Kim Yong Nam receives credentials
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, received credentials from newly-appointed Ambassador E. P. of the Kingdom of Norway Haakon Hjelde and newly-appointed Ambassador E. P. of the Republic of Italy Paolo Bruni to the DPRK at the mansudae assembly hall today.
Present there was Pak Tong Chun, vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs.
After receiving credentials, Kim Yong Nam conversed with the ambassadors.
DPRK order awarded to Chinese ambassador
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- Friendship order first class of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was awarded to Wan Yongxiang, outgoing Chinese ambassador to the DPRK, for his contribution to upgrading the DPRK-China relations of friendship and cooperation.
Attending the awarding ceremony, which was held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on March 9, were President Kim Yong Nam of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, vice-Minister Pak Kil Yon of Foreign Affairs and Chinese embassy officials here.
The ambassador said that the order awarded to him is an expression of warm friendly feelings of the DPRK party, government and people toward their Chinese counterparts as well as to himself. He would in the future, too, make every possible effort to upgrade the friendly relations between china and the DPRK.
Restart of investigation into whereabouts of "missing" Japanese
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- At the DPRK-Japan Red Cross talks in Beijing on December 21 last year the two sides agreed to restart an investigation into whereabouts of the "missing" Japanese and missing Koreans.
Under the agreement the central committee of the DPRK Red Cross Society sent to its affiliated provincial, city and county branches a notice on the restart of the investigation into the "missing persons" proposed by the Japanese side and the competent relevant organs kicked off the investigation as a matter of routine.
The investigation will be made our own way.
Judging from the recent kidnapping in Niigata, Japan, a more thorough-going investigation should be made into the whereabouts of those reported "missing" in Japan, too.
Historic meeting on Mt. Wangjae
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- A historic meeting of weighty importance in the struggle to liberate the country from the Japanese colonial rule took place on March 11, Juche 22 (1933).
The President Kim Il Sung advanced into the Onsong area, the northern border area of Korea, leading a unit of the guerrilla army, and convened a meeting of chiefs of underground revolutionary organisations and political workers in the Onsong area on Mt. Wangjae.
At the meeting he made a historic speech "to spread and develop the armed struggle into the homeland."
He put forward the tasks of revolutionary organisations in the homeland to spread and develop the armed struggle into the homeland, firmly unite the whole nation into a political force under the banner of anti-Japanese national united front based on worker-peasant alliance and push ahead with mass movement and preparations for party founding.
His speech served as an action program and guidelines for struggle of the Korean communists and other people in expanding and developing the Korean revolution as a whole centering around the anti-Japanese armed struggle.
The guerrilla base built in broad area on the River Tuman, the northern tip of Korea, after the meeting made it possible to secure the fountainhead of the Korean revolution, a military strategic base and supply base of the anti-Japanese people's guerrilla army with which to develop the Korean revolution as a whole centering around the anti-Japanese armed struggle.
Preserved in the original status in the Onsong area are the meeting place and other revolutionary sites that show the achievements made under the leadership of the President and his exploits in the struggle. Standing there are the grand monument to the meeting on Mt. Wangjae with the statue of the President, the Wangjaesan revolutionary museum and the monument to revolutionary activities on Mt. Wangjae to convey his revolutionary exploits to posterity for all ages.
Scientists contribute to building powerful nation
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- Korean scientists are registering signal scientific and technological successes though they are hard pressed for everything.
They have solved scientific and technological problems arising in the realities and make their results pay off in production so as to make tangible contributions to the building of a powerful nation.
The Vinalon institute of the Hamhung branch of the Academy of Sciences successfully solved a new scientific and technological problem in drastically raising economic efficiency. This helps streamline production processes in various domains, and remarkably decrease the consumption of electricity.
The institute developed a new material applicable to medical treatment.
The inorganic chemistry institute succeeded in researches, development and application of an electrode for producing shoe moulds its own way.
The organic chemistry institute made researches and developed highly efficient agricultural chemicals by use of locally available raw materials. The experimental apparatus institute developed a hydrogen analyzer, a flow meter, an automatic temperature and humidity log its own way to contribute to helping chemical factories put production on a steady footing.
Besides, the scientists of the branch solved many scientific and technological problems arising in various domains of the national economy, including the Sungri Motor Works, the Hungnam Fertilizer Factory and the Sunchon Vinalon Factory.
