Protest campaign against police crackdown declared in South Korea
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- The South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) on April 23 held a press conference in protest against police crackdown upon the unionists of the Daewoo Motor Company and threatened to launch a 10 million-people campaign for watching video tapes on the crackdown, according to Seoul-based CBS.
The confederation called on its 14 regional headquarters, 17 branch federations and over 1,500 units of trade unions under it to show the video tapes at all railway stations and village halls from the end of April to the end of may across South Korea to let people know about the police crackdown.
Meanwhile, the confederation sent the same video tape to the united nations and decided to send another copy and materials on the suppression to the conference of the international labour organization and the world labour organization for human rights.
Anti-U.S. protest in S. Korea
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- Members of the Environment Movement Association of South Korea staged a surprise demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul on Wednesday, according to a MBC report from Seoul.
The demonstration was launched in protest against the Bush administration's abrogation of the convention on preventing global warming and its establishment of "NMD."
The demonstrators were carrying placards and chanting slogans protesting the U.S. administration's wrong behavior, asserting that Bush seeks to leave environment and peace of the world to the mercy of the U.S. munition complexes.
DPRK paddlers prove successful
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- Paddlers of the DPRK gave a good account of themselves at the 10th East Asian Junior Table-Tennis Championships held in Kobe of Japan over April 21-22.
Ri Hyok Won the men's singles title while Kim Ok Hyang placed third in the women's singles. The DPRK snatched bronze medals in the men's and women's team events.
Participating in the championships were boy and girl paddlers from eight countries and regions including the DPRK, Mongolia, China and Japan.
National meeting of party propaganda officials
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- A national meeting of propaganda officials of primary party organizations was held here over April 26-27.
The meeting reviewed the achievements and experience gained in the party ideological work over the past years, and discussed measures to enhance the responsibility and role of officials who are in charge of propaganda work of primary party organizations, in improving the ideological education in conformity with the demand of the new century.
"Let us further enhance the role of propaganda officials of primary party organizations in keeping with the requirements of the revolutionary advance in the new century", a letter sent by leader Kim Jong Il to the participants, was read out at the meeting.
Clarified in the letter are the basic duty of the officials in charge of party ideological work in the new century, the fundamental demand for improving and intensifying the propaganda and political work, and highly important tasks to be carried out by propaganda officials of primary party organizations and ways for their implementation.
A reporter said at the meeting that it is the consistent policy maintained by the Workers' Party of Korea in guiding the revolution and construction to open up the road of victory by giving priority to ideology and setting the masses on the move.
He called upon the propaganda officials to conduct party propaganda and political work in a unique and dynamic way in keeping with the demands of the new century and thus make a great contribution to the building of a powerful nation.
Speeches were made at the meeting.
S. Korean workers to call strike
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- Over 3,000 unionists of a bus company in Seoul held a ceremony to call a strike on April 26 in demand of wage hike and withdrawal of a decision to drastically decrease the number of buses, Seoul-based Radio No. 1 reported.
The unionists declared that they would call a strike on Friday unless the company meets their demand.
U.S. ambition for world domination under fire
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- The U.S. is reportedly stepping up in real earnest the modernization of military hardware including the development of new type nuclear weapons after working out a "proposal for military reform" to "increase combat capacity."
In this regard Minju Joson today in a signed commentary observes:
This clearly shows the U.S. intention not to hesitate to use nuclear weapons in a bid to realise its ambition for domination.
What merits attention is the fact that the U.S. development of nuclear weapons and the modernization of military hardware are aimed at provoking a new war on the Korean peninsula as part of its strategy to realize its ambition for world domination.
Even the U.S. does not hide the fact that its escalating military actions are to stifle the DPRK by force of arms and use it as a springboard from which to put the world under its military domination.
The prevailing situation compels the DPRK to make full preparations to resolutely counter the U.S. moves for a nuclear war.
If the U.S. provokes a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula at any cost the people's army and the people of the DPRK will strongly retaliate against it. They have capacity and will to do so. Their strong counteraction will be limitless and it will bring disastrous consequences to the U.S.
Probe into truth behind GIs' mass killings in S. Korea demanded
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- Minju Joson today carries a signed commentary as regards the recent confirmation of the truth that the U.S. imperialists massacred innocent civilians in Pusan, too, during the last Korean war.
It is quite natural that the people from all walks of life in South Korea are strongly calling for the formation of a fact-finding group and carrying out a thorough survey and excavation.
A thorough excavation and probe into the truth alone can wreak the bitter grudge of those killed by GIs, the commentary notes, and continues:
A thorough probe into the truth behind the mass killings is urgently required to prevent the repetition of such tragedy.
The Bush administration tries to ignite a new war in Korea, openly pursuing a hostile policy towards the DPRK.
Therefore, no one can vouch that the U.S. imperialists will not commit more mass killings of peaceable civilians when a new war breaks out in Korea. To prevent the U.S. imperialists from indiscriminately killing peaceable civilians after igniting a new war, it is necessary to probe the truth behind those mass killings to the last.
