Public presentation by Ministry of Public Security held
Pyongyang, February 13 (KCNA) -- A public presentation by the Ministry of Public Security on the greatness of General Secretary Kim Jong Il was held in Pyongyang yesterday on the occasion of his birthday.
Vice Marshal of the Korean People's Army Paek Hak rim, Minister of Public Security, was present there.
The speakers said that Kim Jong Il has led the Korean revolution and world revolution to victory with his gifted wisdom and indefatigable energetic leadership, thus performing immortal exploits on behalf of the times, the revolution, the country and people.
He created the army-first political method of leading the cause of socialism depending on the revolutionary army and thus broke a new ground in the political history of the working class, they said, adding that he has strengthened and developed the public security organ to be a political guard of the party which regards it as its life and soul to devotedly safeguard the leader.
It is a precious fruition of the outstanding leadership of Kim Jong Il that the public security organ has developed into the best ranks of loyalists and the public security officials are admirably fulfilling their duties.
Foreign crewmen celebrate February holiday
Pyongyang, February 13 (KCNA) -- A meeting of crewmen of foreign ships was held at Nampho port on the west coast of Korea Saturday on the occasion of the birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
Present at the meeting were crewmen from the Chinese ship "Ming Yue," the U.S. ship "Maersk Arizona," the Hondran flagged-ship "Prince 5" and the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines flagged-ship "Sona."
Noting that all the successes achieved in Korea are entirely attributable to the seasoned leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Il, the speakers stressed that they are looking up to him as a great man for all the people as he is devoting himself to the happiness of the people and the prosperity of the country.
Kim Jong Il has successfully applied the Juche idea fathered by the President Kim Il Sung into the realities of Korea, they noted, expressing the belief that Korea will surely emerge as a powerful nation in the near future under his wise leadership.
A congratulatory letter to Kim Jong Il was adopted at the meeting.
Prior to the meeting, the participants laid a basket of flowers before the statue of President Kim Il Sung in Nampho city and paid homage to him.
Israel's military attack on Lebanon condemned
Pyongyang, February 13 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry answered a question put by KCNA today as regards Israel's recent escalated military attack on Lebanon.
He said that Israel committed air strikes at civilian targets in Lebanon on Feb. 8 and is intensifying its military offensive against Hezbollah positions and even threatening to reduce the whole land of Lebanon to ashes.
He continued:
Israel's ceaseless military attack is throwing a stumbling block in the overall Middle East peace process as it is wanton violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon.
The Israeli authorities should stop their reckless military actions and unconditionally withdraw their troops from all the occupied Arab territories, including Golan Heights and southern Lebanon, according to the international resolutions concerned and on the "land-for-peace principle."
The DPRK will positively support and encourage the Arab people's struggle until the Middle East problem has been fairly solved in conformity with their aspirations and demands to bring lasting peace to the region.
S. Korean defoliant victims vow to struggle
Pyongyang, February 13 (KCNA) -- 1,890 people have so far been reported to the consultative council for defoliant victims of South Korea since November last year that they were suffering from the aftermath of defoliant spread in the demilitarized zone, according to a radio report from Seoul.
Among the victims are more than 100 people who were already dead and some 50 deformed children of defoliant victims.
The victims decided to organize the association of victims of defoliant spread along the truce line in Seoul on Feb. 11 in order to launch a struggle for compensation.
Mass killings by GIs and S. Korean "MPs" disclosed
Pyongyang, February 13 (KCNA) -- The South Korean weekly magazine Hangyore 21 on Jan. 20 carried an article headlined "It was not time for us to be born as Koreans" disclosing the monstrous atrocities committed by the U.S. troops and the South Korean "military police" during the Korean War. The magazine quoted witnesses as saying that the South Korean "marine corps" killed 347 persons who had been detained in a sweet potato store under the control of the Mosulpho police station on Jeju Island on August 20, 1950.
The largest mass killings were the case in which "members of the People's Press Federation" were gunned down across South Korea right after the start of the war, the magazine noted, adding that the South Korean authorities massacred them in the whole area south of Phyongthaek, judging that they would join the people's army.
It also disclosed that a police unit under the Raju police station in South Jolla Province disguised as the people's army killed civilians by ferreting out sympathizers for it and the U.S. troops and "ROK army" perpetrated their mass killings in revenge for their defeat in the area where they were stationed in November 1950.
S. Korean women urged to participate in probing truth behind GIs' massacres
Pyongyang, February 13 (KCNA) -- The central committee of the Korean Democratic Women's Union yesterday sent a letter to the federation of women's organizations in South Korea calling on the South Korean women to take an active part in forming a "nationwide ad hoc committee for probing the truth behind the GIs' massacres".
The letter noted that the U.S. has neither admitted nor apologized for the mass killings committed by them in South Korea for many years and that women have been main targets of their murder.
It held that the women should join in a nationwide anti-U.S. struggle as their dignity and rights have been wantonly encroached upon and killed, insulted and disgraced by yankees.
It expressed the belief that the federation of women's organizations in South Korea would take an active part in forming the "nationwide ad hoc committee for probing the truth behind the GIs' massacres" to put an end to the U.S. aggressor forces' mass killings and protect the dignity and rights of the Korean nation in response to an appeal of the political parties and organizations of the DPRK.
