humanitarianism.
The news analyst says:
Koreans at home and abroad and the world public are participating in the struggle for the repatriation of the unconverted long-term prisoners in South Korea. This clearly shows that the issue is a matter of great concern at home and abroad and the most urgent humanitarian problem.
The repatriation of the unconverted long-term prisoners is the most pressing matter that should be settled before anything else and is a humanitarian issue to be kept ahead of a political matter.
This is also necessary to create an atmosphere of national reconciliation and unity.
The South Korean authorities are blocking the settlement of the issue of repatriating the unconverted long-term prisoners with far-fetched argument, which is an unpardonable anti-national crime against humanity.
They should know that they cannot turn aside from the just demand of the people at home and abroad for the repatriation of the unconverted long-term prisoners to the DPRK and should take a measure for their repatriation as early as possible.
U.S. troop pullout from South Korea urged
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- If the United States truly wishes solution to the Korean issue and the improved DPRK-U.S. relations and peace in Asia and the rest of the world, she should be bold enough to withdraw its forces from South Korea under the very eyes of the world people, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
It goes on:
It is desirable for the United States to have a good understanding of the urgency of its forces' pullback from South Korea and start its process as quickly as possible.
The withdrawal of the U.S. forces from the Panama Canal zone reflected the demand of the advancing era of independence and the trend of the times when the withdrawal of foreign troops has become their call. The United States should pull its troops out of South Korea to swim with the trend of the times.
The Korean people have suffered misfortunes and pain resulting from the national division, which was caused by the U.S. occupation of South Korea, for over half a century and the Korean peninsula has become a most serious hotspot and biggest source of war.
The U.S. forces' presence in South Korea is only harmful to the reunification and peace of Korea.
It is quite difficult to solve the Korean issue and improve the DPRK-U.S. relations as long as the U.S. troops stay in South Korea. The prospect of settling those two issues entirely depends on their pullout.
Therefore, the United States should take practical steps for their withdrawal. Only by doing so, it can fulfil its responsibility and keep faith.
U.S. forces' continued presence in South Korea is not good for the United States from any angle.
The United States should not seek their permanent presence there not only for its own government but for the sake of the Americans.
Massacre of civilians on Jeju Island disclosed
Pyongyang January 21 (KCNA) -- Ri To Yong, a Korean in the U.S., said at a press conference in Seoul on Jan. 19 that 600-700 civilians on Jeju Island were massacred by "ROK" Army soldiers or reported missing during the past war, according to a radio report from South Korea.
He disclosed a document worked out by the marine command stationed on the island at that time which said at least 220 people arrested by police were handed to "ROK" Army in august 1950 alone whose whereabouts were unknown later.
He asserted that "the mass execution was carried out by the intelligence bureau of the army headquarters."
S. Korean rulers urged to mind their own business
Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- Recently the South Korean authorities mounted another anti-DPRK smear campaign, clamoring about the "forcible repatriation of seven family members."
The present chief executive and the "Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade" of South Korea cried out for confrontation with the DPRK, begging international organisations for "cooperation" and lodging a protest to the neighboring countries. This is much ado about nothing made by them after poking their nose into the affair which has nothing to do with them.
The South Korean authorities failed to kidnap people of the north and take them to South Korea. In sheer vexation, they launched into the frantic anti-DPRK diatribe. They are nowadays working hard to tarnish the image of the DPRK in the international arena, raising a hue and cry over "human rights issue" such as non-existent "issue of defectors from the north."
As for the human rights issue, South Korea, a colony of the U.S., is the graveyard of human rights where elementary political freedom and human rights are trampled down.
In South Korea tens of thousands of innocent people were killed in cold blood, numerous patriots executed by the strength of the ill-famed "security law" and the right to existence is not guaranteed.
The South Korean authorities should not slander the DPRK over the "seven family members," but mind their own business.
They should immediately discontinue shocking crimes such as an attempt to kidnap citizens of the DPRK abroad and anti-DPRK diatribe they mount over the non-existent "defectors from the north."
If they continue trying to infringe upon the sovereignty and dignity of the DPRK, ignoring our warnings, they will meet a merciless punishment from the DPRK and will have to pay a high price.