KCNA urges Japan to redeem its past
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- Japanese foreign minister Tanaka in a "diplomatic blue paper" presented at a cabinet meeting on may 8 made oft-repeated remarks that the DPRK's "settlement of the issues of kidnapping of Japanese and missile" are prerequisite to the establishment of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and Japan.
This can not be construed otherwise than a very short-sighted and preposterous assertion made by the diplomatic head of a country.
As far as the "issue of kidnapping" is concerned, the DPRK does not feel any need to argue about it as it had already clarified its stand toward the issue.
What we should call to question is why the Japanese politicians are persistently raising the fictitious "issue of kidnapping" as a prerequisite to improved DPRK-Japan relations whenever an opportunity presents itself and taking issue even with the self-reliant national defence capacity of the DPRK.
Given Japan's historical responsibility to redeem its crime-woven past, its moves are aimed to paint an assailant as a "victim" in a bid to enlist support from the international community and evade the settlement of its past at the negotiations to be held between the DPRK and Japan in future.
This only highlights Japan's moral baseness and shamelessness.
The same is true of the Japanese politicians' loudmouthed "missile" issue.
Deployed in Japan are huge U.S. forces including a large number of missiles targeted against the DPRK. Japan is stepping up its moves to become a military power in an effort to launch reinvasion.
Japanese politicians assert that the self-reliant defence power built up by the DPRK for over half a century to defend the sovereignty of the country from outsiders' threat of aggression is a "problem" to be settled and the U.S. aggression forces watching for a chance of attack in foreign lands and Japan's moves to become a military power serve as "deterrent forces." This logic is a product of the Japanese politicians' militarist way of thinking.
Japan should settle its past before talking about someone's "kidnapping issue" and "missile issue."
Architectural festival to be held
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- The May 21 Architectural Festival will be held in Pyongyang from May 17 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the publication of leader Kim Jong Il's famous work "theory of architectural art."
The festival will bring together architects, architectural designers and technicians, and experts of scientific and educational institutions related to this field from across the country.
During the festival there will be an exhibition of designs of urban- and rural-style houses commensurate with the features of the 21st century, the designs selected for the contest from across the country. An exhibition of architectural design modernization, a national scientific symposium on architectural construction and other events will also take place.
U.S. hostile policy towards DPRK denounced abroad
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- A statement was adopted at a seminar of political parties of different countries held in Belgium on May 4 to denounce the U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK.
Noting that the U.S. is these days beefing up its armed forces in and around South Korea while staging military exercises against the DPRK, the statement said:
We scathingly denounce this as part of the U.S. policy of aggression to push the situation of the Korean peninsula back to the confrontation and tension before the publication of the north-south joint declaration so as to perpetuate the U.S. military presence in South Korea, break the Korean people's spirit for independent reunification and, furthermore, realise its wild ambition for domination over the whole of Korea.
The new U.S. administration should get rid of the mode of thinking in the Cold War era, give up its hostile policy towards the DPRK and come out to dialogue with the DPRK on the basis of the recognized principles of respect for sovereignty and non-interference in other's internal affairs.
We extend full support to the Korean people in their struggle to reunify the country independently and peacefully without any outside interference.
U.S. religious organization's groundless attack on DPRK blasted
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Korean religious believers council issued a statement on may 8 assailing the "International Association of Religious Freedom" of the United States for groundlessly attacking the DPRK in an "annual report" on the religious situation in different countries published on April 30.
The statement says:
All hues of pseudo religions reign over the United States.
It is preposterous for the association to dare slander the DPRK over the religious issue.
It is universally known that religionists in the DPRK conduct worthwhile activities, exercising sacred rights of citizens without being subjected to any discrimination.
When looking back on the modern history of Korea, one is clear that it was the United States which abused religious men as scouts for aggression and killed guiltless Korean religionists and severely destroyed their buildings during the three year-Korean war provoked by it.
Today the United States is sparking tribal and religious disputes in various parts of the world, driving humankind into disasters.
All these facts clearly prove that the United States is chiefly responsible for the suppression of religion and human rights abuses.
Yet, the association groundlessly slandered the DPRK's religious policy without uttering even a word about its crimes. This is an unpardonable provocation perpetrated by a religious organization against the DPRK as part of the present U.S. administration's hostile policy to isolate and stifle it.
The Korean religious believers council in the name of all the Korean religionists brands the association as a group of satans and vehemently condemns it for acting as a puppet of the U.S. administration keen on the moves for aggression and war going against the trend of the times and the desire of humankind.
Nobody will be taken in by lies and deception.
The U.S. religious association should stop acting rashly, swimming with the trend of the times, and immediately discontinue anti-DPRK moves and smear campaign, away from its anachronistic day-dream.
We express the belief that international religious organizations and the fair-minded religionists who love justice and peace will vigorously turn out to check and frustrate the crime against humanity committed by the U.S. "International Association of Religious Freedom".
Remark of S. Korean minister of foreign affairs and trade under fire
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary assails the anti-north remark made by Han Sung Su, minister of foreign affairs and trade of South Korea, when interviewed by AP on May 7.
Painting South Korea as a "democratic state which improves the human rights situation," he did not bother to assert that "the north may learn from the south how to improve the human rights situation."
