Friendly gathering with Chinese delegation
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- A friendly gathering with the members of the delegation of the All-China Women's Federation took place yesterday.
Invited there were the members of the delegation led by Basang, vice-president of the federation and deputy secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Vice-chairwoman of the c.c., the Korean Democratic Women's Union Choe Chang Suk, and other officials of the union were on hand.
The participants conversed with each other about activities of the two women's organizations, and successes and experience gained in the past and sang songs of the two countries, deepening friendship.
S. Korean police walk away student leader
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- South Korean police walked away Ri Kyong Min, chairman of the Federation of University Student Councils in western Seoul (Sobuchongryon), on May 17 by invoking the "Security Law," Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.
The police charged him with attending a meeting of deputies to the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils held at Hongik University on Apr. 6 in the capacity of chairman of the General Student Council of Kyonggi University.
Enraged at this, more than 300 students under Sobuchongryon including those of Hongik and Kyonggi universities thronged to the Sodaemun police office, occupied roads and held a demonstration in demand of his release.
Kim Jong Il sends gifts to students
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il again sent gifts to the students of the computer classes of Kumsong Senior Middle Schools nos. 1 and 2 in Pyongyang newly established as modern centers for training computer geniuses.
A meeting to convey the gifts was held at the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace yesterday.
Present at the meeting were Kim Jung Rin, secretary of the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, and officials concerned.
Gifts from Kim Jong Il were conveyed at the meeting.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from Germany
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il received a gift from the Bavaria state government of Germany. It was handed to an official concerned yesterday by Otto Wiesheu, minister of economy, traffic and technology of the Bavaria state government, who is leading the economic delegation of the state on a visit to Korea.
Minutes signed between delegation of DPRK Ministry of Foreign Trade and German economic delegation
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- Minutes on the bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy and science and technology were signed between the delegation of the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Economic Delegation of Bavaria state, Germany, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall yesterday.
The minutes were signed by Kim Yong Jae, vice-minister of foreign trade, and Otto Wiesheu, minister of economy, traffic and technology of Bavaria state who is leading the state economic delegation.
Korean pro-boxer in Japan retains world title
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- People's sportsman Hong Chang Su, a pro-boxer under the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, defeated his South Korean rival Jo In Ju at a defence match for super fly prince title held in Seoul on May 20 under the sponsorship of the world boxing council, retaining world pro-boxing title.
he trounced Jo, a winner at the world championships held in Osaka last August, by a 3-0 decision, thus grabbing the prince title.
Oldest gingko tree in Korea
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- The oldest gingko tree in Korea stands in Cholwon county, Kangwon Province on the east coast of Korea.
It is nearly 1,000 years old. it is 21 metres high, 12 metres round at the bottom, 10.3 metres round at the chest, 4 metres in diameter at the bottom, 3.5 metres in diameter at the chest and 21 metres in diameter at the crown.
The bark of the trunk is greyish brown and chappy.
At the trunk one metre above the neck of the root are spread upwards three branches.
The tree which got hollow is still under the government's protection.
It is a source of study in the maximum life span of gingko in Korea.
Dolmen
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- Dolmens which are believed to be built in the period of ancient Korea (early in the 30th century bc-108 bc) are to be found in the vast areas involving the Korean peninsula, northeast china and the Russian maritime province.
On the basin of the Taedong River centred on Pyongyang, there are 14,000 dolmens in particular.
Dolmen which is symbolic of the ancient monument represents the resourcefulness and talent of the Korean people who have created brilliant culture since ancient times.
The Korean dolmens are classified into three types according to the names of places where they were discovered-chimchon, odok and mukbang.
The first-type was found at Chimchon-ri, Hwangju county, North Hwanghae Province. dolmen of this type is made of a large graveyard in which several burial chambers are designed. Every chamber has a thin flat stone set on four edgewise sides. Their top is covered with a stone roof and the chambers are supported by stone piles. therefore, it looks like the roofs laid sporadically.
Advanced forms are odok-type and mukbang-type. unlike chimchon-type, the odok-type reveals its appearance in the earth, which is formed with great stone slabs erected on the three sides of the four and with a roof put on them and then a flat stone covering the remaining side. it resembles a structure consisting of four walls and the roof.
