Kim Yong Nam meets outgoing Chinese ambassador
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, met and had a talk with the outgoing Chinese ambassador to Korea, Wan Yongxiang, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
Present there were Pak Kil Yon, vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, officials concerned and Minister-Councilor Li Bin and officials of the Chinese embassy here.
Paek Nam Sun meets Italian ambassador
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun today met and conversed with Paolo Bruni, newly-appointed Italian ambassador to the DPRK, who paid a courtesy call on him.
FM of DPRK meets Chinese and Norwegian ambassadors
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- Foreign Minister of the DPRK Paek Nam Sun met and had a talk with the outgoing Chinese ambassador to Korea, Wan Yongxiang, yesterday.
Present on the occasion were vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Pak Kil Yon and Minister-Councilor of the Chinese embassy here Li Bin.
On the same day, Paek met with newly-appointed Norwegian ambassador to Korea Haakon Hjelde who paid a courtesy call on him.
Statement of spokesman for DPRK Society for Human Rights Studies
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- It is the sovereign state's legitimate right recognized by international law to protect members of the Japanese "red army" who sought political asylum in the DPRK, and nobody can put his nose into this issue.
A spokesman for the DPRK Society for Human Rights Studies stressed this in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement said:
According to foreign news reports, the United States argued that at the talks with the DPRK to be held soon, it would discuss the issue of "declassifying" the DPRK as a "sponsor of terrorism" on some conditions, one of which is that the DPRK should declare it will not allow members of the Japanese "red army" to stay in its territory.
This is an unbearable mockery and insult to the DPRK which opposes terrorism and respects human rights.
As for those members of the Japanese "red army," they are political exiles in the DPRK who fled from the Japanese authorities' harsh repression and persecution.
Nevertheless, the U.S. unreasonably urges the DPRK not to permit their stay any longer. It is an obstructive act of ignoring international usage and the requirement of the international law as well as a grave interference in the DPRK's internal affair.
The DPRK society for human rights studies scathingly denounces this act of the U.S. as an encroachment upon sovereignty of the DPRK and a wanton violation of the international law.
As well known to the world, over the last more than 50 years of its military occupation of South Korea the U.S. has wantonly violated the dignity and sovereignty of the Korean nation and frequently committed terrorism against innocent people and raped and killed women as it pleased. It has been brought to light one after another that the U.S. aggression forces committed massacres of people during the last Korean War. Some time ago, a South Korean woman was killed by a gi.
The U.S. is engaged in such international terrorism as wantonly violating the dignity and human rights of other nations. It committed blatant armed intervention against Iraq and Yugoslavia and other countries, thus encroaching upon their sovereignty.
It has also detained a large number of people of other countries in its territory under the name of "political asylum," gravely infringing upon independent rights of people. Recently, it detained a Cuban boy saved from distress at sea and has refused to send him back to his country where his kinsmen are waiting for him.
This clearly shows that the U.S. is the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism which engages itself in terrorist activities everywhere on earth and a vicious violator of human rights.
Whenever an opportunity presents itself, however, the U.S. tries to brand the DPRK as a "terrorist state" under the pretext of "human rights issue." This brigandish sophism is just like a thief crying "stop the thief." Worse still, preposterous sophism was let loose by the U.S. against the dialogue partner at a time when contact and negotiation are under way being held between the DPRK and the U.S.
This is a clear proof that the U.S. does not want the improvement of relations with the DPRK but is still clinging to a hostile policy toward the DPRK.
The U.S. must not employ an ill-intentioned tactics of insulting the dialogue partner under the pretext of "human right abuses" and "terrorism," dancing to the tune of right-wing conservative elements of Japan but respect the DPRK as a dialogue partner from a sincere stand.
Success of the DPRK-U.S. talks wholly depends upon the U.S. attitude.
We will never remain a passive onlooker to any sinister acts of the United States to impair the dignity and authority of the DPRK.
The U.S. must immediately stop hostile acts to hurt the DPRK but show its proper stand and willingness to ensure peace on the Korean peninsula and improve relations with it.
