Kim Jong Il sends message
Pyongyang, February 5 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il on Feb. 3 sent a congratulatory message to the members of the youth league and the children's union of senior middle schools who participated in the excursion for the "250-mile journey for national liberation."
Kim Jong Il in his message warmly congratulated them on their successful 250-mile excursion from Mangyongdae, a holy land of revolution, to Phophyong, a historic place, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the "250-mile journey for national liberation" made by the President Kim Il Sung.
The excursion of the course of the "250-mile journey for national liberation" which is recorded with sacred marks of the President is an excellent school in which school youth and children are educated and trained in a revolutionary way, the message said, and continued:
The vigorous advance of the excursionists under the red flag of revolution fully demonstrated the revolutionary mettle of the youth and children who are growing to be successors to the revolution under the care of the Worker's Party of Korea. It has greatly inspired fathers and mothers who are all out in the great Chollima advance in the New Year.
Our party and people deeply love and value the school youth and children, who are the flowers of the country and the nation and the masters of the new century. They, who will take the future of the country and the revolution on their shoulders, should firmly prepare themselves to be true sons and daughters of our party, the reliable successors to the Juche revolution.
The ardent and clean loyalty to the party and the leader are the most important traits to be possessed by them. They should become young vanguard, juvenile lifeguards who always believe and follow only our party and defend it, study and grow for the party and the revolution.
They should study hard under the slogan "Let's study for Korea " and deem it greatest honor to defend the country and make positive contributions to socialist construction, the message said, setting forth the tasks to this end.
The WPK and the people are visualizing the bright future of the country in the valiant and bright looks of the younger generations who are inheriting the lineage of the revolution, the message noted, firmly believing that they would more firmly prepare themselves to be successors to the revolution and vigorously continue making thousands of miles of journey for the building of a powerful nation in the wake of the "250-mile journey for national liberation."
A ceremony for conveying the congratulatory message was held in Phophyong on Feb. 4.
The message was conveyed by kim jung rin, secretary of the WPK Central Committee.
Floral baskets laid before statues of Kim Il Sung
Pyongyang, February 5 (KCNA) -- Working people, servicemen and school youth and children across the country laid baskets of flowers before the statues of the President Kim Il Sung today, lunar new year 's day.
Those in Pyongyang visited the statue of the President on Mansu Hill.
Laid before the statue amid the playing of music were floral baskets, bouquets and flowers in the name of different institutions, units of the Korean People's Army, industrial establishments, and so on.
Written in the ribbons hanging from the baskets were "the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung will be immortal," "the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung is always with us," and other letters.
Floral baskets, bouquets and flowers were also placed before his statues in different units in Pyongyang including Kim Il Sung university, Kim Il Sung military university and the ministry of public security.
On the same day people, servicemen and school youth and children across the country visited statues of the President in their residential quarters to lay floral baskets and bouquets and flowers and pay homage to him.
Sports contest for Paektusan Cup opens
Pyongyang, February 5 (KCNA) -- A sports contest for Paektusan Cup opened to mark the significant holiday of February.
During the contest more than 20 sports events including basketball, volleyball, marathon, boxing, speed and figure skating will be held in Pyongyang and local areas.
An opening ceremony was held at the ice rink on Friday.
Present there were kim jung rin, secretary of the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of Korea, and officials concerned.
Pak Myong Chol, chairman of the Korean Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Committee, in his opening address called upon all the contenders to follow the transparent revolutionary outlook on the leader and indomitable fighting spirit of heroine Jong Song Ok and give a good account of themselves for the successful contest.
Lunar new year 's day
Pyongyang, February 5 (KCNA) -- Lunar new year 's day is a traditional holiday of the Korean people. This year lunar new year 's day falls on today.
Our ancestors took special food and enjoyed colorful folk games, seeing one year out.
This traditional custom has been inherited to meet aesthetic tastes of the times.
The people are spending this year's holiday with particular emotion.
The state has provided everyone with ample conditions for rest so that he may enjoy the holiday though it is hard pressed for everything.
Colorful lanterns and decorations are displayed at institutions, enterprises, theatres, cinemas and other service sectors to increase a festive atmosphere.
People visit each other to exchange New Year's greetings and wishes and spend the holiday with folk games and amusement games.
Folk games include the Yut game, which can be played by everyone, young and old, men and women, men's Korean chess and women's seesawing. Children enjoy top spinning , shuttlecock, sleighing, etc.
Public catering network is busy serving visitors with a variety of national food suited to the season.
