Gift to Kim Jong Il from China
Pyongyang, July 24 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a gift from the Chinese People's Association for Peace and Disarmament.
The gift was handed to an official concerned by Gao Chao, vice-president of the association, who is leading its delegation on a visit to the DPRK.
Greetings to Egyptian President
Pyongyang, July 24 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, on July 22 sent a message of greetings to Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt, on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the July 23 revolution, the National Holiday of the Egyptian people.
The message expressed the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would continue to develop on good terms and wished the President and people of Egypt success in the work for the prosperity of the country and the peaceful solution of the Middle East problem.
Yang Hyong Sop meets Chinese delegation
Pyongyang, July 24 (KCNA) -- Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, met and had a friendly conversation with a delegation of the Chinese People's Association for Peace and Disarmament led by its vice-president Gao Chao at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
Present were Ri Song Ho, vice-chairman of the Korean National Peace Committee, and Wang Guozhang, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK.
The head of the delegation said on the occasion that the friendly relations between China and the DPRK which were provided by the leaders of the old generation of China and President Kim Il Sung, the great leader of the Korean people, are now steadily developing thanks to President Jiang Zemin and the respected Kim Jong Il.
He wished the Korean people greater success in socialist construction under the wise guidance of Kim Jong Il with the approach of the 55th anniversary of the Worker's Party of Korea.
Ishihara's outburst blasted
Pyongyang, July 24 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary assails Tokyo metropolitan governor Ishihara for his malignant mud-slinging at the DPRK.
He at a dialogue with people of Tokyo metropolis on July 19 what he called "discussion with governor Ishihara" described the DPRK as "Hokusen" meaning North Korea in derogatory term, the commentary says, and goes on:
Referring to the great Hanshin earthquake disaster, he claimed that "the shock was so great that he felt as if Japan had been hit by a missile from Hokusen" and "Hokusen is an annoying entity."
Ishihara's anti-DPRK diatribe is nothing but desperate frenzy to recover from Japan's defeat and an epileptic fit into which the Japanese reactionaries have gone after failing to achieve their militarist design to swallow up the whole of Korea and last-ditch efforts of militarist maniacs to give vent to their grudge through such a verbal spat intended to impair the dignity and honor of the DPRK.
His hysteria reflects the uneasiness and fear of the miserable end Ishihara, an ultra-rightist, is fated to meet for so many crimes he has committed against the DPRK.
Not a few elements in power in Japan are not helping Ishihara get cured of militarist hysteria but hope to see it spread to more people due to their ideological commonness, the commentary warns, and continues:
If Ishihara persists in his moves to antagonize the DPRK and liquidate the Koreans in Japan, he will certainly face a severe judgement.
We, availing ourselves of this opportunity, advise the ultra-right forces and the ruling quarters of Japan to ponder over and refrain from backing and patronizing Ishihara's behaviour.
The Japanese reactionaries' moves to stifle the DPRK only increase the Korean people's resentment against Japan and harden their determination to take revenge upon it.
They had better behave themselves, deeply aware of the consequences to be entailed by their reckless moves.
Computer science and technology in wide use in DPRK
Pyongyang, July 24 (KCNA) -- Computer science and technology are rapidly developed and extensively used in the DPRK.
Computers are used to turn out numerically controlled machine tools and a flexible production system is introduced into streamlines and other processes.
Scientific and technological information service has been computerized at many units to set up a well-regulated system of information gathering and examination.
The reorganization of telephone network by use of optical fiber has resulted in placing PCs and computer networks at different institutions and units under a nationwide integrated system of information processing.
There are inter-region, inter-sector computer network of the national economy which puts management and business on a new scientific basis.
In the fields of culture and arts multi-media technology of computerizing visions is introduced into movie production and programs are developed to make orchestra electronic music and compose music or arrange its pieces and choreograph dances.
Various kinds of complicated scientific and technological calculation programs and those helpful to teaching basic subjects and foreign languages are widely used in the fields of science and education.
