Greetings to Moldovan President
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, on August 23 sent a message of greetings to Moldovan President Peter Luchinsky on the occasion of its National Day.
The message extended warm congratulations to the President and the people of Moldova on the occasion.
Expressing the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and Moldova would as always develop on good terms, the message wished the President success in his responsible work for the prosperity of the country and the well-being of its people.
Gift to Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a gift from the visiting group of the "Peace Boat" of Japan on a visit to the DPRK.
The gift was handed to an official concerned by head of the visiting group Tatsuya Yoshioka, director of its executive committee.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from vice-chairman of national committee of CPPCC
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a gift from Ye Xuanping, vice-chairman of the national committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, on a visit to the DPRK.
The gift was handed by the vice-chairman to an official concerned.
Honorary medal and gift to Kim Jong Il from Alcochete municipality of Portugal
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il received an honorary medal and gift from the Alcochete municipality of Portugal.
Miguel Boieiro, Mayor of Alcochete who is on a visit to the DPRK, handed the medal and gift to an official concerned.
Noting that this honorary medal is awarded only to world-famous great men, he recalled the council of the municipality on Aug. 2 decided to award the medal to Kim Jong Il for his distinguished contributions to the Korean revolution and the world revolution and the municipality had prepared the gift since last March.
Anniv. of Kim Jong Il's start of revolutionary activities at university marked
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- A national symposium was held at the People's Palace of Culture here on Friday to mark the 40th anniversary of the start of General Secretary Kim Jong Il's revolutionary activities at Kim Il Sung University.
Kim Jong Il conducted his revolutionary activities at the university from September 1, 1960 and performed enduring feats for the accomplishment of the revolutionary cause of Juche.
Attending the symposium were secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea Central Committee Choe Thae Bok, vice-president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Yang Hyong Sop, vice-premier Jo Chang Dok, officials concerned and officials of party, military and power bodies, scientific, educational, cultural and art and press organs, revolutionary site and relics curators, officials of party cadre-training institutions and the youth league, and teachers and researchers of the university.
Speeches were made by chief secretary of the University Party Committee Pak Ryong Mun, president of the Academy of Social Sciences Thae Hyong Chol, first deputy director of Kim Il Sung Higher Party School Ri Chang Hwa and others.
The speakers described Kim Jong Il's activities at the university as a historic event of weighty significance in carrying forward to completion the revolutionary cause of Juche.
They referred to the ideological and theoretical activities he energetically conducted, firmly determined to more deeply grasp the revolutionary idea of the great leader President Kim Il Sung and prepare himself to assume the responsibility for the Korean revolution during his worthwhile days at the university.
Meanwhile, a national seminar of students was held on August 24 and 25 to commemorate this anniversary.
Hundreds of students made public their papers at the seminar divided into ten odd sections such as the economics, history, philosophy, mathematics, physics and chemistry.
Halt to acts against DPRK-Japan talks demanded
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- There were some disturbances in Japan intended to chill the atmosphere of DPRK-Japan intergovernmental talks in Tokyo when they were under way drawing domestic and foreign attention.
Signed commentaries carried in papers today in this connection dismiss them as improper behaviors intended to bar the DPRK-Japan talks from making any progress and put a brake on the talks. They warn against any other disturbances intended to torpedo the DPRK-Japan talks.
Rodong Sinmun urges the Japanese reactionaries and mass media serving them to face up to the changing reality and properly understand the mindset of public at home and abroad and refrain from any acts to chill the atmosphere of the DPRK-Japan talks.
What should not go unnoticed is that media of Japan pulled up the DPRK, its dialogue partner, in a bid to vitiate the atmosphere of the talks, floating groundless rumours while the talks were under way, the commentary says, and goes on:
The media of Japan should own heavy responsibility for the adverse impact their behaviour will have on the DPRK-Japan talks.
The DPRK can not pass over the undisguised hostile rowdyism perpetrated by right-wing circles of Japan outside the building where the talks were held.
They called the DPRK delegation "mobs" under its very eyes. This is the height of indecorum bereft of elementary common sense and morality.
This rowdyism was a premeditated, organized group evil-doing.
Its political aim was to get on the DPRK's nerves in order to escalate tensions and torpedo the talks.
The DPRK-Japan talks will go its own way despite unabated disturbances in Japan.
Minju Joson urges Japan to ponder over the consequences to be entailed by its improper behaviors intended to vilify and provoke its dialogue partner quite contrary to common sense and practice.
