Kim Jong Il sends wreath to bier of O Ryong Bang
Pyongyang, June 7 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il sent a wreath today to the bier of KPA General O Ryong Bang, vice-Minister of the People's Armed Forces who is also member of the WPK Central Committee, member of the WPK Central Military Commission and deputy to the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, expressing deep condolences on his death.
O Ryong Bang died of a sudden illness on Tuesday at the age of 74.
Anniversary of Korean Children's Union marked
Pyongyang, June 7 (KCNA) -- Events took place at schools across the country to celebrate the 54th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean Children's Union.
Admission ceremonies of the KCU were held in different parts of the DPRK on June 6, the holiday of the KCU members, at which a large number of school children had an honor of being enrolled in the union, with red ties around their necks.
Sports meets were conducted at schools and children's camps across the country.
Korea's reunification supported
Pyongyang, June 7 (KCNA) -- Branko Kitanovic, general secretary of the New Yugoslav Communist Party, signed the signature paper on behalf of 30,000 party members on May 31 in support of the three-point charter of Korea's reunification.
Fascist actions taken against pro-reunification patriots flayed
Pyongyang, June 7 (KCNA) -- The "Seoul district court" on June 2 sentenced Buddhist priest Jin Kwan to 10 months' imprisonment, one year's suspension of civil rights and on May 26 sentenced father Mun Kyu Hyon to 2 years' imprisonment, 2 years' suspension of civil rights and a 3 year-stay of execution.
Minju Joson today in a signed commentary dismisses this as an outright challenge to the fellow countrymen's desire for reunification.
Recalling that Jin Kwan spearheaded the pan-national rally for reunification aspired after by all the fellow countrymen and Mun Kyu Hyon visited the North Korea out of his patriotic desire for reunification and participated in the grand festival for reunification, the commentary observes that their activities can never be incriminated as they were prompted by their patriotic devotion.
These legal actions taken against the pro-reunification patriots under the "Security Law," far from giving them prominence and praising them, are criminal acts against the nation and reunification, the commentary notes, and goes on:
These are deliberate and premeditated actions as they were taken at a time when the fellow countrymen's desire for reunification is mounting with the hard-won north-south dialogue at hand.
Through this persecution the South Korean authorities seek to put a brake on the reunification movement, but they are seriously mistaken, the commentary warns.
It goes on:
Their fascist actions will only result in escalating the pro-reunification patriotic movement.
If the "dialogue" and "reunification" on the lips of the South Korean authorities are true, they should revoke severe punishment inflicted upon the pro-reunification patriots, immediately repeal the evil "Security Law" and set free all the illegally detained patriots.
S. Koreans call for closure of U.S. firing range
Pyongyang, June 7 (KCNA) -- At least 3,000 members of some 100 civic organizations including villagers of Maehyang-ri, Hwasong county, Kyonggi Province, students under the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils and the federation of environmental movement of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a mammoth protest rally and an event of creating a human belt on June 6 in front of the office of the Measure Committee for Compensation for Damage Done To Civilians and the firing range demanding its closure, according to radio reports from Seoul.
The participants in the rally sprayed paint on the signboard on the gate of the U.S. firing range, cut off hundreds of sections of wire entanglements around the firing range and pulled out piles in protest against the U.S. bombing.
The acting chairman of the committee declared the recent "announcement of measures against damage made by the 'Ministry of National Defence' is a mockery of people" and accused police of arresting the chairman of the committee for raising a just demand.
Father Choe Jong Su, executive chairman of the People's Action Headquarters For Revising the "ROK-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement", called for "fighting until the firing range is closed".
Their rally was followed by an event of creating a human belt for peace.
Demonstrating along the wire entanglements around the firing range, they shouted "close firing range."
Father Mun Jong Hyon, representative of the People's Action Headquarters For Revising the "ROK-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement", pushed for the compensation for damage, the closure of the firing range, full investigation into the environmental degradation, a joint investigation into damage done to civilians and the release of the detained chairman of the measure committee.
That day the South Korean authorities mobilized at least 3,000 policemen of 27 companies to crack down upon the participants.
U.S. urged to be discreet
Pyongyang, June 7 (KCNA) -- Vladimir Tolstikov, head of the visiting delegation of the Union of Communist Parties-the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, visited Pueblo, a U.S. armed spy ship, captured by heroic Korean sailors.
Recalling that he visited the DPRK as a member of the Soviet Union Communist Party delegation in 1968 right after the capture of Pueblo, he said:
When this spy ship, called "hidden emperor" of its Navy, was captured at the Korean sea, the United States amassed huge armed forces around the Korean peninsula, threatening to spark a war immediately and urged the DPRK to apologize and return the ship, stating it would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons.
But the Korean people took a tough counteraction to such move without any wavering.