Mission and duty of WPK
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- The basic mission of the Worker's Party of Korea is to fight for victory of the cause of Juche.
The party was founded and has been strengthened and developed in the efforts for the application of the Juche idea. It has triumphantly led the revolution and construction through the application of the idea.
The Juche cause is the cause of the popular masses that is pioneered and developed under the banner of the idea= it is a sacred cause for the realization of independence of the popular masses through the application of the idea.
The party's basic mission stems from its character that the party is the revolutionary party of Juche.
The party is guided by the Juche idea and fights for the cause of Juche.
The immediate duty of the party in accomplishing the cause of Juche is to achieve the complete victory of socialism in the North Korea and the independent and peaceful reunification of the country.
The party, basing itself on the achievements and experience in socialist construction, greatly encourages all the people to the building of a powerful socialist country.
It works hard for an early realization of the independent, peaceful reunification of the country and the coordinated development of the country and nation.
The final duty of the party is to build a communist society through the modeling of the whole society on the Juche idea.
Only when all the members of society are trained to be communists of Juche type through the modeling of the whole society on the Juche idea and society and nature are transformed to meet the requirements of the Juche idea, is it possible to attain the ideological and material fortresses of communism and build a communist society where independence of the popular masses is fully realised.
The WPK set it as the supreme platform to build a communist society through the modeling of the whole society on the Juche idea, and is pushing ahead with the work to remold man and society and transform nature as demanded by the Juche idea.
Korean people's heroic mettle praised
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- Member of the executive committee and director of the Arab and international relations department of the Palestine Liberation Organization Zakaria al Agha said that he has come to have a good understanding of the indomitable faith and will of the Korean people through his visit to different places of the DPRK.
He led the PLO delegation on a visit to the DPRK.
He said:
The Korean people launched a satellite and built many edifices with their own efforts in several years despite unabated economic blockade and permanent danger of war on the part of the imperialists and difficulties. This is the result of the indomitable faith and will of the Korean people, their ideological readiness that only when they are firmly united around their leader can they do anything, fighting spirit and ardent love for their motherland.
Though there are many difficulties in the way ahead of the Korean people who work hard to build socialism, they courageously face them with optimism about future.
As they have the great Kim Jong Il as their leader, they fully demonstrate the heroic mettle as a revolutionary people.
Touching upon Korea's reunification, he said that Korea should be reunified by a confederacy formula advanced by President Kim Il Sung.
He expressed belief that friendship between Palestine and the DPRK would in the future, too, grow stronger and develop.
Heightened national pride and self-respect called for
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- It is important in preserving Juche character and national identity in the revolution and construction to maintain heightened national pride and self-respect, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
This is also of weighty importance in successfully advancing people's cause of independence and socialism, the article notes, and goes on:
National pride and self-respect serve as a powerful ideological weapon in the hands of the people in preserving the soul of the nation and bringing prosperity to it.
If a nation lacks this pride and self-respect, it will lose its spirit of independence, will not be able to preserve Juche character and national identity and, in the long run, will be subjected to other nation.
The historical experience goes to clearly prove that a nation with high national pride and self-respect will stay unfazed in face of the vicious moves of the imperialists for colonization and assimilation and achieve national independence and exalt its dignity and resourcefulness.
In order to heighten national pride and self-respect it is important to strengthen the ideological work among people to instill the spirit of national independence into them, give prominence to advantages of the nation and create more advantages of it.
General Secretary Kim Jong Il gave a comprehensive and perfect solution to the problem of raising national pride and self-respect.
This idea serves as a historic guideline to be held fast to by the world revolutionary people to preserve Juche character and national identity.
Worthy title for women
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- Women are called flowers of revolution, country and life in the DPRK.
A song on this theme was created in the early 1990s and is popular among all the people.
From olden times, people liken beauty and love of all things in the world to flower in general. But women have never been called flowers in human history before.
As a beautiful flower in nature is unthinkable without light and heat of the sun, so a worthy life and happiness of the women are unthinkable without the great loving care.