Chongryon official visits Russian embassy in Tokyo
Tokyo, August 24 (KNS-KCNA) -- So Man Sul, first vice-chairman of the central standing committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon), on Thursday visited the Russian embassy in Tokyo to express condolences over the deaths of the crewmen of the Russian nuclear-powered submarine "Kursk."
He expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families and the Russian people over the deaths of the crewmen.
He observed a moment's silence in memory of the victims and made an entry in the condolence book.
KCNA on Japan's invariable ambition of reinvasion
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- The Japan Defence Agency reportedly decided to carry out at an early date the restructuring of its ground "Self-Defence Force" (SDF), an item included in its "defence program" for the year 1995, and began to put the finishing touches on it.
What should not be overlooked is the fact that the Japanese reactionaries do not bother to assert that such hasty restructuring of its ground "SDF" is aimed to "redeploy its troops, which have been concentrated to contain Russia, in the western area to cope with threat from North Korea."
This is an indication that the Japanese reactionaries' moves to round off their preparations to reinvade Korea have gone beyond the danger line.
In recent years they are, in fact, rounding off the wartime system and militarization across Japan and laying foundations for reinvasion one by one through the restoration of rights to participate in a war and right of belligerency, legalization of overseas dispatch of its troops and institution of "Kimigayo" and "Hinomaru" as its national song and flag.
They are now attempting to introduce air-refueling aircraft and create even an "anti-guerrilla" force.
After adopting hypocritical "no war declaration" in last May, the Japanese reactionaries have sought to revise the present constitution and frantically stepped up preparations for reinvasion behind the curtain.
They should know that reinvasion will lead Japan to ruin.
Juche idea praised
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- Pekka Rantala, secretary general of the Finnish National Committee for the Study of the Juche Idea, was interviewed by reporters at the end of his Korean visit.
Giving his impressions of the DPRK, he said that he grasped more deeply the greatness of the respected Kim Il Sung who created the Juche idea and performed immortal exploits on behalf of the era and humankind.
He went on: The Juche idea is a great revolutionary theory indicating the way of life and struggle to the world progressive people aspiring after independence. That is why today the world revolutionary people continue to visit Korea to study the Juche idea and witness its great vitality evidenced by the amazing progress in the DPRK.
The Juche idea is now being successfully carried forward and developed by the great Kim Jong Il.
The Korean people are waging a vigorous struggle, firmly convinced of future despite the complicated and difficult situation because Kim Jong Il is wisely leading them to victory.
This reality of Korea convinces me once again that the DPRK has a bright future as long as there are the great leader, idea and people, he stressed, adding:
The Juche idea, a great revolutionary theory for human liberation, indeed, serves as an immortal banner and an all-powerful treasured sword in the era of independence.
Japanese militarists' unchangeable aggressive nature
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- The Japanese militarists' aggressive nature is becoming all the more pronounced day by day, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
The article goes on:
Ministers of the Japanese cabinet made official visits to the "Yasukuni Shrine," which has served as a spiritual base to incite the militarist idea of aggression for many years.
This serves the purpose of undisguisedly spreading militarism in the Japanese society.
The Prime Minister and other senior officials of the Japanese government are letting media report their "respects" and "homage" to the war criminals who are entombed at the shrine in a bid to describe "aggression" as intended for "peace" and "justice". They are also instilling into the Japanese the idea that only those who take the lead in the war can be entombed there to be "respected" even after their death.
In history textbooks and all other books without exception the Japanese reactionaries have described the war of aggression committed by the Japanese imperialists as one aimed to "liberate" Asia from aggression by western big powers and bring "peace" to Asia, and tried hard to cover up all the crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists by claiming that they enforced a "good rule" in Asian countries. This is a brigandish logic.
Japan is now interpreting the provisions of its "peace constitution" as it pleases and is free to dispatch the "Self-Defence Forces" overseas.
It has gone the length of openly revealing its intention to build a "SDF" military base in an Asian country.
It is planning to stage a comprehensive military drill in Tokyo metropolis under the pretext of "preventing disasters". It is expected to be participated in by division size units of "SDF's" three services, various types of vehicles, warships and fighter planes and nearly 100 institutions.
What should not be overlooked is that the training will be staged under the command of the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff of the "SDF" as advocated by Tokyo metropolitan governor Shintaro Ishihara, an ultra right-wing element.
Japan is keen on continuously pushing ahead with the joint technological research with the United States to establish the "Theatre Missile Defence" system and further increasing its military spending.
Japan's ambition of reinvasion has become an established fact.
Its first target is the Korean peninsula.
