Joint press statement on establishment of diplomatic relations between DPRK and UK
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- A joint press statement on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and the United Kingdom was issued today.
The joint press statement reads:
The Democtratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United Kingdom (UK) held official talks in London on 7-12 December, 2000.
These talks followed the announcement by Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, on 19 October 2000 that the UK was ready to response positively to the invitation from Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun to establish diplomatic relations with the DPRK.
Agreement was reached in these talks to establish diplomatic relations between the DPRK and the UK with immediate effect.
It was agreed that representation would be at ambassadorial level as soon as each side had made the necessary arrangements to open a resident mission in the other's capital.
Meanwhile, each side would appoint a non-resident charge d'affaires a.i.
Both sides agreed that the establishment of diplomatic relations would enable the DPRK and the UK to develop their bilateral links more effectively, and would provide greater opportunities for exchanges on issues of mutual interests and concern.
South side's delegation to fourth north-south ministerial-level talks here
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- The south side's delegation headed by Pak Jae Gyu, Minister of National Unification, arrived here today to participate in the fourth round of the north-south ministerial-level talks.
It was met at the airport by delegates of the north side.
At the airport the south side's delegation issued a written statement on arrival.
Delegation of KEDO leaves
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- The delegation of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) that had participated in the high-ranking specialist negotiations between the DPRK and KEDO left today by air.
KCNA demands halt to moves to incite inter-Korean confrontation
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- There are highly disturbing developments in South Korea to block the positive improvement of the inter-Korean relations.
This gives rise to great concern among the public at home and abroad.
The South Korean "Ministry of National Defence" in its "military white paper for 2000" again advocated the anti-north "theory of the principal enemy," talking about the non-existent "military threat" from it. And the "Minister of National Defence" at a "meeting of leading army officers" whipped up war hysteria by calling for strengthened "military posture."
Even the "Ministry of National Unification" supposed to specially handle the reunification issue in South Korea conducted an opinion poll in a foolish bid to build up public opinion critical of the DPRK's political system.
Meanwhile, the "Unification and Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee of the South Korean National Assembly" orchestrated such a provocative anti-north political drama as "adoption of a resolution urging the repatriation of POWs of 'ROK' Army and those kidnapped by the north." And some right-wing conservative media including "Chosun Ilbo" are chiming in with its smear campaign to fan up inter-Korean confrontation. They floated sheer lies about "political propaganda" of the north and "detention" of a journalist of "Chosun Ilbo" in an attempt to pull up the north over the reunion of the second visiting group of separated families and relatives. All this is part of their moves to mislead the public opinion at home and abroad and agitate confrontation.
All the happenings in South Korea are anti-national and anti-reunification moves to dampen the desire of the entire nation for reconciliation, cooperation and unity between the north and south and reunification.
Facts go to prove that all these anti-north rackets in South Korea are the deliberate and premeditated moves of those who are displeased with the improving inter-Korean relations.
The South Korean authorities should feel responsible for driving the inter-Korean relations to the phase of confrontation and stop such behaviour detrimental to the implementation of the north-south joint declaration.
They should resolutely eliminate such anti-national and anti-reunification elements who whip up confrontation and war hysteria and immediately withdraw the "theory of the principal enemy," leftover of the old era of confrontation obstructive to the on-going process of improving the inter-Korean relations.
Japan's military boss's reckless remark
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- Director general of the Japan Defence Agency Saito, when interviewed by Asahi Shimbun, expressed his view on the issue of security of his country.
He underscored the need to introduce air refueling tanker and "arrange laws on emergencies," while referring to the issues of security of Japan and elevating the status of the defence agency to "ministry of defence."
His view represents the official position of the Japanese reactionary ruling quarters to legalize their moves for militarization and overseas expansion.
It is an undeniable historical fact that Japanese militarism is threatening the world not as a specter but as a real aggressor.
As already known, in raising the status of the military mechanism called defence agency Japan seeks to reorganize the "Self-Defence Forces" into regular armed forces and accelerate the introduction of ultra modern large-size military equipment including air refueling tanker and aircraft carrier.
What merits particular attention is that Japan is attributing its frantic moves for the building of huge armed forces and the modernization of the existing forces aimed to carry out its overseas military operations to emergencies in Korea and its other neighbors.