In the flower garden permeated with human love provided by the President Kim Il Sung and tended by General Secretary leader Kim Jong Il, the women in the DPRK who account for a half of its population enjoy their status as beautiful flowers after putting an end to the history of distress.
Choe Hui Suk, Ri Kye Sun and An Sun Hwa and many other young women anti-Japanese fighters laid down their lives for the liberation of the country, but now enjoy eternal worthy lives as flowers of revolution that came into bloom during the Japanese imperialist colonial rule. And An Yong Ae, Jo Ok Hui, Ri Su Dok, Sin Pho Hyang and other heroines were produced during the Fatherland Liberation War to be remembered by the people for their feats.
Among many known and unknown women who are loved by the motherland and the people as flowers of the revolution and the country are pacesetters in remolding of people in the postwar era of Chollima Ri Sin Ja and Kil Hwak Sil, heroines of the present era Jong Song Ok, a world marathon champion, Hyon Yong Ra, who distinguished herself in ultra-modern scientific researches, and Pak Ok Hui, chairwoman of a management board, who made a breakthrough in the treble-crop farming in the northern highlands.
Bright faces and laughter of the women as affectionate sisters, kind wives and meticulous mothers add to the fragrance of the flowers in life that makes families happy and society harmonious.
With these fragrant flowers in the country, the DPRK will improve the difficult economic life as soon as possible and speed up the building of a powerful nation.
NRI on steadily increasing number of "emigrants"
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- The National Reunification Institute released a statement dealing with the steadily increasing number of "emigrants" in South Korea owing to the anti-social rule by the U.S. and the South Korean authorities.
The statement said:
According to official data published by the South Korean authorities, the number of "emigrants" last year was over 14,000 or an increase of 12 percent over the figure of 1997, the last year of the Kim Young Sam "government."
This is a record high in recent years.
"Emigrants" came from mainly among the poor people in the past but nowadays come from people from all walks of life including medium and small businessmen and scientists, technicians, doctors and university professors.
The number of "emigrants" swelled to over one million in the early 1990s from hundreds of thousands in the mid-1970s.
The number of "emigrants" who left South Korea until now after Korea's liberation from the Japanese colonial rule on August 15, 1945, is more than 1,415,000.
This outnumbers those who left Korea for Jiandao, China, to save their life during the Japanese colonial rule.
The South Korean "emigration" is entirely attributable to the colonial fascist rule of the U.S. and the anti-national, anti-social rule of the South Korean authorities.
In a bid to actively promote "emigration" the South Korean authorities set up as a special organization the "overseas emigration committee" already in the 1950s.
They made the anti-national "emigration" part of their policy by instituting the "overseas emigration law" and organizing the "emigration council" in the 1960s and the 1970s.
The present "government" of South Korea is encouraging the "emigration," calling for the "simplification of procedures for overseas emigration" and the adoption of the "law on legal status of overseas Koreans."
The exodus of "emigrants" shows that South Korea is, indeed, a veritable hell and a society without future, the statement said, adding:
History will never tolerate the treacherous crimes of the South Korean authorities who forced the fate of "emigrant" upon the South Korean people.
GI's murder of S. Korean woman flayed
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- Corporal McCarthy of the U.S. Army killed a South Korean woman in cold blood recently against the backdrop of a ceaseless disclosure of GIs' massacres of peaceable civilians during the last Korean War.
The U.S. forces present in South Korea have brought unspeakable misfortune, sufferings and calamities to the South Korean people.
As many as 270,000 cases of looting, rape and murder and other crimes have been committed by the U.S. forces in South Korea over the last 55 years of their presence.
The crackdown upon the popular resistance in October, 1946, the Kwangju Popular Uprising in 1980 and other struggles of the South Korean people for independence, democracy and reunification and massacres of many patriots involved in them were wire-pulled by the U.S.
When the popular uprising broke out on Jeju island in 1948, the U.S. threw the "national defence guard" and armed police into putting down it after ordering them "to retain grip on Jeju island even if they exterminate its population." More than 70,000 civilians or one fourth of its population were cruelly massacred.