2nd list of unqualified candidates made public
Pyongyang, February 5 (KCNA) -- The Citizens Solidarity for General Elections of South Korea reportedly made public the second list of unqualified candidates on Feb. 2.
The organization branded 48 people including Ri Jong Chan, former chief of the "Intelligence Service," and Ha Sun Bong, secretary general of the Opposition "Grand National Party," as those to be excluded from candidates.
And it declared if those in the list come forward as candidates it would wage a campaign for their defeat in the "elections" together with regional organizations.
The South Korean press said that the organization sentenced 115 politicians to political death altogether two times.
U.S. hit for crimes against humanity
Pyongyang, February 5 (KCNA) -- The U.S. should be tried by international law for its crimes against humanity, says Rodong Sinmun today.
Even today when mass killings of Koreans at the hands of GIs during the last Korean War have been confirmed by historical facts, the U.S. describes the atrocities as "unconfirmed" and "mistake" caused by the lack of efforts to "discern friend and foe."
With any means and jugglery the U.S. cannot flee from the responsibility for mass killings. Nor can it emerge from a stern judgement as a violator of human rights, the news analyst says, and continues:
International treaty and wartime law and regulations ban targeting non-combatants.
The U.S., however, massacred innocent people with bare hands, ignoring the principle and requirements of the international law. Any offender of the international law should be punished by the law. There is no prescription to crimes against humanity. If the U.S. has an iota of conscience to feel guilty of its criminal acts and responsibility for them, it should come out to a court of its own accord to meet a deserved punishment.
If it refuses to admit its criminal acts and accept responsibility for them, it will lose its face and confidence in the international arena.
The U.S. is not in a position to talk about human rights in the international arena.
It is the key source of human rights abuses.
The United States' recent crying for "giving priority to human rights" is nothing but a camouflage to justify its interference in the internal affairs of other countries as well as to conceal the true colors as an aggressor and state sponsor of terrorism.
If the U.S. tries to refuse to accept responsibility for its crimes in view of international law and in the light of morality and make an official apology and compensation to the Korean people for them, the Korean people will accuse it of its crimes for all ages and square accounts with it to the end.
Remarks of former U.S. assistant secretary of defense assailed
Pyongyang, February 5 (KCNA) -- The former U.S. assistant secretary of defense remarked that the U.S. would impose "sanctions" on the DPRK over possible "missile relaunch."
His remarks betray once again the U.S. policy to stifle the DPRK, stresses Minju Joson today in a commentary.
The paper says:
It is quite natural for the DPRK to equip itself with self-defensive means so as to keep its security under the present grave situation in which the country and nation are exposed to threat. Nobody can make an issue of it.
However, the United States persistently denies this clear-cut reason because the DPRK's self-defensive means are an unshakable obstruction to its anti-DPRK moves based on the strength.
Our principle is the only one and it can never be changed in any case though the U.S. resorts to "appeasement" strategy or "tough" strategy. Arms are immediately our lifeline.
We have thought of nothing but them and will go this way.
Chongryon demands withdrawal of "bill on prefectural suffrage"
Tokyo, February 3 (KNS-KCNA) -- The central standing committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) in a press conference in Tokyo on Feb. 2 issued a statement demanding an immediate withdrawal of the "bill on prefectural suffrage" some political parties of Japan submitted to the diet.
Recalling that some political parties of Japan on January 21 submitted the "bill" to the house of representatives, the statement said:
The present South Korean rulers who are advocating "a new era of South Korea-Japan" and some "Mindan"-lining officials under their protection begged some political parties of Japan to submit the "bill" in a bid to serve an ulterior political purpose.
The "bill" will politically divide those with the nationality of the DPRK and South Korea to cause division and antagonism in a family as well as in the community of Koreans in Japan.
We can never pardon such behaviour as adding fuel to the national division among compatriots in Japan at a time when the non-governmental exchanges are being promoted between the north and south of Korea and the desire for national reconciliation and reunification is gaining in momentum.
What Japan should do before anything else today is to liquidate its past wrongdoings and make efforts for DPRK-Japan diplomatic relations.
At a time when the DPRK-Japan inter-governmental talks are put on the order of the day the "bill" was submitted to the diet of Japan, which seriously impairs the sovereignty of the DPRK and the dignity of the Korean citizens in Japan.
Calling for an immediate withdrawal of the "bill," the statement urged the Japanese authorities to immediately come out to the talks for DPRK-Japan diplomatic relations and provide the Koreans in Japan with the basic human rights and the stable living circumstances.
It held that the South Korean authorities and the "Mindan" should discontinue at once the anti-national, anti-compatriotic "campaign for gaining suffrage".