Gift to Kim Jong Il from Chinese organizations
Pyongyang, February 10 (KCNA) -- The China association for international friendly contact and the Beijing association for international friendly contact presented a gift to leader Kim Jong Il in their joint name.
Vice-president of the China association for international friendly contact Li Zhangshun conveyed the gift and the certificate to the DPRK ambassador to China on Feb. 8.
February holiday celebrated abroad
Pyongyang, February 10 (KCNA) -- Functions took place in different countries on the occasion of the birthday of leader Kim Jong Il.
A meeting, a DPRK book, photo and handicraft exhibition, a film show and a sports and cultural evening were held in Georgetown, Guyana, on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1.
Present there were prime minister Samuel Hindy and officials of political, public, the press and academic circles of Guyana.
On display at the functions' places were famous works of President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and books, photos and handicrafts showing Kim Jong Il's revolutionary feats and the advantages of the Korean socialist system.
Samuel Hindy in his speech touched on the achievements made by the Korean people under the wise guidance of Kim Jong Il. He also referred to the advance recently made in settling the question of Korea's reunification.
He expressed the belief that the Korean people would unite with each other and reunify the country independently and peacefully without fail under the leadership of Kim Jong Il.
Bivert Desuza, minister of Amerindian Affairs of Guyana, in his speech said that Kim Jong Il is a great man possessed of literary and military accomplishments. It is his great feat that he has turned the country into a military power which no enemy can dare to provoke.
A meeting, a photo exhibition and an artistic performance were also held at golden grove primary school, Guyana, on Feb. 2 to celebrate the February holiday.
Meanwhile, DPRK book, photo and handicraft exhibitions, photo exhibitions and film shows took place in Egypt, India and Indonesia from Jan. 15 to Feb. 2.
DPRK's achievements praised
Pyongyang, February 10 (KCNA) -- Jean-Michel Baylet, president of the Radical Party of Left of France, on Feb. 7 met with a delegation of the Workers' Party of Korea led by Ji Jae Ryong, vice department director of its central committee, on a visit to France.
On the occasion the president highly praised the achievements made by the workers' party and people of Korea in their efforts to improve the inter-Korean relations and reunify the country in a peaceful way under the wise guidance of leader Kim Jong Il.
He said the Radical Party of Left of France expresses belief that the WPK which is making a positive contribution to defending the world peace and security will play a bigger role in the international arena in the future, too. He said he would strive for the development of friendly relations between France and the DPRK.
Friendship meeting with Chinese guests
Pyongyang, February 10 (KCNA) -- Oungum, one of stringed instruments in Korea, is widely popular with professional and amateur musicians.
National in form and structure, it has achieved a new level of development of national musical instruments with the introduction of a distinctive vibration set-up.
The body is shaped like a gourd and the head ornaments like a hairpin.
The new instrument has a wide range of plying methods such as pause, plucking and double-note pressing as well as vibration methods. It produces a clear and soft tone.
a characteristic feature of its performance technique is the tremolo executed by the pick. the bridge with a vibration set-up helps get a peculiar tone.
Vibration and the tremolo are used simultaneously according to the need of muscial representation.
Invented in Juche 51 (1962) under the guidance of leader Kim Jong Il, the Oungum undergoes improvement in accordance with the Koreans' aesthetic tastes and the development of musical art.
It is now favoured for ensemble for an orchestra performance.
So Jun Sik sentenced to prison term
Pyongyang, February 10 (KCNA) -- The international department of the C.C., the Workers' Party of Korea hosted a friendship meeting with the members of the delegation of the international liaison department of the C.C., the Communist Party of China at the mansudae art theatre yesterday.
Invited there were the members of the delegation led by Wang Jiarui, deputy head of the international liaison department of the C.C., the CPC, the Chinese ambassador and members of the embassy here.
Present were Kim Yang Gon, department director of the WPK Central Committee, and officials concerned.
Speeches were made at the meeting.
The participants talked with each other about the constantly developing Korea-China friendship.
Tanzanian national seminar held
Pyongyang, February 10 (KCNA) -- The Seoul district court on Feb. 6 sentenced So Jun Sik, representative of the society for human rights movement, to one year in prison and two years of stay of execution on charges of the violation of the "law on supervision for public peace", Yonhap News reported.
The court passed such a judgement on him for the mere reason that he did not report his activities to a detective in charge of him though he was under the supervision for public peace for screening his film at a human rights film festival held several years ago.
All-out strike called for in S. Korea
Pyongyang, February 10 (KCNA) -- A national seminar on the Juche idea and prospect of self-reliance in Tanzania was held in Dar Es Salaam on Feb. 3 on the occasion of the birthday of leader Kim Jong Il.
Present there were Joseph Frederick Mbwilija, chairman of the State Standing Survey Committee of Tanzania and director of the board of the International Institute of the Juche Idea, and officials of the government, political parties, organizations and Juche idea study organizations and friendship organizations in Tanzania.
A reporter and speakers proved the greatness and validity of the Juche idea which was fathered by President Kim Il Sung and has been further developed and enriched by Kim Jong Il.
They underscored the need for political parties in each country to settle everything independently from a Juche-based stand to suit its specific conditions and called for deeply grasping the principles of self-reliance clarified by the Juche idea and putting them into practice.
Noting that the world revolutionary people are greatly inspired by the DPRK which dismissed the "theory of collapse" of socialism touted by the imperialists and is throwing its rays as a bulwark of socialism they declared that followers of the Juche idea in Tanzania would more deeply study and disseminate the Juche idea and put it into practice in the 21st century, too.
Greetings to Iranian President
Pyongyang, February 10 (KCNA) -- The Dae Woo Motor Co. Trade Union of South Korea threatened to go on a all-out strike from Feb. 12, Seoul-based radio no. 1 reported.
The chairman of the trade union at a rally of unionists held in Puphyong, Inchon, on Feb. 7 declared that it would stage a general strike at worksites and factories across South Korea in protest against the layoff and the company side's restructuring scheduled for Feb. 16.
First meeting of north-south power cooperation subcommittee
Pyongyang, February 10 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, sent a message of greetings to Seyed Mohammad Khatami, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, today on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of the victory in the Islamic revolution in Iran.
The message extended congratulations to the president, the government and people of Iran on the occasion.
It hoped that the friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and Iran, which have favorably developed since the victory in the Islamic revolution, would continue to grow strong in all fields in the new century, too.
It wished the government and people of Iran progress and prosperity and the Iranian president good health and happiness.
Meanwhile, premier of the DPRK cabinet Hong Song Nam sent a message of greetings to first vice-president of Iran Hassan Habibi and foreign minister Paek Nam Sun to his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi.