Japanese authorities' move to distort history condemned
Pyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) -- The DPRK Women's Association for Solidarity with Asian Women issued a statement on May 3 in connection with the Japanese authorities' formal approval of a controversial junior high school history textbook draft through examination.
The statement said:
The textbook, which was passed through examination by the Japanese ministry of education, culture, sports, science and technology, denied Japan's responsibility for the past Pacific War with an absurd logic that it was not a war of aggression but a "war to liberate" Asian countries, and embellished and justified the brutal acts committed by the Japanese army, not containing any words repenting of the colonial domination and the "comfort women for the army".
The association vehemently denounced the Japanese authorities' move, regarding it as an intolerable insult to the Korean women, victims, the Korean and Asian peoples and a vicious challenge to justice and human conscience.
The Japanese authorities should stop their move to distort history and their hostile policy toward the DPRK, make a sincere apology and compensation for all the past crimes against the Korean people and write about the anti-ethical crimes of Japan including the issue of comfort women in the history textbooks as they were, so that the rising generation may not repeat the shameless past.
To do so would be good for the present and future of Japan.
Third Pyongyang Symposium on Medical Science
Pyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) -- The Third Pyongyang Symposium of compatriots at home and abroad on medical science took place at the People's Palace of Culture on May 2 and 3.
The symposium involved an invitation lecture and a scientific seminar.
At the symposium doctors at home and those from the United States, China, Japan and Canada presented nearly 100 valuable treatises on the achievements and experience gained in developing medical science and in the preventive and curative health care.
Guarantee of S. Korean workers' vital rights called for
Pyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) -- Students under the "National Student Struggle Committee" held a rally in Seoul on April 30 demanding the guarantee of workers' vital rights, Seoul-based Radio No. 1 reported.
They criticized the authorities for their unjust policy, charging that restructuring threatens the vital rights of the workers.
At the end of the rally they held a demonstration.
Former unconverted long-term prisoners meet with army soldiers
Pyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) --Fformer unconverted long-term prisoners, pro-reunification patriotic fighters, met with soldiers of the Korean People's Army on May 3.
They talked to each other about the genuine life of revolutionary soldiers, their revolutionary faith and military service.
The former prisoners told soldiers how they fought in prison to remain true to human conscience and obligation and how they enjoy a genuine human life in the homeland.
The soldiers said that they will learn from the noble spiritual world of the pro-reunification patriotic fighters and follow practical examples set by them so as to make positive contributions to the building of a powerful country.
DPRK hard hit by long spell of drought
Pyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) -- Crops in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are badly affected by a long spell of drought.
Due to the high air pressure that has persisted in Huabei, China, Korean west sea and south sea since last March there has been little rainfall in the DPRK since March 3 when it was registered 6 mm on an average. The rainfall on March 14 stood at 3 mm on an average.
To be exact, drought has persisted for more than 60 days since early March.
To go back to historical records, Pyongyang was hit by drought from March 3 to May 4 in 1928, drought lasted for 63 days from March 1 to May 2 in 1982 and for 58 days from March 1 to April 27 in 1993.
Precipitation from last March 1 up to this date is registered 15mm on an average in all parts of the country, only 18 percent of 83 mm, the annual average. precipitation in north and south Hwanghae provinces on the west coast, in particular, was registered 9 mm, the lowest in rainfall observation.
Drought has persisted for 58 days in all parts of north and south Hamgyong provinces on the east coast, doing huge damage to various fields of the national economy.
Results of the soil survey showed that 8-15 cm deep soil of the farm land in all parts of the country remained dry, going far beyond the germination limit. Most of the sown seeds have already dried up.
A forest fire is reported in an unbroken chain.
Forest fires broke out in scores of cities and counties including Thongchon, Phyonggang, Cholwon, Ichon and Phangyo counties, Kangwon Province, Tokchon and Sunchon cities, Hoechang, Maengsan and Unsan counties, South Phyongan Province, and north and south Hwanghae provinces, north and south Hamgyong provinces, Jagang Province and Pyongyang in April, thus causing a huge loss of forest resources, satellite information said.
As communication networks were cut off by forest fires, various forms of accidents broke out one after another, hard hitting various fields of the national economy.
Drought is expected to persist till the first part of May.
KCNA assails Japan's attempt to revise constitution
Pyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) -- Secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Yamazaki proposed a draft amendment to the constitution of Japan which calls for rewriting the war renouncing article 9 and other articles of the constitution, stirring up public furore.
In the draft amendment worked out by him, such points which ban Japan's possession of the three services of armed forces and do not recognize the right of belligerency are deleted and the "right to collective self-defence" is openly asserted in article 9 of the constitution, so far claimed to be the "peace constitution."