Such dazzling successes have been gained since General Secretary Kim Jong Il's on-site guidance to the Hamhung branch in March last year.
During his inspection he acquainted himself with the successes gained by the scientists under the difficult conditions of the country, highly praised them for their achievements and indicated the way of researches for the nation's economic development and the improvement of the standard of people's living.
After the inspection he sent valuable medicines to the scientists for their health.
The scientists throughout the country, moved by the great loving care, push ahead with the scientific researches to glorify the year, the 55th anniversary of the Worker's Party of Korea.
"God of Present Century" published
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- A book "God of Present Century" (guardian of independent state) written by O Ik Je dealing with the greatness of General Secretary Kim Jong Il was published on the occasion of his birthday.
O Ik Je, vice-chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, defected from South Korea and settled down in the North Korea in August, Juche 86 (1997).
The book is a continuation of "God of Present Century" (leader of history) that came off the press last year and his second book he published in the north.
Praising Kim Jong Il for having most strikingly demonstrated the independent will of the nation in its history spanning five thousand years, the book deals with the shining feats he has performed by building a powerful independent country, the centuries-old desire of the nation, and firmly defending the DPRK with its might.
GI's murder under fire
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- Louder voices denouncing the GI's brutal murder of a South Korean woman are ringing out from different parts of the DPRK.
Meetings were held at the Pyongyang Changgwang Garment Factory, the Namsan Fancy Works factory in Nampho, the Sunchon Shoes Factory in South Phyongan Province, the Wonsan Footwear Factory in Kangwon Province and on the Pongdong cooperative farm in Phanmun county, Kaesong, to condemn the murder.
Speakers at the meetings denounced the recent incident as a premeditated man-slaughter and a crime committed by of the brutal U.S. cannibals who regard the South Korean people inferior to animals.
The GIs' ceaseless crimes in South Korea such as murder, robbery, rape and plunder are being encouraged by the South Korean authorities' vicious flunkeyism and treachery, they pointed out, saying truth behind the massacres committed by the GIs in South Korea should be investigated one by one.
S. Korean "Defence Minister's" remarks
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- Jo Song Thae, "Defence Minister" of South Korea, recently cried out for "maintaining full military readiness to cope with military threat of the north."
His utterances are no more than a trite sophism of the South Korean warhawks to justify their arms buildup and design to invade the north.
The South Korean authorities continue to purchase various kinds of latest offensive means and war equipment such as unmanned assault plane, ship-to-ship missile, submarine, large-scale transport vessel so as to drastically reinforce offensive armed forces for an aggression on the DPRK. At the same time, they carried out the restructuring of the army under the "operation plan 5027-98" and are staging adventurous war exercises to implement it.
They even set up the "air operation command," a new task force, while stepping up on a full scale the preparations for a war against the north. Nevertheless, they are impudently raising a hue and cry over "threat" from the north.
Lurking behind the ado about "threat" is their sinister intention to divert the people's attention elsewhere and intensify the anti-DPRK confrontation and thus create a political atmosphere in South Korea before the "National Assembly election" favorable to them.
The South Korean authorities must not act rashly, examining the political and military situation on the Korean peninsula and the requirement of the times squarely.
S. Korean authorities hit for suppression of students
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- The secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland issued information bulletin no. 804 on March 9 denouncing the South Korean authorities for viciously suppressing students in the anti-U.S. struggle.
Students under the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils on March 6 staged an anti-U.S. demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, scattering copies of literature critical of the U.S.'s crimes and carrying placard reading "U.S., murderer of civilians, go away."
The South Korean authorities threw the protesters behind bars.
The fascist suppression is another clear evidence of despicable flunkeyist and treacherous colors of the South Korean authorities who are working hard to defend the U.S. masters, afraid of infringement upon their safety and interests. The information bulletin says, and continues:
The CPRF secretariat bitterly denounces suppression, considering it to be an unpardonable anti-national criminal act to put down at any cost the ever-growing the spirit of independence against the U.S. in South Korea and prolong their remaining days in reliance upon the U.S.
The South Korean authorities should have a correct understanding of the trend of the times and stop cracking down upon the struggle of the South Korean students and people of other social strata for independence against the U.S., the information bulletin says.
S. Korean students' anti-U.S. Struggle supported
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary supports the anti-U.S. struggle for independence staged by students under the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul a few days ago. The presence of the U.S. aggressors in South Korea that has lasted for over half a century is a bloody history in which they have brought to its people nothing but national maltreatment, contempt and death, the commentary says, and goes on:
Unable to bear all this any longer, the South Korean people are coming out in the anti-U.S. struggle to give vent to their pent-up resentment.
