Telephone message to S. Korean Red Cross president
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- Chairman Jang Jae On of the central committee of the Red Cross Society of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea today sent to president Jong Won Sik of the South Korean Red Cross a telephone message proposing to have Red Cross talks of the north and south of Korea at an early date.
The message says:
As already known, in the historic north-south joint declaration adopted in Pyongyang on June 15 both sides agreed to solve as soon as possible humanitarian issues including exchange of visiting groups of separated families and relatives and repatriation of unconverted long-term prisoners, on the occasion of august 15 this year.
In this regard the north side proposes to the south side to have talks between Red Cross organisations of the north and south at an early date.
It is reasonable to have as an agenda of the talks "on measure to solve humanitarian issues laid down in the north-south joint declaration" and form a delegation of each side with the deputy chief of Red Cross organisation as the head, two delegates and two or three suite members.
It is our desire to have panmunjom as the venue of the talks and hold the talks in June. We request your side to fix a date you think convenient.
Looking forward to your side's positive response.
Gift to Kim Dae Jung and his wife from Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il presented a pair of Phungsan hounds, a famous breed in Korea from olden times, to President Kim Dae Jung and his wife during their visit to Pyongyang for historic Pyongyang meeting and north-south summit talks.
He requested them to name the hounds.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from Kim Dae Jung
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a gift from President Kim Dae Jung during his visit to Pyongyang for historic Pyongyang meeting and north-south summit talks.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from Kim Dae Jung and his wife
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il was presented with a pair of Jindo hounds, a famous breed in South Korea, by President Kim Dae Jung and his wife during their visit to Pyongyang for historic Pyongyang meeting and the north-south summit talks.
Film show
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- The Ministry of Foreign Trade arranged a film show at the Taedonggang Club for the Diplomatic Corps yesterday on the occasion of the 36th anniversary of the great leader Kim Jong Il's start of his work at the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of Korea.
Invited there were economic and commercial officials of various embassies here.
Kim Ryong Mun, vice-Minister of Foreign Trade, and other officials concerned were present there.
The participants saw Korean documentary film "The Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il Gives On-the-spot Guidance To the Work In Various Fields."
Peaceful national reunification called for
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- The national preparatory committee to remember the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung was formed in Lima on June 9 with due ceremony.
At the inaugural meeting, the chairman of the Peru-Korea Institute of Culture and Friendship was elected chairman of the preparatory committee and the general secretary of the central committee of the Peruvian Communist Party (Red Motherland), the chairman of the People's Front of Workers, Peasants and Students of Peru, the general secretary of the Peruvian Socialist Party, the general secretary of the Peruvian Revolutionary Socialist Party, the chairman of the Peruvian Committee for Supporting the Independent and Peaceful Reunification of Korea and the chairman of the Peruvian National Association for the Study of Kimjongilism
Vice-chairmen of the committee.
Preparatory committee to remember Kim Il Sung formed in Peru
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun yesterday in a signed article demanded the United States no longer stand in the way of the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea.
Recalling that the U.S. which is directly responsible for the Korean issue should have respected the sovereignty and dignity of Korea more than any other countries and duly helped the Korean nation independently and peacefully reunify the country even in the sense of atoning for its crime, but has only laid obstacles in the way of Korea's reunification, the article said:
When the July 4 north-south joint statement, the keynote of which is the three principles of national reunification, independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity, was made public in the 1970s, the U.S. undisguisedly called for holding a "dialogue from the position of strength" and asserted that there was no "plan for the reduction of U.S. forces" in South Korea and "it would continue to push ahead with the modernization of the South Korean army," thus pushing the situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of war.
And in the 1990s when the north and the south adopted important agreements such as an agreement on non-aggression, the U.S. obstructed their implementation.
The then U.S. President Bush, raising a hue and cry over the non-existent "suspected nuclear development by the north," described the adoption of the agreements as an "impetuous behaviour" and called for holding their implementation in suspense.
The U.S. escalated such DPRK-targeted war exercises as "Focus Lens" under the "wartime host nation support agreement," a war document, and pushed for the resumption of "Team Spirit" military exercise, a test nuclear war. This development brought the inter-Korean relations back to those before the adoption of the agreements.
The U.S. took every opportunity to say the improvement of the inter-Korean relations was welcome. If that is true, it should closely follow the positive development on the Korean peninsula and change its stand and position, though belatedly.
The withdrawal of the U.S. forces from South Korea should be the first step to be taken by the U.S. to help the Koreans achieve the reunification of Korea.
Unshakable is the will of the Korean nation to reunify the country by its own efforts without interference of outside forces under any circumstances.
No force on earth can quell the ardent desire of the 70 million fellow countrymen in the north, south and overseas for reunification.
