Greetings to Vietnamese Foreign Minister
Pyongyang, February 7 (KCNA) -- Paek Nam Sun, Foreign Minister of the DPRK, sent a message of greetings to Nguyen Di Nien on his appointment as Foreign Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
In the message Paek Nam Sun congratulated him on his appointment and wished him success in his responsible work.
Greetings to Prime Minister of Grenada
Pyongyang, February 7 (KCNA) -- Hong Song Nam, premier of the DPRK cabinet, sent a message of greetings to his Grenada counterpart Keith Mitchell on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of independence of the country.
The message sent warm congratulations to him and the government and people of Grenada on the occasion and hoped that the friendly relations between the two countries will continue to develop on good terms.
Former U.S. assistant defense secretary's outburst assailed
Pyongyang, February 7 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary denounces the United States for more undisguisedly attempting to stifle the DPRK militarily under an absurd pretext.
No sooner had the principled stand of the DPRK toward the test-fire for the U.S. "missile defense" system been clarified than the former U.S. assistant secretary of defense said that sanctions against the DPRK over its "missile development" should be adopted at the congress and it would demand the DPRK "pay for the fuel" supplied by the U.S. to it, the commentary notes, and goes on:
This is by no means his personal view but a revelation of the U.S. attempt to stifle the DPRK militarily.
It is shameless of the United States to claim the "payment for the supplied fuel".
The United States' supply of heavy oil to the DPRK is aimed to compensate for the latter's energy loss till the construction of light water reactors is completed.
We are suffering a heavy loss due to the U.S. delay of LWR project. There is very acute shortage of electricity in the DPRK after it took the step of nuclear program freezing. The economic loss caused by this is far greater than the price for the heavy oil provided by the U.S. There is no prospect of finishing the LWR project even in 2010.
The United States should own its due responsibility for this and make a compensation for the delay. It is preposterous for U.S. officials to claim "payment for the supply of heavy oil."
If the United States thinks that it alone has the right to take an option, it is seriously mistaken. The DPRK is also free to take an option. We will not waste time, bound by the DPRK-U.S. agreed framework which no one knows when it will be implemented. It is not difficult for the U.S. to guess what consequences it will entail in that case.
The United States will be wholly responsible for this.
Preparations for Kim Jong Il's birthday brisk abroad
Pyongyang, February 7 (KCNA) -- Preparations for celebrating February 16 as holiday common to humankind are brisk worldwide.
February 16, 2000, marks the 58th birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
With the approach of the holiday preparatory committees for celebrating February 16 have been formed in many countries.
The first preparatory committee for celebrating Kim Jong Il's 58th birthday was formed in Peru on Dec. 16 last year.
It was followed by preparatory committees formed in India, Bangladesh, Congo, Madagascar, France, Austria and other countries. So, scores of the preparatory committees were formed as of the end of January.
The inaugural meeting of the Russian preparatory committee held on Jan. 11 called upon all the progressive political parties, movements and public organizations of the world to significantly celebrate February 16.
Such appeals have been echoed in Nepal, Pakistan, Egypt, Tanzania, Mexico, Guyana, Romania and Belgium and other countries of the world.
The inaugural meetings said that it is the unanimous hope of the world progressives to celebrate the birthday of Kim Jong Il, the great sun of humankind in the 21st century, as the greatest holiday.
Preparatory committees are being formed amid national interests of all countries.
Among the chairmen of the preparatory committees are famous personages of political and public circles including the deputy prime minister for Royal Palace of Cambodia who was appointed upon the instruction of King Norodom Sihanouk and the Minister of State of the Ministry of Water, Land and Environment of Uganda.
A celebration month was set from mid-January to mid-February.
Colorful events such as celebration meetings, film shows, symposiums, photo exhibitions, lectures, sports games and entertainment were already held in different countries.
Mass media of many countries are widely giving special write-ups on the occasion of the February holiday.
The articles and photos in special issues fully reflect profound reverence of the world progressives for Kim Jong Il who will bring into full bloom the hope and future of humankind.
Kim Jong Il's birthday celebrated abroad
Pyongyang, February 7 (KCNA) -- DPRK film shows and photo exhibitions were held from Jan. 26 to 29 in Kathmandu and by the center of Indian trade unions, the Guinean Ministry of Defence, the Cairo National Film Center in Egypt and the Lahore branch of the Pakistan-Korea Friendship Association on the occasion of the 58th birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
Present at the events were public figures including chairman of the central committee of the Nepal Worker-Peasant Party Narayan Man Bijukchhe, former chairman of the National Council of Nepal Beni Bahadur Karki, secretary general of the Center of Indian Trade Unions M. Kpandey and the director of the secretariat of the Ministry of Defence of Guinea.
M. Kpandey in his speech at an opening ceremony of a DPRK film show and photo exhibition said that the respected Kim Jong Il has successfully applied the Juche idea created by the great Kim Il Sung and exalted Korean-style socialism centred on the popular masses.
The director of the secretariat of the Ministry of Defence of Guinea at a film show said that Kim Jong Il is a genius of creation and construction and the people's great leader who has outstanding ability of leadership.
A Nepalese political commentator B. K. Newa stressed after seeing a DPRK film that the august name of Kim Jong Il will shine more brilliantly in the 21st century for his great exploits in accomplishing the socialist cause and the cause of anti-imperialism and independence.
