Kim Jong Il's idea of attaching great importance to youth praised
Pyongyang, August 9 (KCNA) -- Jerom Thea, chairman of the national council of Guinean Youth, issued a statement on August 1 supporting leader Kim Jong Il's idea of attaching great importance to the youth.
Noting that the youth represent the most vital unit in the society, Kim Jong Il has pursued the politics of attaching great importance to the youth to train them as reliable successors to the nation-building, the chairman said, and continued:
He, trusting the youth as a steadfast protector, powerful builder and reliable defender of socialism, has shown all his love for them.
Thanks to his politics of attaching great importance to the youth the beautiful trait of devoting oneself to the society, collective and comrades is now being fully displayed among the Korean youth.
S. Korean intellectuals refuse to deal with Chosun Ilbo
Pyongyang, August 9 (KCNA) -- At least 120 religious men and intellectuals at a press conference held in the office of the citizens' solidarity for democratic society on August 7 declared that they would refuse to contribute any articles to Chosun Ilbo and to be interviewed by the paper as it vitiates the atmosphere of reconciliation between the south and the north with the cold war theory, according to the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation in Seoul.
They charged that Chosun Ilbo has floated ultra-right cold war theory such as "unification through absorption" and unification by force of arms through its articles and contributed stories since the north-south summit and intends to invite progressive intellectuals to contribute articles to its cultural and social pages in a bid to cover up its conservative colors.
They clarified that they would not cooperate with it so that the readers may properly judge it.
History calls for national reunification
Pyongyang, August 9 (KCNA) -- The reunification of the Korean nation is the call of history, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
National reunification is the greatest desire and supreme task for the Korean nation, the article notes, and goes on:
Our nation should achieve national reunification at any cost.
National reunification is just the call of the era and history and the unanimous aspiration and demand of all the fellow countrymen.
Any Korean who loves the country and the nation and values its noble spirit should respond to national reunification, the call of history.
The driving force in the struggle for national reunification is all the Korean people and they have strength enough to achieve the country's reunification.
The might of the driving force precisely lies in unity.
All the Koreans in the north, south and abroad should firmly unite as one and strengthen the driving force for national reunification through great national unity.
Herein lies a sure guarantee for accomplishing the historic cause of national reunification, the cherished desire of the nation.
Great national unity should be achieved strictly on the principle of national independence. This alone makes it possible to defend national interests and hew out the destiny of the nation and solve the issue of the country's reunification independently.
All the fellow countrymen should closely unite under the banner of patriotism and reunification. patriotism is the ideological and mental basis of great national unity and national reunification is the common cause of the nation.
Today there are a number of differences in the north and the south of Korea such as differing ideologies and systems.
However, the common desire of the nation to carry forward the national tradition and achieve reconciliation, unity and reunification as a homogenious nation prevails over differences.
All the fellow countrymen in the north, south and abroad should firmly unite under the banner of patriotism and national reunification and make a tangible contribution to the country's reunification, the common cause of the nation, by encouraging those who have strength to contribute strength, those with knowledge to devote knowledge and those with money to donate money irrespective of idea, system, political view and belief.
Sojourn of delegation of S. Korean media organizations
Pyongyang, August 9 (KCNA) -- Minister of Culture and Tourism Pak Ji Won and the delegation of South Korean media organizations jointly headed by chairman of the Newspaper Association and Hangyore president Choe Hak Rae and chairman of the broadcasting association and KBS president Pak Kwon Sang visited king Tangun's Mausoleum situated at the foot of Mt. Taepak, Kangdong county, Pyongyang, on August 8.
They were accompanied by chairman of the DPRK Information Committee Kang Nung Su, editor-in-chief of Rodong Sinmun Choe Chil Nam, chairman of the Radio and TV Broadcasting Committee of the DPRK Cha Sung Su and other officials concerned.
They observed a moment's silence to the memory of sacred king Tangun.
They inspected king Tangun's Mausoleum which was wonderfully rebuilt as the historical and cultural treasure boasting of the five-thousand-year-long history and oneness of the Korean nation.
Looking round the monument to the reconstructed mausoleum of king Tangun, the monument to king Tangun's Mausoleum, stone sculptures and grave chamber, they felt once again that the Korean nation with Tangun as its father is the fellow countrymen of the same blood who are inseparable.
In the afternoon, they visited Samjiyon grand monument in Ryanggang Province.
Symposium of social scientists
Pyongyang, August 9 (KCNA) -- A symposium of social scientists was held at the Grand People's Study House Tuesday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the historic Xiaohaerbaling meeting organized by the President Kim Il Sung during the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle.
At the meeting held on August 10, 1940, the President advanced the policies of preserving and training revolutionary forces to prepare for the great event of national liberation, switching large-unit operations over to small-unit operations and strengthening the armed struggle and underground activities to hasten the defeat of the Japanese imperialists.
Present at the symposium were Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Thae Hyong Chol, president of the Academy of Social Sciences, and others.
Speeches were made on the subjects "advancement of new strategic line of greeting the great event of national liberation on our own initiative by the respected leader comrade Kim Il Sung at the Xiaohaerbaling meeting was a great event which paved the way for the final victory of the anti-Japanese revolution" and "Xiaohaerbaling meeting was a historic meeting which strengthened the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, a pivotal force of the Korean revolution, in every way so that it could win a great victory victorious in the anti-Japanese revolution," etc.
Speakers said that the president, with a scientific insight into the rapidly changing situation and the requirements of the developing Korean revolution at that time, set forth the target and strategy of struggle tallying with new strategic stage at the meeting, thus opening a bright prospect and sure guarantee for achieving national liberation with the efforts of the Korean people.