We again admired the heroic stamina of the Korean people who courageously fought against the arrogant U.S. to humble their pride.
In the van of the Korean people and army stands the great leader Kim Jong Il.
He directs great efforts to the military affairs, always guided by the idea of attaching importance to the army.
His army-first politics is, indeed, the most just and unique mode of politics.
Vladimir Tolstikov wrote in the visitor's book: The miserable fate of Pueblo shows that mercilessly retaliatory strike will be taken against the U.S. imperialists' aggressive moves. The U.S. should bear in mind that the DPRK led by the respected President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il is an ever-victorious country.
Anti-U.S. protestor arrested in S. Korea
Pyongyang, June 7 (KCNA) -- The South Korean police reportedly detained Jon Man Gyu, chairman of the Measure Committee For Compensation For Damage Done To Maehyang-ri Inhabitants, on charge of violation of the "military protection law" on June 3.
On June 2 the U.S. Air Force in South Korea staged a bombing drill in the firing range at sea off Maehyang-ri again in disregard of inhabitants' strong protest. The angry chairman made a protest to it, tearing the flag signaling the start of the drill which was set up around the firing range.
Enraged at the arrest, hundreds of Maehyang-ri inhabitants and 70 odd members of the family movement for realizing democracy and other civic organizations thronged to the Hwasong police station and staged a sit-in in demand of negotiations with the chief of the station. They denounced the police for cracking down upon the just anti-u.s. struggle while making no protest to the U.S. troops who have imposed intolerable misfortune upon South Koreans.
Environmental protection successful in DPRK
Pyongyang, June 7 (KCNA) -- The World Day of Environment (June 5) was marked in the DPRK.
The DPRK, considering the environmental protection as important part of its state activities, has taken a series of measures to change the appearance of the country each year to meet the requirements of the developing situation.
According to data available at the Ministry of Land and Environment Protection, more than 200,000 hectares of farm land were leveled and rezoned, at least 700,000 hectares of forest created, over 2,500 km of new roads built, over 30,000 km of rivers improved, some 9,000 gas and dust absorbing equipment repaired and about 10,000 sewage purifying stations were newly built or reconditioned recently.
This spring, at least 648 million saplings of fast propagating trees were planted, river improvement and anti-land-sliding projects were carried out along over 2,750 km of sections of rivers and roads.
Economic forests, forests of oil bearing trees and green belts were created across the country and there are over tens of thousands of square metres of parks, recreation grounds and flower gardens in urban and rural areas of the country.
The DPRK has taken strong measures against air pollution in keeping with the developing industry.
There are scores of observation stations in main cities and industrial areas which regularly analyze the environment situation.
The air pollution in the country is less than one tenth of the international air pollution tolerance limits.
The sanitary condition of water and land is also good.
Thanks to the popular environment protection policy of the Worker's Party of Korea, animal resources of the country are on a steady increase.
According to the survey made by the animal protection association under the nature conservation federation, over ten species of birds flew in the DPRK in recent years alone.
The environmental protection is fully ensured by the DPRK law on the protection of environment which was adopted in April 1986.
Most carefully prepared Korean War of aggression
Pyongyang, June 7 (KCNA) -- "The United States has never been so fully prepared to start a war before as for this war." This is part of a U.S. book "Modern History of America" commenting on the preparations made to provoke the Korean War of aggression.
As the U.S. admitted itself, the U.S.'s plan to start the war was in the long careful making.
In 1949 the then U.S. President Truman instructed Macarthur, commander of the U.S. forces in the far east to work out the war scenario. And Macarthur gave an order to Robert, head of the U.S. military advisory group in South Korea, brass-hats of the "ROK Army" and the military officers concerned of Japan to map out an operation plan with its main stress put on breaking through the 38th parallel.
The U.S. equipped the "ROK Army" with modern military hardware and instructed the U.S. military advisory group to intensify its training, while massively beefing up armed forces necessary for undertaking a war in South Korea. It amassed troops, war material and equipment in areas along the 38th parallel according to its war scenario to invade the north.
Meanwhile, the U.S. instigated the "ROK Army" to commit armed provocations as a "test war" aimed to examine its "combat readiness" and increase its war capacity.
2,617 cases of armed provocations were perpetrated by the "ROK Army" in the year 1949 alone.
"AL-3" war scenario to provoke the Korean War was examined by the U.S. President and military officers concerned and then taken up and ratified by the U.S. National Security Council in that autumn.
The U.S. drew up an operation plan for "northern expedition" even with the staff officers of the Japanese imperial army involved and worked out the "NSC-68" plan for special actions to be taken in the event of the war outbreak.
The full preparations for invasion of the north were thus rounded off in South Korea in May 1950 under the baton of the U.S.
Under this scenario the U.S. made a surprise attack against the DPRK on June 25, 1950.