It is known well to everyone that the overall situation in East Asia and other regions of Asia and the Pacific is calling for reconciliation and peace and demanding a halt to arms race since the demise of the Cold War.
However, Japan drew up a "mid-term arms buildup plan" which requires the spending of 25,300 billion yen spread over five years under the pretext of "threat" from others. This only betrays the war fever and shameless nature of the Japanese reactionaries.
Japan's undisguised moves to become a major military power and launch overseas military expansion are reminiscent of the Japanese imperialists' past frantic maneuvers for militarization and those moves are going beyond the danger line.
Japan is well advised to cogitate about the disastrous consequences to be entailed by its reckless moves for militarization and overseas aggression.
Leap forward in potato farming called for
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- Workers of the Taehongdan county integrated farm in Ryanggang Province, northern part of the country, called upon all agricultural workers across the country to make a new leap forward in potato farming, bearing deep in mind the great leader Kim Jong Il's teachings on boosting potato farming to solve the food problem and give the people the benefit of potato.
They held a meeting yesterday to carry through the recent on-the-spot teachings of Kim Jong Il and vowed to take the lead in potato farming. They ardently called upon all the agricultural workers throughout the country to carry out the Worker's Party of Korea policy of making revolution in potato farming and policy of double-cropping to make a new turn in agricultural production.
An appeal to the agricultural workers across the country adopted at the meeting called for selecting high productive seeds, planting them in the proper season and spraying liquid manure to make a new turn in potato cultivation.
One of the basic ways of solving the food problem in a short span of time is double-cropping, the appeal said.
It stressed the need to do two-crop farming in Korea with limited arable land so as to decisively increase agricultural production.
The Taehongdan county integrated farm is a model farm in potato cultivation.
Kim Jong Il visited this integrated farm every year from Juche 87 (1998) and opened a new era of revolution in potato cultivation. He defined seeds, liquid manure and devotion as the basic way of doing potato farming.
DPRK delegation visits Korean Hall in Tokyo
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the DPRK Measure Committee for Compensation to Former "Comfort Women for Army" and Victims of the Pacific War headed by Hong Son Ok, chairwoman of the committee and vice-chairwoman of the Korean Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, visited the Korean Hall in Tokyo.
The delegation went to Japan to participate in the "women's international war crimes tribunal" on Japan's military sexual slavery now under way in Tokyo.
First vice-chairman So Man Sul and vice-chairman nam sung u of the central standing committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) met the delegation and conversed with it in a cordial atmosphere.
S. Korean students' growing distrust in "National Assembly"
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- Distrust in the "National Assembly" is growing deeper among South Korean students, according to the South Korean newspaper Hangyore.
In a recent opinion poll conducted by Prof. Choe Jong Yon at Dankook University among over 200 students in Seoul and other local areas on the subject "what view do you have on the national assembly?" 94.5 per cent of the respondents gave negative answers.
They explained the reasons by saying firstly, "national assemblymen" seek their own interests, secondly, they spend time wrangling and thirdly, they are engrossed in corruption.
Meanwhile, when the "National Teachers Union "conducted an opinion poll on the "trust" in "national assemblymen" among at least 1,000 high school students across South Korea, 96.2 per cent of them answered "I don't trust them."
New historical book published
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- The Academy of Social Sciences has recently compiled the book "History of Development of Korean Musical Instruments."
Scientifically and theoretically systematized in the book in a chronological order are national musical instruments made and used by our ancestors for thousands of years from the period of ancient Korea, the first ancient state in Korea, to the last period of ri dynasty and to the modern times.
The book has 5 chapters.
Chapter 1 deals with the historical fact that national musical instruments in ancient Korea in the early period of 30th B.C. exerted strong influence on the development of music and musical instruments in its neighboring countries.
In its chapters 2 and 3, the book says that the variety of musical instruments rapidly increased and they reached a high level in the period of Koguryo and foreign musical instruments were introduced into palace music and the form of musical performance developed in the early 12th century.
Its chapters 4 and 5 deal with the method of manufacturing traditional national musical instruments, and compilation of many music books written by musical groups and performers active among people since the 17th century.
