Kim Yong Nam meets Chongryon officials
Pyongyang, January 4 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, met and conversed at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today in a compatriotic atmosphere with Kwon Sun Hwi, vice-chairman of the central standing committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, and the leading members of the art troupe of Korean schoolchildren in Japan headed by its department director Song Kun Hak.
"Song Dedicated to 21st Century" created
Pyongyang, January 4 (KCNA) -- A poem on the New Year "Song Dedicated to the 21st Century" by Kim Man Yong was published on the occasion of the New Year Juche 90 (2001).
The poem says it is only the song of praises of leader Kim Jong Il that all people sing representing their best wishes on the first morning of the new century.
Recalling that Kim Jong Il carved out a bright future of the 21st century after steering the 20th century, the poem says that the world sees a great star of the east shining all over it, the powerful country which has won victories, guided by the Juche idea, and the Korean nation raising its voice in unity on the international arena despite the barrier of division.
The poem stresses that Kim Jong Il is the only great man of the 21st century who will glorify the 21st century as a century in which people will become the master of the world, guided by the Juche idea.
The poem concludes by quoting President Kim Il Sung, who paved the way for the 20th century and steered it, as saying "the 21st century will shine as Kim Jong Il's century."
Papers call for carrying through New Year's tasks
Pyongyang, January 4 (KCNA) -- Newspapers here today editorially call upon the Korean people to turn out in the implementation of the tasks laid down in the joint New Year editorial of the newspapers of the party, the army and the youth.
Describing the joint editorial as a militant banner that should be held high by the whole party, the entire army and all the people, Rodong Sinmun says:
The basic idea of the joint editorial is to speed up the socialist advance under the red flag in the spirit of the victorious "arduous march" and thus give full play to the advantages of Korean socialism and make a leaping progress in the building of a powerful nation of Juche this year.
The new century will be a century of revolution guided by leader Kim Jong Il's idea and prestige and a century of brilliant victory in the building of a reunified and prosperous, powerful nation of Juche.
The Korean people should turn out as one to implement the tasks advanced in the joint editorial, in hearty response to it. This is the worthwhile work to fully demonstrate the greatness of the politics of the Worker's Party of Korea.
All our victories are decisively guaranteed by the strict embodiment of Kim Jong Il's politics, the army-first politics that is an eternal political mode of revolution in our era and all-mighty treasured sword for socialist construction.
We should rise as one in the work to carry out the tasks laid down in the joint editorial. It is the honorable work to display to the world the might of single-hearted unity of our people closely rallied around Kim Jong Il and bring about a decisive progress in the building of a powerful nation.
The red flag of socialism continues to be fluttering after the 20th century and great prosperity and powerful development of our country and nation are reliably ensured under the guidance of Kim Jong Il, the great leader of the 21st century, it stresses.
Minju Joson says that officials of all the national economic institutions should successfully carry out the militant tasks laid down in the joint editorial so as to glorify this year as a year of new advance in building an economically powerful nation in the 21st century.
Rodong Sinmun on independent politics
Pyongyang, January 4 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article says that the international prestige of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea rose higher than ever before last year thanks to the independent politics of the Worker's Party of Korea.
The imperialists' moves to stifle the DPRK proved futile and ended in failure in face of the DPRK's independent politics and army-first politics, the article notes, and goes on:
The DPRK was not isolated and shunted to the sidelines of the world despite the moves of the imperialists and reactionaries but demonstrated its might as a dignified state by standing in the center of the international political arena to steer the human cause of independence and the socialist cause.
Referring to the development of the DPRK-China and DPRK-Russia relations and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and members of the European Union, the article continues:
This does not mean any change in the DPRK's ideology and system. But this is a proof of the validity and vitality of the idea of the foreign policy of the DPRK -- independence, peace and friendship -- and its world-wide magnetic power.
The WPK and the government of the DPRK have consistently upheld this idea from a firm independent stand irrespective of any change in situation and made every possible effort for its materialization.
They will remain true to that idea in the 21st century, too, and boost the friendly and cooperative relations and good-neighbor relations with different countries, guided by it.
Imperialism doomed to ruin
Pyongyang, January 4 (KCNA) -- The 21st century will be a glorious century of independence in which moribund imperialism will meet its end and the human cause of independence, the socialist cause, will triumph, said Rodong Sinmun on Jan. 2 in a signed article.
