Revision of "status of forces agreement" demanded in S. Korea
Pyongyang, September 25 (KCNA) -- The promotion headquarters for the 2000 people-to-people meeting urging the revision of the "South Korea-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement" and the relocation of the U.S. army unit in Puphyong, which consists of civic and social organizations in Inchon, sent letters to the South Korean chief executive and U.S. President Clinton and two U.S. presidential candidates respectively on Sept. 22 in demand of the revision of the "status of forces agreement" and the relocation of the U.S. army unit in Puphyong, according to radio no. 1 from Seoul.
The headquarters in the letters said that the "agreement" encroaches upon the sovereignty of South Korea, and demanded 13 articles of it be immediately revised, including the reduction of "the scope of rights to deal with criminal cases" and insertion of an article related to "environmental matters."
It also urged the relocation of the U.S. army unit in Puphyong which is comprised of at least 10 soldiers, saying that it occupies an area of 500,000 square metres in the central city, causing a great hinderance to traffic and environment.
Parliamentary delegation of Italy to visit DPRK
Pyongyang, September 25 (KCNA) -- A parliamentary delegation of Italy headed by president of the chamber of deputies Luciano Violante will soon visit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the invitation of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK.
Friendly meeting with delegation of Canadian Communist Party (M-L)
Pyongyang, September 25 (KCNA) -- A friendly meeting with a delegation of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) was held by the Korean Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries on September 24.
Invited there was the CPC (M-L) delegation led by its national leader Sandra Bains.
Present were vice-chairman of the Korean Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries Kim Jin Bom who is also chairman of the Korea-Canada Friendship Association and members of the association.
The participants conversed in a cordial atmosphere with each other on further developing the friendly relations between the two peoples.
KCNA on remarks of S. Korean Foreign Minister
Pyongyang, September 25 (KCNA) -- It was reported that South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ri Jong Bin in a "speech" at the U.N. General Assembly session said that the historic Pyongyang meeting in June last was arranged as a "result of the 'engagement policy' of the South Korean government."
It is, indeed, preposterous.
It is an unpardonable remark which lays an artificial obstacle in the way of implementing the June 15 north-south joint declaration that reaffirms the three principles for national reunification clarified in the July 4 north-south joint statement and aspires after national reconciliation and unity, exchange and cooperation and peace and reunification. and it gets on the nerve of the dialogue partner.
Some conservative forces of South Korea had said this or that about the June 15 north-south joint declaration since its publication but none of them had openly told the same as he did in the U.N. arena.
His remarks, which reverse black and white, throw a wet blanket over the nation's aspirations for reunification and cast a dark cloud on reconciliation and unity between the north and the south.
The historic Pyongyang meeting and the publication of the north-south joint declaration in June are a shining fruition of the resolution and will of the leaders of the north and the south and the aspirations and desire of the 70 million nation for reunification.
The South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade could not have been unaware of this stark fact.
However, he made such remarks because he has double-faced ulterior intention.
The historic Pyongyang meeting was hailed in the international arena including the U.N. millennium summit and world's attention is turning to the northern half of Korea.
He, getting nervous of this fact, seeks to mislead the public opinion to save face.
And his remarks are intended to earn international support for the already-ruined "engagement policy" and realize it at any cost.
But it is a folly.
The "engagement policy" he mentioned is none other than a variety of the "sunshine policy" aimed to hurt the dialogue partner of the same blood with the help of outsiders.
Anti-reunification separatists should be awakened from their foolish day dream and drop a dagger carrying under their belt.
The South Korean politicians should not put ideology, idea and system to the fore but do something helpful to achieving the independent reunification of the country with a patriotic stand.
When he went out in the international arena with bloody tax collected from the people, he should have done good things for national reunification wanted by the people and the nation. if he pursues the confrontation policy of doing harm to the same nation in collusion with the foreign forces, he will never escape a stern trial by the nation.
If the South Korean authorities truly value the successes of the historic Pyongyang meeting and have willingness to implement the June 15 north-south joint declaration they should not talk about the "engagement policy" and the like and throw a wet blanket over the development of the inter-Korean relations any longer but do work for the common interests of the nation in the spirit of national independence.
It is too plain that if they continue taking the road of confrontation with the dialogue partner, turning a deaf ear to our repeated advice, it will exert serious consequences upon the favourably developing inter-Korean relations.
The South Korean authorities should think twice before doing something and clearly know that they will be responsible for all the consequences to be entailed by their reckless acts.
Korea's reunification, common task of nation
Pyongyang, September 25 (KCNA) --Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article stresses that the banner of national reunification is that of struggle common to the nation.
The article says:
It is, first of all
Because the reunification of the country is the cherished desire and common cause of the Korean nation.
The reunification is the vital demand and the supreme task of the Korean nation suffering misfortunes and pain caused by national division.
Our national reunification is intended to realize the national independence, achieve the development and prosperity common to the nation and thus make all the countrymen enjoy a happy and worthy life in a reunified country. therefore, it is natural for the Korean nation to unite as one with the same purpose in the struggle for the country's reunification, and the banner of reunification is a banner of the common struggle of the nation and a banner of great national unity.
It is also because the reunification is the cause of the nation not for removing classic contradictions or antagonism between systems within the nation but for achieving the national unity and realizing its independence on a nationwide scale.