They took the lives of at least 109,000 South Koreans in the year of 1949. One million people were killed by them in less than one year after the outbreak of the Korean war.
South Korean casualties caused by the U.S. forces since the truce that took effect in July, 1953 have reached hundreds of thousands.
There are more than 200 U.S. forces bases in Tongduchon, Uijongbu and other parts of South Korea which have become a source of murder and terror.
At least 2,400 South Korean civilians lost their lives or got injured during the military exercises staged by the U.S. forces in firing ranges and drill grounds inside their bases in about 8 years of the 1990s.
Yun Kum I and Ho Ju Yon were among those many South Korean women who were cruelly killed by GIs after being raped in their bases or in areas near them.
The total material and manpower loss and mental damage inflicted by the U.S. upon the Korean people are estimated to be at 15,000 billion dollars.
The U.S. forces should be forced to pay for all their crimes.
KCNA on U.S. senator's reckless remarks
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- U.S. senator Libermann at a recent seminar in Washington reportedly urged Japan to revise the present constitution so that its military forces might be dispatched overseas. So to speak, he encouraged Japan to rewrite the peace constitution that bans war for its full-scale aggression overseas.
This laid bare the U.S. sinister attempt to use the Japanese armed forces as a shock brigade in carrying out its military strategy to dominate the Asia-Pacific region.
To this end, the United States has trained Japanese armed forces systematically after World War II. Last year it instigated Japan to adopt the legislation related to the "U.S.-Japan Defence Cooperation Guidelines" so as to legalize the overseas military actions of Japanese militarism.
By doing so, the U.S. made a short cut to using Japanese armed forces as it pleases in carrying out military operations in the Asia-Pacific region. The present Japanese constitution is the only hurdle in its way. If the constitution is revised, the Japanese armed forces can be involved in any war of aggression in the world.
The United States' attempt to draw them in a war is as dangerous as drawing water to a water-mill of Japanese militarism.
The U.S. reckless move to revive Japanese militarism goes to prove that the U.S. is the arch harasser of the world peace.
S. Korean authorities hit for spreading misinformation
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary rails against the South Korean authorities for busying themselves spreading misinformation these days.
They floated through Yonhap News story that the DPRK delegation to the IIHF Asian Oceanic Junior U18 Championships held in February agreed with the South Korean delegation to have "joint training" and to "form a unified team." Dong-a Ilbo reported that a South Korean press struck a "deal" with the publications export and import agency of the DPRK.
Dismissing these reports as a sheer fabrication, the commentary makes it clear that the DPRK side has not signed any agreement or any contract with the south side.
The South Korean authorities seek a very crafty and sinister aim in spreading misinformation to mislead public opinion at home and abroad, the commentary notes, and goes on:
They are keen to create the impression that brisk sports and cultural exchanges are now under way between the north and south in a bid to convince the public that they are achieving a sort of "results" in the north-south dialogue.
By doing so, they want to create an atmosphere for the "National Assembly election" favourable to them.
The media must remain unbiased in any case.
The South Korean press should feel ashamed of being involved in a false propaganda, tricked by the authorities.
They should know that it is anti-national and anti-reunification crimes to release misinformation which will only result in hindering reconciliation and unity between the north and south and reunification and fostering confrontation, far from releasing reports in favour of them.
Moroccan Juche idea study group formed
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- The Group for the Study of the Juche Idea of Moroccan Youth was inaugurated on March 1 to mark 18 years after General Secretary Kim Jong Il's famous work "On the Juche Idea" was published on March 31, Juche 71 (1982).
Said al Fikak, chairman of the Socialist Youth League of Morocco, was elected honorary chairman of the group.
He said at the inaugural meeting that at the present time when the dominationist moves of the imperialists reach a grave stage, the Juche idea is a great idea that indicates the road of struggle to be followed by the world's socialist forces and other anti-imperialist independent forces and encourages the struggle of the progressive humankind to build a free and peaceful new world.
A letter to Kim Jong Il was adopted at the meeting.