Congratulatory letter to Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, April 25 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a congratulatory letter from the military attaches' corps here on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the foundation of the heroic Korean People's Army.
The letter was delivered on Monday to Kim Il Chol, Minister of the People's Armed Forces, by Vu Dinh Thang, doyen of the military attaches' corps and military attach of the embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Meanwhile, congratulatory letters and gifts to Kim Jong Il were conveyed to an official concerned by the military attaches of embassies of Vietnam, Iran, Russia and Peru.
Partial visa exemption accord signed between DPRK and Malaysia
Pyongyang, April 25 (KCNA) -- A partial visa exemption accord between the governments of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Malaysia was signed in the building of the Foreign Ministry of Malaysia on April 20.
It was inked by Kim Ja Ryong, DPRK ambassador to Malaysia, and Datuk Abdul Kadir Mohamad, general secretary of the Malaysian Foreign Ministry.
Reception given on army day
Pyongyang, April 25 (KCNA) -- The Ministry of the People's Armed Forces gave a reception yesterday on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the foundation of the heroic Korean People's Army.
KPA colonel general Ryo Chun Sok in his speech said that the history of the KPA is a history of the indefatigable guidance of the great leader Kim Il Sung and the respected Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il over the KPA.
He noted that Kim Jong Il set forth the unique idea of attaching great importance to the army that the army is precisely the party, the state and the people and has strengthened and developed the KPA into a matchless army.
Doyen of the military attaches corps here Vu Dinh Thang, military attach of the Vietnamese embassy, speaking at the reception, warmly congratulated the officers and men of the KPA on its 68th foundation anniversary on behalf of the military attaches corps.
Noting that today the KPA is reliably defending the socialist homeland, he expressed the firm belief that under the wise guidance of Kim Jong Il the Korean people and people's army would register great achievements in socialist construction and in the struggle to accomplish the cause of the independent and peaceful reunification of the country, overcoming temporary difficulties.
U.S. warned not to meddle in other's affair
Pyongyang, April 25 (KCNA) -- The United States will "continue to urge North Korea to stop providing shelter to Japanese terrorists who have been in the country following their 1970 hijacking," a senior state department official said on April 18, adding the demand would continue to be a condition for the north to be taken off the list of countries the U.S. says are sponsoring terrorists, according to foreign news reports.
This lays bare the vicious U.S. plan to continue to unreasonably brand the DPRK as a "terrorist state" in a bid to isolate and stifle it.
Strictly speaking, "Yodo" plane case and the issue of members of the Japanese "Red Army" is not the problem that allows U.S. interference.
The DPRK stand on "Yodo" plane case caused by left-wing students and the issue of them was already clarified through the KCNA statement issued on April 4, 1970.
The DPRK can never play the role of an agent of the Japanese police. It is the consistent stand of the DPRK that it will send members of the "Red Army" back to Japan any time if the Japanese authorities provide them with freedom of their political activities.
As far as those members of the "Red Army" are concerned, they sought asylum in the DPRK for political reasons. To protect political exiles is in line with the universal declaration on human rights and is a legitimate right of a sovereign state recognized by the international law.
The historical facts have proved that those members of the "Red Army" who had taken refuge in our country have not been engaged in any terrorism but the U.S. has been hell-bent on the smear campaign against the DPRK under the pretext of that issue.
Nevertheless, the U.S. continues pushing for the "extradition of terrorists." This is an unpardonable deliberate act to keep the DPRK listed as a "sponsor of terrorism" in a bid to tarnish its international authority and isolate and stifle it.
The U.S. is the world's biggest kidnapper as it has kidnapped and allured a large number of people from different countries before disguising them as "exiles." Yet, the U.S. is shameless enough to keep the DPRK, which has nothing to do with terrorism, listed as a "sponsor of terrorism." This is all the more intolerable.
The U.S., which lured even a diplomat of other country into "exile" in broad daylight, dares to meddle in the issue of members of the "Red Army" raising a hue and cry over "terrorism."
This imprudent behavior of the U.S. suggests that it is arrogantly acting an "international gendarme."
The U.S. is well advised to properly judge the situation and drop its bad habit to do harm to other countries under unreasonable pretexts.
Army day observed
Pyongyang, April 25 (KCNA) -- Papers here today editorially observe the 68th anniversary of the heroic Korean People's Army.
Rodong Sinmun in an editorial titled "Our people's army will always glorify its honor as the army of the party, the army of the leader" says the nearly 70-year long victorious and glorious history of the KPA is a history in which it has demonstrated its might as the army of the Worker's Party of Korea, the army of the leader.
The greatest historic feat performed by the great leader Kim Il Sung on behalf of the party, the revolution, the country and the people was that he provided a sure guarantee for strengthening and developing the KPA into the eternal army of the party, the army of the leader with his clairvoyant farsighted wisdom, the editorial notes, and goes on:
The glorious history of the heroic KPA which has demonstrated its dignity as the army of the party, the army of the leader is adorned with the outstanding and tested leadership of the respected Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il.
The army-first politics, a completely new and unique mode of politics in our era, is a most effective and perfect political mode whereby the KPA has been successfully trained as the army of the party, the army of the leader and the revolution and construction steered to one victory after another.
The KPA is an invincible army which is in the indestructible perfect unity with Kim Jong Il and a proud revolutionary army which fights the way he does.
Today the spirit of Juche Korea determined to win certain victory by dynamically advancing towards a high eminence of a powerful nation, holding high the banner of socialism, is the militant spirit of the KPA which has grown stronger to be the army of the party, the army of the Supreme Commander.
The immortal feats Kim Jong Il has performed in the army building by training well the KPA into the army of the party, the army of the leader with his army first politics and providing a sure guarantee for the victorious advance and accomplishment of the revolutionary cause of Juche will shine forever together with the history of the prospering and developing socialist Korea.