The three walls of the mukbang-type are made of flat stones which are piled up like brick-laying and on top of them is a roof and the walls are reinforced with stones.
This shows that the Korean dolmen developed from a simple structure into a sophisticated and refined one.
These three types of dolmen representing every stage of dolmen development are found concentrically on the basin of the Taedong River centred on Pyongyang.
This shows that dolmen structure finds its cradle and centre on the basin of the river with Pyongyang at its centre, like every other aspect of the culture of ancient Korea. It provides clear evidence that Pyongyang was the capital of ancient Korea which existed for nearly 3,000 years in the east, with a fine history and cultural tradition, and the cradle of the Korean nation.
U.S. is by no means "friendly country"
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- O Ik Je, vice-chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, was interviewed by KCNA in connection with the fact that 21 years have passed since the United States at a meeting of the national security council on May 22, 1980 took an "emergency step" to quell the Kwangju uprisers with "iron fists" and hurl its huge armed forces in the suppression.
The Kwangju massacre enabled the people in the south to keenly feel that the united states is by no means a "friendly country" and awakened them from their illusions about it, he said.
He cited historic facts that the U.S. is neither a "guardian of freedom" nor a "democrat" but it is an aggressor who has stretched a tentacle of aggression to the Korean peninsula from one century ago.
The United States has recently cooled down the DPRK-U.S. relations and the inter-Korean relations and brought them back to the original state of confrontation, he noted, saying that the fellow countrymen can not expect concord and peace from the U.S. military presence in the south.
He stressed that the people in the south should be awakened from illusions about the united states which throws a wet blanket over the dialogue for reunification and amplify the anti-U.S. struggle under the uplifted slogan calling for the U.S. forces' pullout to drive the aggressors out of South Korea at any cost.
Day of bio-diversity observed
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- May 22 is the day of bio-diversity. on this occasion the DPRK natural conservation union is conducting a variety of drives to protect bio-diversity.
Over 80 percent of the territory of Korea is mountainous.
There are at least 8,870 species of plants and over 1,430 species of vertebrates. rivers and streams each extending more than 5 km number over 6,600.
The DPRK has long directed big efforts to conserving species of living things, bioecology and diversity of gene resources and ensuring their sustained development and use.
The state promulgated the "law on environment protection" in Juche 75 (1986). The 1990s witnessed the promulgation of "law on forests," the "law on water resources", "law on preventing sea contamination", and "law on protecting useful animals," etc. they call for conserving and managing well biological resources. in recent years, it has conducted energetic activities to restore the forests hard hit by natural disasters and improve rivers and streams and make their effective use.
In Juche 89 (2000) alone there appeared sapling nurseries covering over 7,000 hectares and more than 155,000 hectares of forests were created across the country. River improvement projects extending 2,000 km were carried out to give face-lifting to the land.
Bio-diversity has been fully conserved through the preservation and management of the national heritages, scenic spots and natural monuments. The country is dynamically pushing forward the work to conserve bio-diversity as it conforms not only with national interests but with regional and global interests.
Greetings to Egyptian foreign minister
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- DPRK foreign minister Paek Nam Sun sent a message of greetings to Ahmed Maher upon his appointment as foreign minister of Egypt.
The message expressed the belief that the good friendly and cooperative relations existing between the two countries would grow stronger and develop, and sincerely wished him success in his new work.
Greetings to Yemeni President
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, yesterday sent a message of greetings to Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of the Republic of Yemen, on the occasion of the 11th anniversary of its unification and the foundation of the Republic.
Expressing the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would continue to strengthen and develop, the message sincerely wished the president greater success in his important work for consolidating the unification of the country and achieving social stability and economic prosperity.
IAEA delegation here
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived here today to participate in the 16th negotiations for the implementation of the DPRK-U.S. agreed framework.
ITF president here
Pyongyang, May 22 (KCNA) -- Choe Hong Hui, president of the International Taekwon-do Federation who is chairman of the International Martial Art Game Committee (IMGC), arrived here today to participate in the 1st conference of the IMGC.
He was greeted at the airport by Hwang Pong Yong, chairman of the Korean Martial Art Federation, and other officials concerned.