In the field of sports programs are developed to accurately assess players' activities and their nutrition.
The already developed computer programs are paying off in different sectors of the DPRK.
Typical of them are OCR programs for the Korean language, speech recognition program for the same language, translation program and second and third dimension automatic designing programs for construction, machine-building and electronics.
Recent years witnessed the appearance of a computer college and computer faculties, classes of computer science and a program center. Great efforts have been channelled into the training of computer specialists and researches and development of program science. This is part of the measures to implement the policy of the Worker's Party of Korea on attaching great importance to science.
S. Korean unionists to stage large-scale struggle
Pyongyang, July 24 (KCNA) -- The South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) on July 21 declared that it would launch a large-scale rally and demonstration on July 27 unless the authorities take responsible measures in relation to Lotte Hotel and insurance trade unions' strikes, according to the CBS from Seoul.
Saying that a proper solution should be given to the problems of the two trade unions, which have become a victim of social discord, KCTU chairman Tan Pyong Ho expressed the will to wage a more vigorous struggle.
He urged the authorities to withdraw the police from Lotte Hotel and "Health Insurance Industrial Complex" and discharge the director general of the "National Police Agency" and others responsible for the case.
Great national unity called for
Pyongyang, July 24 (KCNA) -- The firm unity of the whole nation precisely means the reunification of the country, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article, describing the great unity of the whole nation as a cornerstone of national reunification.
The article goes on:
The great national unity is not something which can be achieved because of historic demand for it or stress on its necessity. It can be achieved only when the whole nation pool its will and intention to accomplish it.
Principle of national independence is the core of the settlement of the issue of the nation and a fundamental basis of the great unity of the whole nation.
The great unity of the whole nation is, in essence, aimed to establish national sovereignty throughout Korea, achieve the cause of national reunification with the driving forces of the nation and promote the independent development of a reunified country.
National unity can be surely achieved irrespective of difference of ideology, ideal and system, if the identity and common interests of the nation are placed above all.
All compatriots in the north and the south and overseas should unite close under the banner of patriotism and national reunification by rising above the interests of all classes and strata irrespective of ideology, system, political view and religious belief.
We will leniently treat anyone who took a wrong path in the past but now sincerely repents of it and is ready to work for the cause of national reunification, on the principle of not digging into his past, and join hands with him in the efforts for national reunification.
Taedong River basin, cradle of ancient astronomy
Pyongyang, July 24 (KCNA) -- Korean historians have made signal achievements in researches into the relics of ancient Korea.
They recently found stars carved on dolmens in Ryongdok-ri of Jungsan county and Wonhwa-ri of Phyongwon county, South Phyongan Province, Kwiil-ri of Sangwon county, Pyongyang, and other areas. These are clear evidence of the development of ancient astronomy.
These stars carved on the front side of cover stone of each dolmen proved to be 5,000-year old. This testifies to the fact that the basin of the River Taedong was one of the cradles of ancient astronomy.
Those dolmens have different sizes of holes which mark Polaris, the big dipper and many other stars, big and small.
It is just like the method of the contemporary astronomy whereby stars are classified according to their luminance.
And the diagonal directions of the cover stones in different shapes are guessed to indicate the solstitial point, the summer solstice, the vernal point and the autumnal equinox.
On the cover stone of the dolmen in Ryongdok-ri there are 80 odd stars showing eleven constellations.
The stars carved on dolmens represent a valuable scientific and cultural heritage of the nation as they show a high level of the development of science in the period of Kojoson (ancient Korea).
This custom of carving stars on dolmens was inherited by Koguryo, whose people would draw stars on ceiling of mural tombs. There are at least 20 mural tombs dating back to the Koguryo dynasty where such scientific and well-regulated star are painted.
Korea's reunification supported in Guyana
Pyongyang, July 24 (KCNA) -- C.N. Shama, leader of the Guyanese Party of Justice, signed the signature paper on behalf of the party members in support of the three-point charter of Korea's reunification.