The article continued:
It is inevitable that the U.S. ambition to unipolarize the world under its domination will prove to be a delusion now when the 20th century was seen out and the 21st century arrived.
This is because the U.S. is not strong enough to realize it and met with the opposition from most countries of the world.
The U.S. political influence grew very weak. This is clearly evidenced by the fact that the U.S. imperialists' baton does not work in the UN.
Though the U.S. is making bravado as a military superpower, it is not as strong as it claims.
Russia and China are directly opposed to the U.S. moves for unipolarization and the member states of the European Union are working for the European integration in the efforts to be free from U.S. domination, the article noted, and went on:
There is an increasing sign of the downfall of imperialism going against the trend of the times in the U.S. and other countries of the capitalist world.
The imperialists are becoming more desperate in their efforts to save themselves from ruin.
But with no remedy can capitalism and imperialism get rid of the abyss of ruin into which they were thrown by the times and history.
Major economic tasks this year
Pyongyang, January 4 (KCNA) -- The DPRK set it as the central task of economic construction for this year to consolidate the existing economic infrastructure and display its potentials to the full, while conducting a forceful campaign for refashioning the national economy as a whole with up-to-date technology.
This year the DPRK will refashion all industrial establishments with modern technology and build new production centers based on up-to-date science and technology.
The working people in the key domains of the national economy will dynamically push ahead with the construction of large hydro power stations, keep the production of electricity going at a high rate and increase the coal production to the maximum.
They will also effect innovations in iron and steel production by channeling efforts into the modernization of equipment at the metal works and satisfactorily meet the increasing demand for transport by adjusting and reinforcing railway transport.
The major task facing the light industry is to increase the production of primary consumer goods and basic foodstuffs so as to improve the standard of the people's living.
It is the task of the agricultural field to bring about a radical boost in seed cultivation and potato farming and expand the area for double cropping. This year will witness more extensive breeding of fishes of high productivity including catfish and the appearance of modern stockbreeding bases.
Meanwhile, land realignment project in South Hwanghae Province and nature-harnessing projects including Kaechon-Lake Thaesong waterway project will be dynamically pushed ahead and more cultural, welfare and health care establishments such as rest homes, sanatoria and hospitals and modern houses will spring up this year.
Korean people's resolution to glorify first year of new century
Pyongyang, January 4 (KCNA) -- Korean people from all walks of life are vowing to thoroughly carry out the tasks put forward in the joint New Year editorial of Rodong Sinmun, Josoninmingun and Chongnyonjonwi and glorify the year 2001 as a year of fresh onward march in the building of an economic power in the 21st century.
The joint editorial says: We should give a powerful impetus to socialist construction, upholding the slogan "Glorify this year as a year of fresh onward march in the building of an economic power in the 21st century "
Ju Tong Il, vice-Minister of Power and Coal Industries, said that working people in those fields would demonstrate the honor of being pace-setters in the socialist advance in the 21st century under the uplifted socialist red flag by decisively increasing the power production in the first year of the new century.
Vice-Minister of Agriculture Han Tok said agricultural workers will effect fresh innovations in seed selection, potato cultivation and double cropping and thus contribute to solving the food problem and improving the standard of the people's living.
Ri Kwang Ho, president of the Academy of Sciences, noted the scientists will bring about the best results in their researches in the first year of the 21st century by working hard as loyalists who uphold leader Kim Jong Il with signal achievements in scientific and technological researches.
Maintenance of national independence called for
Pyongyang, January 4 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in an article says that the principle of national independence is the main principle for solving the issue of reunification.
This is because the reunification of the country is an independent cause that should be achieved by the Korean nation itself and the foreign forces are the masterminds of Korea's division and disturbers of its reunification, the article says, and goes on:
The historic north-south joint declaration is a declaration of national independence clarifying that the Korean nation will open up a new era in its history independently by its united efforts.
The Korean nation should carry out the cause of national reunification by its united efforts, holding high the banner of national independence, true to the spirit of the joint declaration.
Momentous achievements made after the publication of the declaration clearly prove that the national cooperation is best and ensures reconciliation, unity, peace and reunification between the north and the south.
Therefore, the Korean nation should choose mode of reunification conforming to its temper, aspiration and demand, not to foreign forces'.
Federal formula is the only way of reunification acceptable and desired by the Koreans in the north and the south under the present conditions.