But Japan is oblivious of the lesson of history.
Japanese imperialism was defeated not because of its weak strength but because it swimmed against the trend of history.
Kim Il Sung praised by Egyptian figure
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- Chairman Yehiya Zakaria Hairalah of the Juche Idea Study Committee of Egypt released a statement on Aug. 21 on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of the DPRK.
He in the statement said the President Kim Il Sung is the founder of socialist Korea.
He continued:
Since its foundation the DPRK has advanced along the most correct and glorious road, the path of independence, under the outstanding leadership of Kim Il Sung, defending its dignity and sovereignty.
All the great events and brilliant exploits which have adorned the modern history of Korea from a colonial semi-feudal society to progress and prosperity today are associated with his August name.
The cause of building a socialist state led by the President who started the revolutionary cause of Juche is being confidently carried forward and steadily developed in depth by the great leader Kim Jong Il.
Kim Il Sung's cause of nation-building will remain shining long with the annals of the Juche cause, and the DPRK will eternally prosper as Kim Il Sung's Korea under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Il.
5th World Junior Taekwon-do Championships enter its 3rd day
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- The following are the results of the third day competitions of the 5th World Junior Taekwon-do Championships now under way here.
Women's sparring individual
42 kg class
1: Kim Jong Ae (DPRK)
2: Lyudmila Kostikova (Russia)
3: Nigara Yunusova (Uzbekistan)
Serrano Ana Soledad (Argentina)
Over 60 kg class
1: Ana Coronel (Argentina)
2: Petra Tosnarova (Czech)
3: Kim Nam Hui (DPRK)
Anton Diana (Canada)
Men's sparring individual
52 kg class
1: Ri Chol Rim (DPRK)
2: Anton Shamanin (Russia)
3: Georgi Damian Godoy (Argentina)
Charalampos Mouratidis (Greece)
Over 70 kg class
1: Batista Jonathan (Argentina)
2: Sergios Basanides (Greece)
3: Andrei Parokhin (Russia)
Murawiecki Lukasz (Poland)
Women's team demonstration
1: DPRK
2: Poland
3: Russia, Uzbekistan
Women's demonstration individual
1: Kisiel Martyna (Poland)
2: Ro Song Hui (DPRK)
3: Flyora Bektemirova (Uzbekistan)
Petra Tosnarova (Czech)
The competitions were followed by an awarding ceremony for some events of the second and third day competitions.
The following are the results of men's sparring individual in 63 kg and 70 kg class and women's sparring individual in 60 kg class at the second day.
Men's sparring individual
63 kg class
1: Kang Sang Jun (DPRK)
2: Igor Amelin (Kazakhstan)
3: Angutingdag Tityussen (Greenland)
Abdellahi Aziz (Canada)
70 kg class
1: Vasily Popov (Russia)
2: Kuspit Tomasz (Poland)
3: Jake Goldsmith (New Zealand)
Feruz Ibragimov (Uzbekistan)
Women's sparring individual
60 kg class
1: Kim Un Sim (DPRK)
2: Nadezda Bidlasova (Czech)
3: Anna Ivanova (Russia)
Anabel Lobglio (Argentina)
Unconverted long-term prisoners praised
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- The world public is highly praising the unconverted long-term prisoners in South Korea, who have fought unyieldingly for scores of years behind bars, true to the vow made to the fatherland and the revolution, as men of strong faith and will.
The secretary general of the executive secretariat of the organization of solidarity of the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America in a letter to the president of the UN Commission on Human Rights said that he highly praised and respected the unconverted long-term prisoners who are boundlessly loyal to their fatherland and people and have firm faith.
The Peruvian Committee for Supporting the Independent and Peaceful Reunification of Korea, the Italian Committee for the Reunification and Peace of Korea, the Ugandan Railway Workers' Federation and the All-India Agricultural Workers Union separately issued statements.
The Mexican Fellowship Union to Honor the Memory of President Kim Il Sung, the Mexican Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification and the Mexico-DPRK Friendship and Cultural Exchange Association issued a joint statement, and the chairman of the Austrian Committee to Support Korea's Reunification made public a statement.
Recalling that an "ideological conversion" was imposed upon the unconverted long-term prisoners and they were put to brutal torture for scores of years behind bars and they have been subjected to unbearable mental and physical harassment in the subsequent period, too, after being defined as "those under supervision for public peace," they stressed that though belatedly, they should be allowed to spend the remaining years of their lives in their hometowns at the earliest possible date where their parents, brothers and sisters, wives and children are awaiting them.