If the U.S. again disturbs or interferes in the Korean nation's efforts for reunification, failing to properly judge its will for it, the U.S. will be certainly censured and condemned by the Korean nation and the peace-loving people of the world as the sworn enemy of reunification, arch criminal responsible for the growing tensions and chieftain of aggression and war.
S. Korean prosecution's decision to take legal actions against students
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- Agriculture and various other sectors of the national economy in the DPRK are hard hit by a long spell of drought and heat.
The damage is something unprecedented in the history of meteorological observation in Korea. Pyongyang and plain areas on the west coast including north and south Phyongan provinces and north and south Hwanghae provinces, in particular, are adversely affected by a long spell of drought and heat.
Average temperature in those regions is 30-35 centigrade, 8 degrees higher than normal years.
Granaries on the west coast had little rain over the last 30 days from the middle of May.
In consequence, lakes Unpha and Sohung and big reservoirs have no more than 30 to 45 percent of the required water and minor reservoirs, rivers and streams are dried up.
Due to the drought and heat paddy fields are parched, roots of rice plants exposed to sunlight and non-paddy crops dried up.
A measure has to be taken to spray rice on a large area of paddy fields and plant non-paddy crops there due to shortage of water.
Due to the drought non-paddy crops are not doing well in northern inter-medially and alpine areas.
Crop damage by blight and insects is increasing due to drought in south Phyongan and north Hwanghae provinces and other regions.
Hundreds of thousands of hectares of paddy and non-paddy fields were hard hit by drought as of June 16.
Such a long spell of drought and heat are expected to persist in the days ahead.
U.S. urged not to stand in way of Korea's reunification
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- The avowed principled stand of the Worker's Party of Korea and the DPRK government to settle the issue of reunification peacefully by the efforts of the Korean nation reflects noble patriotism and will for peaceful reunification, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
It is the unanimous desire and wishes of all the Korean people to achieve the peaceful reunification of the country that was divided by the outside forces.
The Korean nation is a peace-loving nation which has keenly felt how dear peace is to it through a protracted and arduous struggle against foreign aggression.
The issue of national reunification is an internal issue of the nation to rejoin severed blood ties of the nation.
So, whoever wishes reunification and advocates the nation's sovereignty does not want a conflict between the fellow countrymen.
Differences in ideologies, ideals and systems that exist in the north and the south cannot be conditions for recourse to arms.
If the north and the south fight each other, it is the Korean nation that will suffer war disaster and it is foreign aggression forces who will fish in troubled waters.
The peaceful reunification of the country is also the desire of the world peace-loving people.
If a war breaks out on the Korean peninsula, it will spill over into other parts of Asia and the rest of the world.
The peaceful reunification of Korea requires the U.S. troops' pullback from South Korea, detente between the north and the south and lasting peace.
It is the most reasonable method of smoothly and peacefully settling the issue of national reunification to found a reunified federal state based on the conception of one nation, one state, two systems and two governments. This is the most reasonable and fair and aboveboard method of reunification that neither allows any side's upper hand and pursuit of interests nor hurts either side.
Any Korean who loves the country and the nation and values peace should make all efforts for the independent and peaceful reunification of the country.
Increasing damage by long spell of drought and heat
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- The South Korean prosecution decided to "take legal actions" against the prime movers in hoisting the DPRK's flags at more than ten universities across South Korea including Seoul National University and Korea University on June 13 "on charges of violation of the existing constitution."
Papers here today in signed commentaries term the South Korean prosecution's decision to take "legal actions" against the flag-hoisting from its outdated viewpoint without correct understanding of the ardent desire of all the fellow countrymen to see reunification and live in a reunified land an act of chilling their aspiration after reunification and an anachronistic step.
Rodong Sinmun says:
Students' flag-hoisting at South Korean universities was an expression of the desire of the South Korean students and all other people to hail the historic Pyongyang meeting and wish the inter-Korean summit success. Therefore, it can never be a target of any suppression or a crime.
Any act contrary to the reunification will only bring disasters to the nation and anachronistic laws and mechanism are harmful to the reunification.
If the South Korean prosecution persists in such moves against reunification, it will not escape the entire nation's curse.
Celebrations
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- Celebrations have been held in Pyongyang to mark the 36th anniversary of the great leader Kim Jong Il's start of work at the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of Korea.
The workers' art propaganda team of the c.c., General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea gave a performance yesterday at the Central Worker's Hall.
The performance began with a poem and chorus "Name Kim Jong Il will Shine."
Put on the stage were dialogue-poem "Great Sun of Reunification", mixed duet "We Will Not Forget", men's group singing "Second Grand Chollima March, Forward" and so on, well showing the exploits of Kim Jong Il in wisely leading the struggle to build a powerful nation and pledge of the workers to create miracles and innovations under his wise guidance.
On the same day a gathering of loyal poems and songs was held by youth and students at the central youth hall and a poem recitation by women's union members at the women's hall.