The DPRK is a people-centered socialist state firmly based on the Juche idea, the man-centered philosophical idea. That is why its system guaranteeing human rights enjoys an absolute support from the popular masses and all the people have, therefore, turned out in the struggle to frustrate the imperialists' offensive against best socialism and devotedly defend it.
His outbursts are an unbearable mockery and provocation to the north, the commentary says, and goes on:
It is South Korea where human rights are abused. South Korea has the world's poorest human rights record as freedom and rights of the popular masses are institutionally trampled down there owing to such evil laws as the "Security Law".
South Korea can never be called a "democratic state" because its regime suppresses even pro-reunification patriotic organizations including the south headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification and the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils supporting the north-south joint declaration unanimously welcomed at home and abroad and those workers calling for the right to existence.
It is ridiculous of Han to find fault with the DPRK before minding his own business.
His trumpeting about "human rights" was timed to coincide with the present U.S. administration's inclusion of the DPRK on the list of "terrorism sponsors." This goes to prove that the South Korean authorities intend to launch a new smear campaign against the DPRK at the beck and call of the U.S. The north is set to judge the South Korean authorities' will for reconciliation and reunification.
Book on longevity published
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- The book "Way To Become Centenarians" published by the Korean science and encyclopedia press group is now popular among readers.
It was written by prof. and dr. Ryu Sik, vice-director of the Namsan Hospital. It deals with profound knowledge and scientific rules of health to become centenarians.
The book has 8 parts such as "Longevity and Aging", "Longevity and Water", "Longevity and Physical Exercise," "Longevity, Cigarette and Alcoholic Drink" and "Longevity and Disease."
The author wrote about what everybody wishes to know. The book has over 280 subtitles such as "Longevity, Common Desire of Humankind, "Secret of Health and Longevity," "Function of Foods and Health and Longevity," "Physical Exercise and Function of Immunity" and "Foe of Longevity." The book is easy to understand.
About 200 varieties of common knowledge about health are inserted there.
It cites at least 20 healthy people in their seventies and eighties who once suffered from various diseases as examples to show their experience in the observance of regimen and health care.
60 pictures of the internal organ of the human body are printed on the book.
U.S. deputy state secretary's junket to Seoul protested
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- The council for independent and peaceful reunification in South Korea released a statement on Wednesday in protest against the South Korea visit of Armitage, U.S. deputy secretary of state, and his party, according to Yonhap News from Seoul.
The statement held that the Bush administration should stop its moves to establish the "Missile Defence" system and come out for negotiations with the DPRK.
Urging the U.S. to halt using "missile threat" from the DPRK for stepping up the MD program and start negotiations with it, the statement said that the U.S. should discontinue calling for South Korea's support and participation in the program and that South Korea should approach it from an independent stand.
At least 400 members of the joint measure committee to check the U.S. NMD and TMD and realise peace, a civic organization, held a rally in Seoul on the same day to denounce Armitage's visit aimed to force South Korea to participate in the MD program, demanding the U.S. stop it.
Earlier, they held a meeting inside Inchon airport where Armitage was scheduled to arrive, at which they released a statement and chanted slogans in protest against his visit.
DPRK hard hit by long spell of drought
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- An unprecedentedly long spell of drought persists in the DPRK.
Agriculture is badly affected by this drought.
According to information available from the ministry of agriculture, it can hardly expect the desired harvest of before-crops from a large area of fields under two-crop farming including potato due to drought.
Almost all the potato and maize seeds have not sprouted and wheat and barley began to come into ears in a premature condition.
The area of drought-stricken vegetable fields and orchards is on a steady increase and the growth of rice seedlings is also hard hit by drought.
Drought has done damage to over 50 percent of the fields under before-crops on cooperative farms in Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province.
70 percent of the wheat, barley and potato fields on the Jongbang Cooperative Farm in Sariwon is seriously affected by drought.
Drought is expected to persist in the future.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from Irish party
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il received a gift from the Workers' Party of Ireland.
The gift was handed to an official concerned by Sean Garland, chairman of the party who is leading the visiting delegation of the party.
Paek Nam Sun meets Netherland ambassador
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- Foreign minister Paek Nam Sun today met and conversed with new Netherland ambassador to the DPRK H. J. de Bries who paid a courtesy call on him.
Kim Yong Nam meets Nigerian party delegation
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, member of the political bureau of the c.c., Workers' Party of Korea and President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, met and conversed with the delegation of the People's Democratic Party of Nigeria headed by Awoyelu Clement Kolawole, national secretary of finance of the party, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
Present there were Pak Kyong Son, vice-department director of the c.c., WPK.
The head of the delegation said that Korea could become a strong nation and has achieved bright successes in all fields as it has the great leader.
He noted that he would do his best to develop the friendly relations with the DPRK and the WPK.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from Nigerian party
Pyongyang, May 10 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il received a gift from the c.c., the People's Democratic Party of Nigeria.
The gift was handed to secretary Kim Jung Rin of the c.c., WPK by Awoyelu Clement Kolawole, national secretary of finance of the People's Democratic Party who is heading the visiting delegation of the party.