Any class and strata should not place their interests before the common interests of the nation now that the reunification of the country presents itself as a supreme task of the nation.
If the Koreans reject and antagonize each other, questioning their differences instead of working to realize their common cause as members of the homogeneous nation, it will be impossible to achieve the great national unity and reunify the country.
All the fellow countrymen in the north and the south and overseas should firmly unite under the banner of national reunification, the banner of patriotism, irrespective of differences in ideology, system, political view and religious belief and transcending the interests of classes and stratas.
The Korean people should work harder to achieve the independent and peaceful reunification of the country, rallied close around the leader Kim Jong Il and under the banner of the five-point policy of great national unity clarified by him.
Outstanding judgement
Pyongyang, September 25 (KCNA) -- There are many great men in human history who won fame for their outstanding judgement.
But no other great men in the world are so distinguished as the leader Kim Jong Il who gives the clearest answers to all the problems in the revolution and construction.
His judgement is characterised by comparison and analysis of any problem in a wide and deep way beyond human imagination and the most quick and correct conclusion.
Defending the sovereignty and dignity of the country by smashing the imperialists' isolation and suffocation moves by the strength of army-first politics, overcoming difficulties and building a firm spring board for the construction of economically powerful country and achievements in political diplomacy with the enemies are all unthinkable without the extraordinary judgement of Kim Jong Il who set forth the most splendid proposals, looking through the changing situation in a moment.
He immediately solved the difficult problems during his recent on-the-spot guidance to several factories and enterprises including the Huichon Machine Tool Plant. This fact proves eloquently how outstanding his judgement on the essence and correlations of intricate problems is.
It is thanks to his distinguished judgement of finding the most effective way of solving vast problems that he ensured profitability in the economic work, built large and small hydroelectric powers through mass movements to solve the shortage of electricity pushed forward the campaign for potato farming and the large-scale rezoning of land to bring a new turn in the agricultural production.
With this clearcut judgement he solved all the problems in such a way that may be flawless in the far future.
His clairvoyant wisdom and judgement have been proved by the settlement of theoretical and practical matters arising in the party, state and army building and the youth problem, the guidelines of the present scientific research work, the direction of economic development, ways of improving and strengthening land management and the plan for urban and rural construction.
His ability of judgement beyond human imagination is based on his extraordinary ability and outstanding character.
Shortage of food continues in DPRK
Pyongyang, September 25 (KCNA) -- The director of the agricultural department of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued a statement today as regards serious damage in the agricultural sector caused by this year's drought, heat and typhoon.
He said:
The precipitation in the whole areas during the sowing period of rice and maize, the main crops, dropped 40-50 percent as compared with the annual average precipitation and, worse still, it rained little in some areas for 40-50 days.
Owing to the long spell of drought water storage at reservoirs reached 3-18 percent of the plan and paddy and non-paddy fields of north and south Hwanghae provinces, north and south Phyongan, Kangwon and south Hamgyong provinces, major granaries, could hardly be watered.
As a result, rice transplanting across the country was delayed more than one month and rice was not transplanted in some areas.
Worse still, as serious drought and abnormal high temperature continued till mid-august, paddy fields dried up, rice roots rotted and maize withered to die. as a result harvest is little expected in many paddy and non-paddy fields.
The amount of grain yield reduction caused by serious drought and heat is more than one million tons, about 360,000 tons of rice and 660,000 tons of maize.
This was confirmed on the spot by international organizations on the mission of humanitarian aid in the DPRK.
Some 140,000 hectares of arable land, including at least 46,000 hectares of paddy fields and more than 76,000 hectares of non-paddy fields, were swept away, buried in silt and inundated by two strong typhoons some time ago.
Owing to the typhoon damage, the yields of rice and maize are expected to drop at least 405,000 tons.
The amount of the lost grain caused by natural disasters including drought, heat and typhoons in our country this year is estimated at more than 1.4 million tons in all.
Therefore, it is certain that the shortage of food will continue next year, too.
The DPRK government, consistently maintaining the policy of attaching importance to agriculture, is taking practical steps to remove the aftereffects of the natural disasters and stabilize the life of the people in the afflicted areas.
The Korean people will in the future, too, make every possible effort to keep the agricultural production at a steady rate at an early date and secure a sustained food security, overcoming the difficulties in their way.
Congratulatory letter and gift to Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, September 25 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a congratulatory letter and a gift from the national leader of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea.
The letter and gift were handed to Kim Yang Gon, department director of the WPK central committee by Canadian party leader Sandra Bains on a visit to Korea.
Kim Yong Nam meets Canadian party delegation
Pyongyang, September 25 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, politburo member of the Workers' Party of Korea central committee and President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, met and conversed with a delegation of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) led by its national leader Sandra Bains at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
The head of the delegation said on the occasion that the great leader Kim Jong Il is brilliantly carrying forward the revolutionary cause of the respected Kim Il Sung. He has united the people as one to advance socialism, she noted.
During the stay in Korea they were moved to see the signal achievements the Korean people are making in the building of a powerful nation on the occasion of the 55th wpk birthday, she said.
Noting that the Korean people have made great achievements in their efforts for national reunification under the wise guidance of Kim Jong Il, she said their cause would surely win under his invincible leadership.