Self-reliance, Korea's revolutionary mode
Pyongyang, February 7 (KCNA) -- This year the DPRK appealed again to all the members of the Worker's Party of Korea, all the servicemen and the people to adhere to the principle of self-reliance in carrying out the economic policy of the WPK.
Self-reliance is the unique way of the Korean revolution.
The Korean people have always won victory overcoming all the difficulties and hardships under the slogan "Self-reliance is a way out" since the beginning of the revolution.
For examples, during the anti-Japanese war the guerrillas made bombs with empty hands to defeat one million army of the Japanese imperialists and liberate the country and during the three-year-long Korean War the Korean people defended the sovereignty of the country and nation by fighting against the U.S.-led imperialist allied forces.
After the war the Korean people also displayed the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance to realize the industrialization, which took other countries a full century or a few centuries, on the debris in a matter of 14 years.
They built the west sea barrage by damming off 8 km-long sea in five years, manufactured a 10,000 ton press and successfully launched an artificial satellite. These monumental edifices that demonstrated the powerful might of Juche Korea were possible thanks to the spirit of self-reliance.
The economic situation in the country is worse than that in the post-war period owing to the persistent moves of the imperialists to stifle and isolate the DPRK in recent years, the collapse of the world socialist market and several years of natural disasters.
The Korean people, however, have laid a firm foundation for the construction of a prosperous country in recent years, holding fast to the principle of self-reliance as a precious sword to win a sure victory in building a powerful nation.
It is the firm conviction and will of the Korean people to overcome today's difficulties and make new progress in all fields of socialist construction in the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance.
National yearbook published in DPRK
Pyongyang, February 7 (KCNA) -- The 1999 edition of the Korean National Yearbook was brought out some time ago. The book is divided into parts dealing with works of General Secretary Kim Jong Il, which were published in Juche 87 (1998), internal and external affairs and documents and data.
Contained in its introduction are Kim Jong Il's work "Let Us Reunify the Country Independently and Peacefully Through the Great Unity of the Entire Nation," his congratulatory message to the 18th congress of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon), telegraphic orders of the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army , and so on.
Its internal part has such titles as geography and history, politics, economy, social culture, external relations, national reunification and inter-Korean relations, U.S. imperialists' colony South Korea, and Chongryon and Korean residents in Japan.
Included in the political review are the first session of the 10th Supreme People's Assembly, which acclaimed Kim Jong Il as chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission to provide an eternal foundation to ensure a bright future of the country and the nation, and a new system of state structure.
It also deals with the revolutionary activities of Kim Jong Il, who in 1998 put forth the revolutionary slogan "Forward to the forced march for final victory " and gave confidence in sure victory and courage to the people, leading their general advance.
The parts of international affairs and documents and data deal with colorful functions held in many countries to commemorate Sun's Day, Kim Jong Il's birthday and the 50th anniversary of the DPRK, activities conducted to study and disseminate the Juche idea, and major events and meetings.
There are also materials and data introducing different countries, the successful launch of the first satellite in the DPRK, newly-instituted commemorative days, orders and coins as well as agreements and protocols.
Besides, the book carries over 40 photographs including pictures of Kim Jong Il giving on-site guidance to the people's army and different economic units and photos showing the military parade, mass demonstration and the mass gymnastic display "May Kim Il Sung's Korea shine with glory," held to mark the 50th birthday of the DPRK.
KCNA on fiction of DPRK's "purchase of uranium"
Pyongyang, February 7 (KCNA) -- Western mass media are spreading misinformation that the DPRK "is purchasing uranium for the manufacture of nuclear weapons in return for its military aid to the government army of Democratic Congo."
Publications of some western countries including the U.S. and UK began floating this rumour in August last year. And this smear campaign has been escalated recently.
This rumour was so absurd that the DPRK dismissed it as something that does not deserve even a passing note.
The story about the DPRK's "purchase of uranium" from Democratic Congo spread by publications of the U.S. and other western countries is a sheer fabrication and is nothing but a charade intended to slander and hurt the DPRK.
The DPRK has clarified more than once that it has neither intention nor capacity to develop nuclear weapons. Moreover, it is quite unreasonable for the DPRK to purchase uranium from Democratic Congo for the manufacture of nuclear weapons as it is facing economic difficulties due to constant blockade of the imperialists and natural disasters.
Nevertheless, the U.S. has played every conceivable trick to charge the DPRK with "nuclear development."
The "nuclear suspicion" of the DPRK, which was noisily peddled by the U.S. in the past, was proved to be a sheer lie through its visit to the underground facility in Kumchang-ri. Instead of drawing a proper lesson from this, the U.S. dreamed up the fiction of "uranium purchase" in a bid to resume the anti-DPRK diatribe.
It is quite obvious that their true intention is to draw again the attention of international community to the "nuclear suspicion" of the DPRK in a bid to defame its daily increasing international prestige as a peace-loving state and thus further isolate and suffocate it.
This false propaganda is also aimed to drive a wedge in the good relations between the DPRK and developing countries.
The dishonest elements in the U.S. and other western countries are displeased with the DPRK's development of good-neighbor and friendly relations with all the countries, guided by the idea of independence, peace and friendship, and are making every possible attempt to put the brake on it.
They are resorting to this anti-DPRK smear campaign to fish in troubled waters through the dispute in Democratic Congo, but they will get nothing but censure and ridicule.
The DPRK will always keep eyes on their tricks and moves for alienation.