They continued:
New strategic policies advanced at the meeting were the successful embodiment of the revolutionary idea of the president who worked hard to closely combine national duty of revolution with international duty and actively helped the revolutionary struggle of the people of fraternal countries. The policies were also the reflection of his noble spirit of proletarian internationalism.
Japanese figures visit Korean Hall in Japan
Tokyo, August 7 (KNS-KCNA) -- Representatives of the national association for the promotion of the Japan-DPRK diplomatic relations visited the Korean Hall of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) in Tokyo on July 31.
First vice-chairman So Man Sul and chief vice-chairman Ho Jong Man of the central standing committee of Chongryon met and had a talk with Tomiichi Murayama, chairman of the association and former Japanese Prime Minister, and other representatives of the association.
Negotiations for opening diplomatic relations between the two countries resumed and the north-south summit talks were held to promote national reconciliation, Tomiichi Murayama recalled, and continued:
Japan and the DPRK, which have been in the abnormal relationship for over half a century, should become close neighbours at an early date.
Meanwhile, Mitsuko Ogasawara, chairperson of the Japan-DPRK Music and Art Interchange Society, also visited the Korean Hall that day.
So Man Sul praised her for having contributed to the exchange of music and art between the two countries for years.
Achievements in implementation of three major tasks of technical revolution
Pyongyang, August 9 (KCNA) -- The Workers' Party of Korea at its fifth congress held in Juche 59 (1970) proposed three major tasks of the technical revolution to be fulfilled in the early period after the socialist industrialization and dynamically steered the drive to implement them.
These tasks were to narrow down the distinctions between heavy and light labour and between agricultural and industrial work and free women from the heavy burden of household chores.
The WPK found the master key to carrying them out in increasing the production of machine tools and concentrated its efforts on it.
As a result, 30,000 machine tools were produced between 1971 and 1972 to make a breakthrough towards the implementation of the tasks.
The WPK introduced automation and remote control system into production processes at the Hwanghae Iron and Steel Works and pushed ahead with technical reconstruction at all the industrial establishments, where heat-affected and other harmful work was done, taking the works as a model.
It channelled its efforts into the work to raise the level of mechanization in mining industry, forestry, fishing industry and all other fields.
The Kum Song Tractor Plant was reconstructed on an expansion basis, farm machine production bases were built in different parts of the country and technical reconstruction was carried out at the chemical fertilizers and agricultural chemicals production centres to narrow down the distinctions between farm work and industrial labour.
The massive production and supply of efficient farm machines, effective chemical fertilizers and agricultural chemicals brought the mechanization and the application of chemistry to agriculture close to their completion.
The work to free women from the heavy burden of household chores also made brisk headway.
The WPK took measures to build many nurseries and kindergartens across the country and massively increase the network of service and catering facilities.
Meanwhile, measures were also taken to develop the foodstuff industry and the daily necessities industry to boost the production of basic and subsidiary food items and produce and supply latest kitchen utensils and household goods.
In the course of carrying out the three major tasks of the technical revolution production rapidly jumped in all fields of the national economy and foundations of the independent national economy grew stronger.
South Koreans demand closure of U.S. troops' firing range
Pyongyang, August 9 (KCNA) -- At least 100 members of the Kyonggi Provincial Measure Committee for the Closure of the U.S. Troops' Firing Range in Maehyang-ri of Hwasong County, Kyonggi Province, staged a rally demanding the adoption of a special resolution on its closure in front of the provincial office on August 4, according to radio no. 1 from Seoul.
They demanded the Kyonggi provincial "assembly" adopt a special resolution calling for the solution of the Maehyang-ri issue and take a measure to have jurisdiction over the U.S. Forces' base in the province.
And they staged a demonstration in front of the Kyonggi provincial police office demanding the guarantee of peaceful rallies and the immediate release of the detained figures including the chairman of the measure committee.
Smooth repatriation of unconverted long-term prisoners called for
Pyongyang, August 9 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the central committee of the DPRK Red Cross Society today answered a question put by KCNA as regards something regretful happening in South Korea to prevent unconverted long-term prisoners from going to the north.
Shortly ago, officials of the "Ministry of Unification" and the South Korean Red Cross forced 83-year-old unconverted long-term prisoner surnamed Han, a resident in Kwangju, Kyonggi Province, to sign a paper giving assurances that he would not go to the north. the disclosure of this fact created a big furore among domestic and foreign public.
This cannot but be a very alarming development.
As known to everyone, the repatriation of all the unconverted long-term prisoners who wish to come to the northern half of Korea is an issue agreed upon between the two heads of the north and the south at the historic Pyongyang meeting and it is also specified in the north-south joint declaration.
At the north-south red cross talks held pursuant to the north-south joint declaration, too, the south agreed with the north on repatriating all the unconverted long-term prisoners desirous of coming to the north.
However, those in charge of the repatriation of the prisoners to the north are bringing "papers calling for the refusal to be repatriated to the north" to those unconverted long-term prisoners who are eagerly looking forward to their repatriation and forcing them to sign them. This is something unbelievable.
This move can never be justified as it downplays the success of the historic Pyongyang meeting, goes against the spirit of the north-south joint declaration and puts a brake on the efforts for inter-Korean reconciliation and unity and the country's reunification.
All the unconverted long-term prisoners who wish to come to the north should be repatriated unconditionally.
The north has made every arrangement to receive all those who wish to come to the north, regardless of whether they have families and relatives in the north or not or whether they hail from the north or not.
The north will closely watch the attitude of the south in the belief that the repatriation of the unconverted long-term prisoners, which draws so deep concern of domestic and foreign public, will be conducted true to the agreement reached between the north and the south.