S. Korean students vow to struggle
Pyongyang, February 13 (KCNA) -- The Educational Measure Committee and over 1,200 students of more than 100 universities under the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) held a meeting at Jongro park, Seoul, on Feb. 11 to vow to check the registration fund hike and denounced the authorities for trying to raise the registration fund, a Seoul-based radio reported.
Its participants marched up to the "government" building in Sejongro Street in a demonstration.
They threatened to call a strike at different universities for three days from march 23 unless the authorities meet their demand.
Worsening antagonism between S. Korean coalition ruling parties
Pyongyang, February 13 (KCNA) -- Antagonism and discord between the "Democratic Party" and the "United Liberal Democrats", the coalition ruling parties of South Korea came up to the surface in dealing with the "election law" at the "National Assembly" on Feb. 8, a Seoul-based radio reported.
The "DP" tried to pass the "law" calling for a one-man-two-votes basis at the "National Assembly" but the "ULD" passed the "law" calling for a one-man-one-vote basis in league with the opposition "grand national party".
In this regard the "DP" held a meeting on Feb. 9 where it complained that the "ULD" expressed its will not to align itself with the "DP" when it torpedoed the introduction of a one-man-two-votes basis in cahoots with the "GNP". It then began a fundamental reexamination of the strategy for "general elections."
Meanwhile, the "ULD" confirmed the stand that it will set out an independent "election" strategy and is planning to organize a committee to examine nominated candidates and announce them by itself, not coming out for joint nomination of candidates with the "DP."
Japanese reactionaries' anti-DPRK smear campaign refuted
Pyongyang, February 13 (KCNA) -- The Japanese reactionaries' attempt to make the issue of "suspected kidnapping" a fait accompli through such media as Sankei Shimbun is part of the premeditated plot of the right-wing reactionaries to renew an anti-DPRK campaign in Japan, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary.
Noting that "suspected kidnapping" is nothing but a sheer fiction dreamed up by the South Korean Intelligence Service in a secret room, the commentary continues:
Sankei Shimbun has taken the lead in spreading misinformation provided by the South Korean authorities on a payment condition. Even in Japan the paper is known for representing the views of the ultra right-wing reactionaries and militarist forces of Japan.
The smear campaign escalated by the Japanese reactionaries over the "suspected kidnapping", whose true nature has already been brought to light, through such reptile media as Sankei Shimbun is intended to spoil the atmosphere for improving the DPRK-Japan relations which has been created with so much effort, bar Japan from properly compensating for the past wrongdoings and put the brake on opening state relations between the two countries.
Another point at issue regarding the Japanese reactionaries' talk about "suspected kidnapping" is the Japanese authorities' attitude of conniving at the anti-DPRK campaign of the reactionary media under the pretext of "freedom of speech."
If the Japanese authorities have a true will to improve the DPRK-Japan relations, they should honestly approach the talks with their own views.
Banquet to celebrate Kim Jong Il's birthday held
Tokyo, February 11 (KNS-KCNA) -- A banquet to celebrate the 58th birthday of the great leader General Secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea Kim Jong Il was held in Tokyo on Feb. 3.
Motofumi Makieda, chairman of the Japan Committee for Supporting the Independent and Peaceful Reunification of Korea, in his speech expressed reverence for Kim Jong Il, who is conducting energetic activities, and the Korean people who are expediting socialist construction firmly united around him under the difficult conditions.
Former prime minister of Japan Tomiichi Murayama said he would try to solve the urgent problems between Japan and the DPRK and establish diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Preparatory committees formed abroad
Pyongyang, February 13 (KCNA) -- An inaugural meeting of the preparatory committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia for celebrating the 58th birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il was held in Prague on Feb. 5.
The general secretary of the central committee of the party was elected chairman of the preparatory committee at the inaugural meeting.
At the meeting he said Kim Jong Il has devoted tireless efforts to developing the international communist and labour movements and the socialist cause, maintaining the steadfast revolutionary principle.
As long as Korea is led by Kim Jong Il the socialist cause will surely be accomplished there, he said.
The presidium of the Tajik communist party central committee adopted a decision on forming a preparatory committee for celebrating Kim Jong Il's 58th birthday on Feb. 1.
According to the decision, the chairman of the party was elected chairman of the preparatory committee.
Kim Jong Il's works published abroad
Pyongyang, February 13 (KCNA) -- The celebrated work of General Secretary Kim Jong Il "Let Us Reunify the Country Independently and Peacefully Through the Great Unity of the Entire Nation" was published in booklet by the all India Indo-Korean Friendship Association on Feb. 6.
The preface of the booklet wrote that the five-point policy of the great national unity clarified in the work is an immortal programme indicating the short cut for Korea's reunification.
It noted that Korea will surely be reunified because Kim Jong Il, guided by the idea of national reunification and gifted leadership ability of the President Kim Il Sung, is leading the whole nation's grand march for reunification.
Meanwhile, his famous work "on establishing the Juche outlook on the revolution" was released with due ceremony in Kathmandu.