Japan may claim it can modify its constitution according to the actual situation of the country as it is a sovereign state, but there are serious matters at issue which can never be allowed from the political and military viewpoints.
If the constitution is rewritten as claimed by him, a solid legal groundwork will be laid for Japan to emerge as a military power, unhindered, and launch overseas aggression so as to realise its ambition for aggression without redeeming its crime-woven history.
It is a stark fact that Japan has been keen to turn itself into a military giant since its defeat in the war and revised the "peace constitution" bit by bit, by restoring the right to participate in a war and the right of belligerency through the adoption of the law related to the "Japan-U.S. defence cooperation guidelines" in recent years.
It is also nobody's secret that the right-wing forces of Japan have long asserted the repeal of the "peace constitution."
However, the draft amendment to the constitution openly and formally presented by such a guy as the secretary general of the ruling LDP to justify Japan's moves to become a military power can never be overlooked as it characterises the political and military tendency of the present Japanese government.
When Japan is constitutionally allowed to possess regular armed forces and exercise the right to collective self-defence, it is certain that it will become a military power and launch the reinvasion of Asia in pursuance of the U.S. strategy for world domination. This is quite obvious in view of Japan's past history and its present political and military tendency.
Japan's dangerous attempt to modify the constitution should be decisively checked.
U.S. to deploy special helicopters in S. Korea
Pyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) -- The U.S. military decided to deploy six mh-47e of the latest type for nocturnal special operations, the May 2 issue of the South Korean newspaper Hangyore said.
The U.S. military and the South Korean authorities agreed upon and signed the decision on April 26. Those helicopters are to be deployed in a U.S. military base in the southeastern part of South Korea in the near future.
S. Korean Ministry of Unification's unjust behaviour slammed
Pyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) -- The south headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification, the south headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country's Reunification and the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils separately issued statements in protest against the Ministry of Unification's refusal to permit Ri Kyu Jae, chairman of the Reunification Committee of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), to participate in the May day meeting of workers in the north and the south for reunification at the head of a delegation of the KCTU to it, according to a news report.
The refusal is a mockery of the June 15 joint declaration and a blatant challenge to the 70 million fellow countrymen aspiring after reunification as it is an act of blocking solidarity and unity between the workers in the south and the north, the statements said.
They demanded an immediate abolition of the "Security Law" and expressed the will to fight against any moves against the June 15 joint declaration.
S. Korea asks for U.S. missile launchers
Pyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) -- The South Korean military authorities have implored the united states to provide missile launchers of new type, standard, which is to be used for "Theatre Missile Defence" system.
This fact was disclosed on April 25 by air defense, a U.S. internet site dealing with military affairs, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.
The air defense quoted the U.S. office for defense and security cooperation's document dated April 23 as saying that the military authorities of South Korea asked the U.S. to sell three launchers, mk-41, and its spare parts worth 98 million dollars.
this makes local military experts cast a doubt as to south korea's joining the u.s. in establishing the "tmd" system.
and it also hints that the policy of south korea, which was to refuse the u.s. call for its participation in the "TMD" has possibly changed, the news report said.
Credentials presented to Kim Yong Nam
Pyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) -- Josue I. Villa, new ambassador of the Philippines to the DPRK, presented his credentials to Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
The president had a talk with the ambassador after receiving the credentials.
Present there was Pak Kil Yon, vice-minister of foreign affairs.
Foreign minister Paek Nam Sun met the ambassador who paid a courtesy call on him on the same day.
Foreign Ministry spokesman assails U.S. report on terrorism
Pyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK today answered a question put by KCNA as regards the recent U.S. attack against the DPRK over the issue of terrorism.
The U.S. State department in an "annual report on terrorism" released on May 1 termed the DPRK a "terrorism-sponsor." It pulled up the DPRK on groundless charges that the DPRK gave a shelter to members of the "red army" of Japan in the past and it might have sold arms to terrorist organizations in other countries.
The DPRK government has consistently maintained the principled stand to combat all forms of terrrorism and any form of support to it.
In the DPRK-U.S. joint statement made public last October the U.S. declared its political will to declassify the DPRK as a "terrorism sponsor." this notwithstanding, The anti-DPRK diatribe renewed by the new U.S. administration despite Washington's earlier promise is little short of an open expression of its design to persistently pursue hostile policy towards the DPRK in violation of the statement.
It is foolish enough for the U.S. to slander the DPRK over the issue of terrorism.
The DPRK is fully prepared to react to any U.S. attitude.