All Koreans urged to fulfil their responsibility for reunification
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- A vigorous movement for national reunification now underway at a higher stage urgently calls on all the Koreans to fulfil their responsibility and mission as the driving force for national reunification, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
It says:
The Korean nation is responsible for national reunification because it is for itself and an independent cause which can be undertaken only by the Koreans.
If the Koreans are to creditably fulfil their responsibility and mission as the driving force for national reunification, they should unite as one.
In order to achieve great national unity it is necessary to place the common interests of the nation above anything else irrespective of ideology, system, political view and religious belief and subordinate everything to national reunification.
What is important for the Koreans to fulfil their responsibility and mission as the driving force for national reunification at present is to implement the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration to the letter.
The declaration is a declaration of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity anchored on the three principles of national reunification and a landmark of national reunification.
There can be no distinction between the north and south, the authorities and civilians and ruling and opposition camps as far as implemention of the declaration is concerned.
The 70 million fellow countrymen should be responsible for it.
All the Koreans in the north, south and abroad should turn out as one in the struggle to implement the declaration to achieve the historic cause of national reunification as early as possible.
Diplomatic relations established between DPRK and Hellenic Republic
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- A joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Hellenic Republic was released on March 8.
The communique reads:
The representatives from the ministries of foreign affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Hellenic Republic signed the protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations at the level of ambassadors on 8 March, 2001 in Athens, following the authorization by their governments.
During the talks, both sides emphasized the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries was based on the principles of the charter of the United Nations, the international laws, the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations in 1961 and the Vienna convention of consular relations in 1963.
Both sides expressed the conviction that the establishment of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and the Hellenic Republic would conform to the interests of both countries and contribute to the strengthening of the peace and security of the world.
Proposal for holding world conference of Juche idea followers supported
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- The Latin American Institute of the Juche Idea issued a statement on Feb. 28 in support of an appeal adopted at the seminar on the Juche idea for the independent development of Africa in the 21st century held in Uganda.
The statement said that the appeal which calls for holding a world conference of Juche idea followers on the occasion of February 16, 2002, the birthday of leader Kim Jong Il, reflects their will.
The institute will conduct positive activities for the great success of the world conference and perfect attendance at it, the statement noted.
U.S. to deploy helicopters for special operations in S. Korea
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- The U.S. military announced on March 5 that they would deploy in South Korea four "MH-47E" helicopters for special operations equipped with a variety of sophisticated equipment, Yonhap News of South Korea reported.
This plan worked out three years back is part of their "joint operation plan".
Their performance capacity was already tested in the U.S. "desert storm" operation against Iraq.
Signal success in study of paleozoic fossils
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- Korean archaeologists are registering signal successes in paleontological study.
Recent excavation of 620 million-year-old paleozoic fossils sparked a great sensation among world archaeologists.
At least 1,000 pieces of fossils unearthed on the upper layer belonging to the proterozoic era distributed in Junghwa county and Sangwon county, Pyongyang, and Hwangju county and Yonthan county, North Hwanghae Province, were proved to be multi-cellular primitive jelly-fishes and primitive seaweeds.
The fossil of primitive jelly-fish, 0.6-2.0 cm in diameter, looks like crepe and the fossil of primitive seaweeds, 0.1-0.3 cm in width and 1-15 cm in length, consists of a narrow leaf, stem and root. These fossils are believed to have grown in calm and shallow sea under very favourable ecological conditions.
This proves that those areas provided favourable conditions for the evolution of bio-organisms.
The excavation of those fossils clearly testified to the fact that Korea is one of the countries with long history of biological evolution and the development of lithosphere.
Earlier excavation of fossils of footstep of dinosaur and the "Korean ancestral bird" are precious relics which proved the emergence and the process of evolution of paleozoic bio-organisms.
The fossil of footstep of dinosaur, which lived 100-80 million years ago, was unearthed in Ryonggung-ri, Phyongsan county, North Hwanghae Province and this is much larger than that of an elephant considered to be the largest animal on earth.
The fossil of the "Korean ancestral bird" which lived 150 million years ago is drawing a keen attention of archaeologists. It is listed as a relic of national value which clearly proved the emergence and the systematic evolution of high-grade vertebrate animals in Korea.
Many more paleozoic fossils were unearthed in different parts of Korea including the fossil of pterosaur which greatly contributed to the study of geology in the mesozoic era.
S. Korean unionists on strike
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- The unionists of the South Korean Dae Woo Motor Company continued their struggle for vital rights.
Some days ago, the company side fired 1,750 workers at a time.
This brought the number of those workers sacked by the company in recent months to at least 6,800.
The unionists declared an all-out strike throughout South Korea when the company's layoff step was announced.
They continued strike in Inchon from mid-February to push their demand for withdrawal of the layoff measure and declared that they would wage the strike on the longest-term basis.
They held a rally in Taegu a few days ago to vow to block the layoff and went on strike in various areas including Pusan, Kunsan and Changwon.
Their resistance was supported by unions and people from all walks of life.
The South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and 25 civic and student organizations formed a joint struggle committee with the unionists of the Dae Woo Motor Company and vowed to hold a rally in protest against the police step for suppression and wage a more powerful struggle.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from Turkish women's delegation
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- A gift was presented to leader Kim Jong Il by the delegation of the women's association for the Republic of Turkey on a visit to the DPRK.
Cenal Sarihan, chairwoman of the association who is heading the delegation, conveyed the gift to Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.