The basic way of barring them from committing mass killings is to force the U.S. forces to quit South Korea.
Withdrawal of U.S. forces from S. Korea urged
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- The Indian Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification on April 18 released a statement in support of Rodong Sinmun commentator's article dated April 16 "The issue of U.S. troop pullout should be discussed before anything else."
The statement said:
The Bush administration is now pursuing a hardline policy in a bid to stifle the DPRK by force. It is urging the DPRK to cut down its military forces on the front while seeking the permanent presence of the U.S. troops in South Korea.
Such behavior proves that the bush administration does not have any intention to ease the military confrontation on the Korean peninsula but works hard to escalate it against the DPRK.
The U.S. should take a practical step to pull its troops out of South Korea before talking about "cutdown of conventional forces" of the DPRK, if it truly wants disarmament and peace on the Korean peninsula.
Revocation of approval of distorted history textbook demanded
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- The council for the promotion of national spirit in South Korea in a press interview on April 23 urged the Japanese government to immediately repeal its approval of the retrogressive revision of the history textbook and enforce proper education in history, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News.
The council demanded Japan abandon its arrogant intention to distort history in a bid to implant the Japanese consciousness of being superior to others into the pupils.
The council also urged the Japanese government to admit the state crimes the Japanese imperialists committed in the past war of aggression and in the period of their military occupation, stop the education in the history of the "empire" and make an official apology and reparation for the crimes related to the "comfort women for the army".
Japan's moves for revival of militarism under fire
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- 86 Japanese dietmen and 97 assistants to dietmen of Japan visited the Yasukuni Shrine on April 20 to call back the departed soul of those killed in the war of aggression.
In this regard Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary says:
Now the Japanese reactionaries hold that the politicians in power are duty-bound to visit the shrine in order to inherit Japan's "spirit" and "tradition".
They advertise the Yasukuni Shrine as an ideological centre to infuse militarist idea of aggression and zeal for reinvasion into Japanese citizens. Through visits to the shrine they seek to imbue the younger generation with militarism so that they may turn out in a war to realize their dream of "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" which they failed to achieve in the past. Their other aim is to create a social atmosphere favourable for arms buildup needed for overseas invasion and completion of the wartime law.
Recently they disclosed that Japan would dispatch its "Self-Defence Forces" to the Korean peninsula if a war breaks out there. This is little short of a declaration of a war of aggression to seize the DPRK any moment.
The Japanese reactionaries' ambition for aggression remains unchanged though one generation is replaced by another.
If they dare undertake any military action against the DPRK they will not escape a merciless retaliation.
Protocol signed between governments of DPRK and Russia
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- A protocol on the 4th meeting of the forestry sub-committee of the inter-governmental committee for cooperation in trade, economy and science and technology between the DPRK and the Russian Federation was signed here on April 27.
The protocol was signed by vice-minister of forestry of the DPRK Jon Myong Guk and vice-minister of industry, science and technology of the Russian Federation Vitaly Usov.
Talks held between vice-chairman of DPRK NDC and Russian deputy prime minister
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- Talks were held between vice-marshal of the Korean People's Army Kim Il Chol, vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and minister of the People's Armed Forces, who is leading the DPRK high-ranking military delegation and I.I. Mlevanov, deputy prime minister of the government of the Russian Federation, in Moscow on April 27.
At the talks both sides informed each other of successes made in their countries and discussed the issue of further developing cooperation in various fields between the two countries.
The head of the DPRK delegation and the deputy prime minister of the government of the Russian Federation signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of military technology between the two countries.
Present at the talks from the DPRK side were the members of the delegation and DPRK ambassador to Russia Pak Ui Chun and from the Russian side Mikhail Dmitriyev, vice-minister of national defence of the Russian Federation, and officials concerned.
Talks between DPRK minister of People's Armed Forces and Russian minister of National Defence
Pyongyang, April 28 (KCNA) -- Talks were held between Kim Il Chol, minister of the People's Armed Forces of the DPRK, and Sergei Ivanov, minister of National Defence of the Russian Federation, in Moscow on April 27.
At the talks the DPRK side praised the recent achievements made in Russia.
The Russian side noted that the relations between Russia and the DPRK have entered a phase of fresh development in the wake of the Pyongyang meeting of the heads of the two countries.
Saying that the U.S. policy including the Bush administration's establishment of the "National Missile Defense" system throws a stumbling block in the way of ensuring global peace and security, it noted that Russia shares the same stand with the DPRK in opposing the U.S. efforts to build a unipolar world.
Kim Il Chol and Sergei Ivanov signed an agreement on cooperation between the armed forces organs of the two countries.
Present at the talks from the DPRK side were the members of the high-ranking military delegation of the DPRK, DPRK ambassador to Russia Pak Ui Chun and military attache of the embassy and from the Russian side col. general Yuri Zalogin, vice chief of the general staff of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and general director for communications, and officials concerned.