The book is of great significance as it provides basic information about the development of the history of national musical instruments and the issue of carrying forward and developing them.
Korean people's cause of reunification supported worldwide
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- The Korean people's struggle for national reunification has been fully supported by world progressive people this year, too.
A signature campaign was waged worldwide to support the three-point charter of Korea's reunification set forth by the President Kim Il Sung and formulated by the great leader Kim Jong Il.
According to a review of the signature campaign made by the International Liaison Committee for Reunification and Peace in Korea (CILRECO) in October, the campaign was participated in by over 500 political parties, organizations, friendly and solidarity organizations, regional and international organizations, and heads of political parties and organizations, parliamentarians, figures and people from all walks of life in more than 100 countries.
More than 156.55 million people took part in the campaign in a little over seven months since the beginning of the campaign.
The world people supported and welcomed the publication of the historic north-south joint declaration and the positive improvement of the north-south relations.
A statement of co-chairmen was issued at the UN Millennium Summit in welcome of the historic Pyongyang meeting and the north-south joint declaration and the positive developments on the Korean peninsula were appreciated in different countries.
The plenary session of the 55th UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the north-south joint resolution "peace, security and reunification on Korean peninsula."
Political parties, organizations, international and regional organizations and figures of different strata of many countries hailed the north-south summit and the release of the north-south joint declaration as a brilliant fruition of Kim Jong Il's idea of national reunification, fervent love for the nation, broad magnanimity and fixed will to reunify the country.
Resolutions on the Korean issue were adopted and the Korean people's struggle for national reunification was fully supported at the 6th congress of the Worker's Party of Bangladesh, the annual convention of the Worker's Party of Ireland, the second meeting of progressive parties in European and Asian regions, the 20th congress of the Socialist People's Party of Mexico, the 15th meeting of the International Democratic Lawyers' Association, the 14th meeting of the World Federation of Trade Unions and the 17th meeting of the International Union of Students, etc.
Worsening environmental pollution by U.S. forces in S. Korea
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- Rim Sang Jin, director of the secretariat of the Green Federation of South Korea, in an article contributed to the December 5 issue of a Japanese paper referred to the serious environmental pollution caused by U.S. military bases in South Korea.
The article said:
The environmental pollution and noise damage caused by U.S. military bases present themselves as serious social problems in South Korea and a large amount of poisonous substance leaked out from buildings in the base of the U.S. 8th Army in Seoul to contaminate the River Han this year.
7.1 per cent of the population in Maehyang-ri, Kyonggi Province, where there is a firing range of the U.S. Air Force, are very hard of hearing due to deafening noise and the soil pollution in the base is serious.
In spite of such damage done to South Korea the U.S. forces do not bear any responsibility for the pollution as there is no provision on environmental pollution in the "Status of Forces Agreement," it added, and continued:
Now the vigilant attention of South Korean people is directed to the U.S. forces and they are aware that these forces are present in South Korea in the interests of the United States and the world is united in the struggle against the U.S. military bases.
Abolition of SL called for
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- The December 8 issue of the South Korean newspaper Hangyore (internet) carried an article entitled "abolition of 'Security Law' should not be delayed any longer" written by Kwon O Hon, co-chairman of the Family Movement for Realizing Democracy (Mingahyop).
Noting that at least 90 prisoners of conscience, who had been active for democracy, reunification, social progress and vital rights, are still behind bars, the article said that different organizations and figures of South Korea are struggling in demand of the repeal of the SL.
Warning that the "National Assembly" will meet a strong popular protest, if it turns aside from the issue of the SL this time, too, the article urged the "national assemblymen" not to forget their historic missions to achieve national independence in the era of the June 15 south-north joint declaration.
The article recalled that since its enactment the "Security Law" has played an evil role in freezing the division under the anti-north and anti-communist slogans and ensuring the "security of regimes" of the successive dictators.
The article strongly demanded that the SL be abolished in the spirit of the universal declaration of human rights as part of the specific measures for the implementation of the south-north joint declaration, all the prisoners of conscience released and over 300 people removed from the want list of political offenders.
Chilbosan Joint Venture Company commissioned
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- The Chilbosan Joint Venture Company was commissioned under the co-sponsorship of the Yulin, Yanji, China, Economic and Commercial Company Ltd, and the Tumangang Trading Company of the DPRK.