Performers praised the immortal exploits of Kim Jong Il performed in the revolution and construction over three decades and fully displayed their firm conviction and will to follow him for ever.
Officials of the union of agricultural workers of Korea held a seminar at the people's palace of culture.
"Globalization," dominationist strategy of imperialists
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- "Globalization" advertised by the imperialists is nothing but their dominationist strategy, said Rodong Sinmun yesterday in a signed article.
The article brought to light the aggressive and reactionary nature of the imperialists' moves for "globalization."
The "expansion strategy" announced by the U.S. in September 1993 contended that after the end of the Cold War the U.S. strategy should be that of "free world" of western style all over the world, the article said, and continued:
This indicates that the purpose of the imperialists' loudmouthed "globalization" is to make the U.S. the "unique leader" of the world and establish a neo-colonialist international order under which the U.S. and subordinate capitalist powers govern the world.
And the imperialists are resorting to all means such as power politics, "cooperation," appeasement and deception to realise "globalization."
The danger of the U.S. "expansion strategy" has been exposed everywhere in the world, the article said, adding that "globalization" brought not benefit but misfortune to members of the international community.
The world people should see into the aggressive and reactionary nature of "globalization" and wage a powerful struggle against dominationist "globalization."
Challenge to peaceful reunification
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea made all possible efforts to prevent the war to the last moment when the war was ignited by the U.S. and Syngman Rhee.
The central committee of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland (DFRF) called an enlarged meeting on June 7, 1950 to adopt an appeal to all the democratic political parties, social organizations and people in north and South Korea, carrying a proposal of pushing ahead with peaceful reunification.
As soon as the appeal was made public, it obtained full home and foreign support and approval for its calling for a nation-wide general election, establishing a unified supreme legislative organ and convening a consultative meeting of representatives of democratic political parties and social organizations from the north and the south of Korea.
The c.c., DFRF dispatched three representatives to Ryohyon railway station situated on the 38th parallel on June 10, 1950 with a view to handing over the appeal to the democratic political parties, social organizations and individual personages of South Korea and the "UN commission on Korea."
But the representatives could not meet representatives of political parties and organizations of South Korea because Syngman Rhee issued an "special guard order" to block their way to the north.
Under this situation the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) adopted a resolution "on promoting peaceful reunification of the country" at the request of the c.c., DFRF and put forth a proposal of achieving the peaceful reunification of the country in the way of unifying the spa of the DPRK and the South Korean "National Assembly" into a legislative organ of whole Korea.
But the U.S. imperialists and Syngman Rhee turned down this proposal and took the road of war.
Rodong Sinmun on Korean-style socialism
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article says that Korean-style socialism under which the national character is given full play will win victory after victory thanks to the absolute support of the Korean people.
General Secretary Kim Jong Il's famous work "On Preserving the Juche Character and National Character of the Revolution and Construction" published three years ago is an immortal library that should be always held fast to accomplish the cause of socialism, the article says, and goes on:
Adherence to the national character of the revolution and construction is a fundamental principle for carrying out the socialist cause.
Preserving well the national character of the revolution and construction is an essential requirement for foiling the imperialists' moves to obliterate the nation and defending the country and the nation.
The workers' party and people of Korea, holding high the banner of the Juche idea, have smashed all sorts of machinations of the imperialists and opportunists and thus resolutely preserved the national character. In this course, they have gained shining successes and valuable experience.
Korean-style socialism under which the national character is given full play demonstrates, among other things, its dignity as socialism strong in the spirit of national independence.
This. Korean-style socialism is demonstrating its ever-increasing advantages and vitality.
This is widely known as socialism based on patriotism as it has successfully carried forward the cultural tradition of the nation.
Literature and arts national in style and socialist in content are in full bloom and the customs peculiar to our nation including national sports games and amusements, traditional food and costume are strongly encouraged.
This Korean-style socialism is also praised as patriotic socialism as it unites all the compatriots as one.
All the Koreans in the north, south and overseas who love the country and the nation are turning out as one in the struggle to achieve the great unity of the nation for this character peculiar to the nation.
Kim Jong Il, setting store by the national character of the Korean nation, has wisely led the Korean people to preserve it in all fields of the revolution and construction. This guidance serves as a firm guarantee for the eternal prosperity of the nation.
United States decides to donate food to DPRK
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- The government of the United States of America on June 15 decided to donate 50,000 tons of food to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea through the World Food Program.
This step will have a positive impact on promoting the understanding between the DPRK and the United States.
DPRK fishery delegation leaves for Russia
Pyongyang, June 17 (KCNA) -- A DPRK fishery delegation led by Minister of Fisheries Ri Song Ung left Pyongyang today to participate in the international fishery exhibition to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia.
It was seen off at the airport by Kim Kyu Rak, vice-Minister of Fisheries, and Valery Denisov, Russian ambassador to the DPRK.