The anti-U.S. struggle of students under Hanchongryon for independence represented the firm will of the popular masses.
Their brave struggle is fully supported by the whole nation.
Branding the South Korean authorities' crackdown upon their anti-U.S. struggle as a treacherous act, the commentary declares that nothing can arrest their just and patriotic struggle.
S. Korean authorities' false propaganda refuted
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- Minju Joson today comments on the base false propaganda launched by the South Korean authorities through their media.
Some days ago, Yonhap News spread misinformation that the DPRK delegation to the IIHF Asian Oceanic Junior U18 Championships held in February proposed the south side delegation to have "joint training" in Seoul and Pyongyang alternately and "form a unified team" for a world tournament. Dong-a Ilbo also reported that a South Korean press exchanged an "agreement" on joint printing business with the publications export and import agency of the DPRK.
Dismissing this as a sheer lie, the commentary says: The DPRK side has never discussed any issue nor struck any deal with the south side.
The South Korean authorities' false propaganda is designed to garner even one more vote at the "National Assembly election" slated for April.
The ruling "Democratic Party" stands ostracized by a broad section of people for its sycophantic treacherous politics and anti-social rule. On top of this, it finds it difficult to hold the majority of seats in the "National Assembly" owing to the secession of the "United Liberal Democrats" from the ruling coalition.
The present ruling quarters, upset by this, work hard to convince the public that they are doing something to improve the north-south relations.
It is foolish and pitiful of them to try to win popularity through such poor false propaganda.
This will not help them get rid of the dilemma into which they have been driven.
The South Korean media should feel ashamed of being involved in a false propaganda, tricked by the ruling quarters, forgetting their ethics that they should be unbiased in any case.
U.S. call for revision of Japanese constitution blasted
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary assails the call of some American politicians for Japan's constitutional revision.
The commentary says:
At a seminar on the U.S.-Japan relations at the U.S. strategic affairs institute U.S. senator Libermann did not bother to cry out for the revision of the constitution for the use of the military force of Japan overseas, claiming that the constitutional revision is positive for the U.S.
The assistant to former U.S. president bush for national security underscored the need for Japan to rewrite the constitution, asserting that during the Persian Gulf War Japan played only a limited role because of the constitutional restriction and "frankly speaking, if Japan had dispatched its forces to the war it would have been better for it."
The U.S. ruling quarters' call for the revision of the Japanese constitution is just like adding fuel to the fire as it is an act of egging the Japanese reactionaries on to abrogating "peace constitution" and instituting instead a war constitution.
A retrogressive revision of the present constitution called "peace constitution" is now under formal discussion at the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors of the Japanese diet, the first of its kind after the war.
This is aimed to make Japan a war state under the constitution and mobilize all the manpower, material and military potentials for full-scale overseas aggression.
The U.S. seeks to use Japan as a shock brigade in realising its Asian strategy. But the constitutional restriction of Japan is a hurdle in its way. Though the U.S. secured a variety of levers guaranteeing Japan's military assistance to the U.S. in case of "emergency", its "peace constitution" bans Japan from any war action. So the U.S. is so keen on removing such constitutional restriction of Japan.
It is the ulterior intention of the United States to achieve its aggressive design with less efforts and with no financial contribution by making Japan shoulder the war burden and bear its brunt within the framework of the shackling military alliance.
Japan for persistent moves to become military power
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan on Wednesday approved a bill on promoting the Defense Agency to "Defence Ministry" and decided to submit it to the diet soon.
This shows that the Japanese reactionaries' sinister moves to turn Japan into a full-fledged military power have reached an extremely reckless stage.
In this way Japan is inching closer to the militarization of the country and the wartime system.
Last year it adopted and put into effect the legislation related to the updated "guidelines," which legalizes its military forces' actions overseas. It is, in essence, a wartime law. Patronized by the United States, the Japanese reactionaries have become so emboldened as to make desperate efforts these days to revise its postwar pacifist constitution which bans a war.
Japan is second only to the U.S. in military appropriations in the world. It is on a par with the U.S. in military equipment and technology and outdistances the latter in some domains.
It is not without reason that Asian nations are unionimous in describing the Japanese militarists' moves to turn Japan into a military giant as a prelude to reinvasion.