The company was named after Mt. Chilbo, one of the famous mountains of Korea, which is situated in North Hamgyong Province.
The Chinese side sent spring water processing equipment in a bid to found the company.
A ceremony for commissioning the company was held on the spot on December 10.
Yun Yon Hwang, manager of the Tumangang Trading Company of the DPRK, said in his speech that the commissioning of the joint venture company will positively contribute to the development of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
The general manager of the Yulin, Yanji, China, Economic and Commercial Company Ltd. Said in his speech that he extended sincere thanks to the great leader of the Korean people Kim Jong Il for granting the foundation and management of the company.
A banquet was given after the ceremony.
International solidarity called for
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- International unity and solidarity among revolutionary parties give a strong impetus to the progress of the cause of global independence and guarantee its victory, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article. It refers to questions arising in strengthening international solidarity among the revolutionary parties.
The great leader Kim Jong Il clarified that socialist idea and independence are foundations for achieving international unity and solidarity among the revolutionary parties, the article says, and continues:
It is of weighty importance in strengthening unity and solidarity on the basis of the socialist idea for the revolutionary parties to take the Pyongyang declaration as their common action programme. Only when they wage a struggle with the declaration as their common programme, can they further strengthen international unity and solidarity based on the common idea and push ahead with the socialist cause more dynamically.
The unity and solidarity of the revolutionary parties should be achieved in a way of respecting the independence of each party and promoting its independent activities.
It is the principle and norm to be observed by the revolutionary parties in mutual relations to respect other parties' independence while maintaining their independence.
The revolutionary parties around the world should achieve victory of the people's cause of independence, socialist cause, without fail by strengthening international unity and solidarity.
Rodong Sinmun on national reunification
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- The Korean nation will be more powerful and prosperous when national reunification is achieved, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
The article goes on:
If the country is reunified, the Korean people will be able to mobilize all possibilities and potentialities to the full to build a powerful and prosperous reunified state in the east and lead a harmonious, happy and opulent life.
A reunified Korea will proudly rank among developed countries in all political, economic and military aspects and demonstrate its dignity and might.
Nobody brings national reunification, the desire of all the Korean people, and reunification can be achieved only by the united strength of the whole nation.
All the fellow countrymen in the north, south and overseas should firmly unite under the banner of national reunification, the banner of national independence to struggle for national reunification.
Those with strength should give their strength, those with knowledge devote their knowledge and those with money donate their money to make a tangible contribution to the reunification of the country.
Now that the struggle for national reunification has become an irreversible powerful trend of the times, those who have contributed to national reunification have qualifications and right to enjoy the benefits of reunified country.
All the fellow countrymen should struggle in the common interests of the nation irrespective of residence and class position.
Any Korean should not put narrow-minded factional interests above the common interests of the nation but subordinate everything to the struggle for national reunification.
Anti-reunification moves of S. Korea condemned
Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- Papers here today denounce the official announcement of a document "military white paper for 2000," which defines the DPRK as the "principal enemy," by the South Korean "Ministry of National Defence" as an unpardonable anti-national and anti-reunification act and a deliberate perfidy to the spirit of the north-south joint declaration.
Rodong Sinmun in a signed commentary says it is the height of impudence and an insult to the partner of the dialogue that the South Korean authorities are talking about dialogue and cooperation while defining the north as the "principal enemy."
The commentary goes on:
If the South Korean authorities seek to harm fellow countrymen, going against their desire for reconciliation and cooperation, peace and reunification, success cannot be expected in the improvement of the north-south relations and in the settlement of the reunification issue.
When the north opts for reconciliation, cooperation and unity, the south reacts to this with a dagger, while defining the other party as the "principal enemy." This makes it impossible to achieve true reconciliation and cooperation and improve the north-south relations.
The South Korean authorities should take a sincere stand and position for national reconciliation, unity and reunification in the spirit of the June 15 joint declaration they signed on behalf of the nation.
Noting that dialogue and confrontation, reconciliation and war cannot go together, Minju Joson stresses that the implementation of the joint declaration depends on the stand and position of the South Korean authorities.