Minju Joson carries an editorial titled "KPA under iron-willed brilliant commander is ever victorious".
Evening gala held
Pyongyang, April 25 (KCNA) -- An evening gala of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces was held last evening on Jonsung Square in Pyongyang on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the heroic Korean People's Army.
The square was in a festive mood.
Present there were Jo Myong Rok, director of the general political department of the KPA, Kim Yong Chun, chief of the general staff of the KPA, Kim Il Chol, Minister of the People's Armed Forces, and generals, officers and men of the KPA.
The participants extended highest glory and congratulations to the respected Marshal Kim Jong Il, who is glorifying the exploits performed by the great leader President Kim Il Sung in the army building from generation to generation with army-first leadership, dancing to the tune of "Song of Best Wishes" and "Song of Three Prides," etc.
KPA vice-marshals and leading officials of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces joined servicemen in dancing, turning the square into a veritable sea of dancers.
Chanting revolutionary slogans and singing the song "We Will Devotedly Defend the Headquarters of Revolution" in chorus, the servicemen of the KPA made their firm determination to reliably guarantee and complete with arms the revolutionary cause of Juche, which was pioneered with arms.
Japan urged to make formal apology
Pyongyang, April 25 (KCNA) -- What is prerequisite for Japan in redressing its past wrongs done against the DPRK is to sincerely repent of all misfortune, sufferings, disasters and damage it inflicted upon the Korean people and make a formal political apology carrying its will not to repeat its past, observes Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary.
Material compensation without apology is not a repentance of the past but a mere economic deal, the commentary says, and goes on:
Japan should make a thorough and clear apology for its past crimes.
To this end, it is imperative for the chief executive of Japan to make a direct apology for its past wrongs and specify it in a legal document.
Japan's apology should be a specific formal one to the DPRK.
Whether Japan has a will to stipulate its apology in a final document related to opening diplomatic relations between the two countries or not is a criterion showing whether it is ready or not to show before the international community its will not to repeat its past aggression by fulfilling its international commitment in practice, not with empty words.
Japanese diet should also adopt a resolution on apology.
Only this type of apology can convince people that Japan is honest in its repentance of its past and command recognition from them.
The prospect of the DPRK-Japan normalization process will hinge, after all, on how Japan makes an apology and how it redresses its past and this will estimate the moral value and conscience of Japan.
Foundation of regular revolutionary armed forces
Pyongyang, April 25 (KCNA) -- The Worker's Party of Korea accomplished the historic cause of army building by reorganizing the Korean People's Revolutionary Army (KPRA) which was founded on April 25, 1932 into regular revolutionary armed forces, while leading the building of a new society after liberation.
The President Kim Il Sung laid down the principle of building a regular revolutionary army with sons and daughters of workers and peasants and other working people, anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters being its backbone, in his speech made before military and political cadres on august 20, Juche 34 (1945).
Guided by this principle, the WPK energetically pushed ahead with the work to strengthen and develop the KPRA into regular revolutionary armed forces.
There were many bottlenecks and difficulties in the process of founding the regular armed forces.
Korea at that time lacked military and political cadres equipped with modern military science and technology and the material foundation for the army building was also weak.
But the WPK tackled all the problems from the stand of Juche.
It saw to it that anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters steeled in the hard-fought anti-Japanese armed struggle played a key role in building revolutionary armed forces and the training of military and political cadres was made in conformity with the specific conditions of Korea.
The Pyongyang Institute, the Mother Institution for Training Military and Political Cadres, was founded in February 1946 to be followed by the appearance of the central security officers school.
Many core military and political cadres were produced by those military schools to positively contribute to the creation of the KPA, regular revolutionary armed forces.
The WPK channelled efforts into building core units of the regular revolutionary armed forces and organizing new units of different arms and services needed for the building of a revolutionary army.
Security officers training centers were established in various local areas with graduates from the Pyongyang institute as their core officers and their branches created.
A battalion, companies, platoons and squads were organized under each branch.
The Korean aviation association was formed through the merger of local aviation associations and developed to be an air corps.
Cadres of naval forces were trained to lay the foundation of naval units.
The core units, units of various arms and services of the regular army were created under the leadership of the WPK.
Full preparations were thus made for strengthening and developing the KPRA into a regular army.
On the basis of these arrangements, Kim Il Sung proclaimed the birth of the KPA, regular revolutionary armed forces, at the parade of the KPA held on February 8, Juche 37 (1948).
The Korean people thus came to have their own strong revolutionary armed forces.
Wreaths and floral baskets laid on army day
Pyongyang, April 25 (KCNA) -- Senior party and state officials, servicemen of the Korean People's Army (KPA), working people, students and school children and the military attaches' corps here laid wreaths and floral baskets today on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the heroic KPA.
Present there were Ri Ul Sol, Hong Song Nam and other officials.
Wreaths and floral baskets sent by General Secretary Kim Jong Il were seen before wreath-laying stands of the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery on Mt. Taesong, the Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery and the monument to the victory of the Fatherland Liberation War and in front of the sculpture "victory", the thematic one of the monument.
Amid the playing of music, wreaths and floral baskets in the names of the Central Committee of the WPK, the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the cabinet of the DPRK were laid.
Wreaths and floral baskets in the names of the party and military institutions, power organs, working people's organizations, national institutions, scientific, educational, health and press organs, factories and farms were also laid. Then, people from all walks of life placed bouquets and flowers.
Meanwhile, the military attaches' corps here today laid a wreath and a floral basket before the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery on Mt. Taesong and the monument to the victory of the Fatherland Liberation War.
Wreaths were also placed before statues of martyrs, monuments to the fallen KPA soldiers and graves of martyrs across the country.