Such moves will only lead Japan to self-destruction. The Japanese reactionaries are forgetful of this, buoyed by fever of reinvasion.
Provocative remarks of Tokyo metropolitan governor
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- Tokyo metropolitan governor of Japan, Ishihara, reportedly said at a seminar of members of the House of Councilors from the Liberal Democratic Party and the Liberal Party of Japan on March 7 that "Japan would destroy North Korea at one blow if it resorts to folly."
His remarks are getting on nerves of the DPRK and compel it to question the Japanese government whether it is willing to improve relations with the DPRK or not as they are very grave and provocative utterances which are almost timed to coincide with the announcement of the timetable for resuming the DPRK-Japan inter-governmental talks for establishing diplomatic relations between them and Red Cross talks.
His remarks little short of a declaration of war against the DPRK lash all the Korean people into surging resentment and hatred and touch off bitter anti-Japanese sentiments.
The gravity of his remarks was that he sarcastically called the authoritative and dignified DPRK "Hokusen" in Japanese in reference to North Korea.
This shows that he is typical of the Japanese ultra-right reactionaries and the sworn enemy of the Korean people who has left no stone unturned to slander and do harm to the DPRK, steeped in the anti-DPRK hostile idea to the marrow.
What matters all the more is that he let loose a string of foolish outcries for "destroying North Korea at one blow" under the pretext of its "folly."
Needless to say, this is intended to contain the DPRK by force of arms and repeat the history of the past colonial rule. Such remarks can be made only by a backward child ignorant of the needs of the times and politics.
His bellicose remarks throw a wet blanket over the full-dress DPRK-Japan intergovernmental talks to be held soon.
It must not go unnoticed that he made such provocative remarks in Tokyo, the venue of the second round of the DPRK-Japan talks, at a time when the first round is expected to be held.
We are ready both for dialogue and confrontation.
Now that the Japanese reactionaries are whetting sword behind the curtain of dialogue, it is self-evident that we are compelled to take a strong self-defensive countermeasure.
Their foolish argument about "destroying North Korea at one blow" only leads them to self-destruction.
They should know well Japanese islands including Tokyo are not out of our eyeshot.
If the Japanese bellicose elements such as Ishihara turn to reinvasion despite our warnings, we will mercilessly retaliate against them.
Chongryon officials lodge protest with Japanese magazine office
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- The Japanese magazine Shukan Gendai carried a false article on what is called "suspected remittance."
In this regard, representatives of the central standing committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, the Association of Korean Credit Unions in Japan and the Federation of Korean Workers in Commerce in Japan on March 3 called on the deputy editor of the magazine to lodge a strong protest against it, Joson Sinbo published in Japan reported.
The article was written by a person who has been engaged in the smear campaign against the DPRK and Chongryon. He in this article argued about "irregular remittance" and "illicit fund handling."
The representatives disclosed the falsity of the story and criticized the magazine office for having carried it.
This is an open challenge to the DPRK and Chongryon and it is based on a dishonest political intention to discredit the Korean national bank, they pointed out.
They strongly urged the office to unconditionally make an apology for that and correction of it.
Kim Jong Il's works published in Russia
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- The Paleya Publishing House of Russia brought out a book "Socialism of Juche" which contains famous works of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
The book carries his works "On the Juche Idea" (March 31, Juche 71 or 1982), "On Some Problems of Education In the Juche Idea" (May 17, Juche 75 or 1986) and "Abuses of Socialism Are Intolerable" (March 1, Juche 82 or 1993).
Written in the book are words "Library (treasure house of world philosophies)" and "We publishes this book to commemorate the 58th birthday of Marshal Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea, chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army who is the faithful successor to President of the DPRK comrade Kim Il Sung, a great son of the Korean people." The publishing house presented this book to Kim Jong Il.
Korean books presented to Tajikistan
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- A ceremony of presenting Korean books was held at the Leninabad regional committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan on March 2.
At the ceremony the DPRK ambassador conveyed Korean books to first secretary of the regional committee Khadiyev. Among those books were celebrated works of the President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il including "Kim Il Sung's Works" and "On the Juche Idea".
Khadiyev said it was a great happiness and honor of the party members in the region to receive the works of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
The Juche idea fathered by Kim Il Sung serves as the guiding idea showing the road ahead of the Korean people and the progressives of the world and as a valuable sword bringing progress, prosperity and happiness to humankind, he said.