Implementation of June 15 Joint Declaration called for
Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- The central committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea published "Appeal of June" on Tuesday on the occasion of the first anniversary of the publication of the historic June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, according to radio Voice of National Salvation from Seoul.
The appeal said that the joint declaration consistent with the idea of national independence and great national unity is a common program of the nation for reunification which enjoys stormier support and welcome at home and abroad as days go by for its truth, actuality and reasonableness.
Calling upon all the people to turn out as one in implementing the joint declaration, the appeal went on:
Let us thoroughly reject the anti-national and anti-reunification moves to put the brake on the implementation of the June 15 Joint Declaration and backtrack to confrontation and tension.
Let us reject "cooperation" with foreign forces and solve the reunification problem by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation with national cooperation.
Let us check the atrocities and war exercises of the U.S. troops and dismantle the U.S. military bases in this land.
Let us rise up as one in the anti-U.S. resistance, holding aloft the slogans demanding repeal of the U.S. hardline policy toward the north, probe into the truth behind mass killings of civilians, opposition to "Missile Defence" system and withdrawal of the U.S. troops from South Korea.
Let us frustrate pro-U.S. sycophantic diplomacy and establish politics of national independence.
Let's achieve the unity of the entire nation under the banner of patriotism and national reunification, following the five-point policy of great national unity
National Day of Portugal observed
Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- A film show took place here yesterday in the name of the Korea-Portugal Friendship Association on the occasion of the 91st National Day of Portugal. Present there were Jon Yong Jin, vice-chairman of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and chairman of the Korea-Portugal Friendship Association, members of the association and working people of the city.
Speeches were made by the chairman and the secretary general of the association. then, the participants saw Portuguese documentary films.
S. Korean police threaten to issue warrants for arrest of leading members of KCTU
Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- The Seoul district police office threatened to issue warrants for the arrest of leading members of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions including its chairman Tan Pyong Ho and severely punish them, according to Seoul-based Radio No. 1.
It revealed its intention to arrest the chairman of the KCTU, recalling that a notice had already been sent to him several times to come to the police on charges of over 20 cases of violation of the "law on assembly and demonstration."
It also intends to issue warrants of arrest or summons to 6 persons including the chief for the organization of disputes of the KCTU, branding the workers' demonstration as a "violent one."
Heightened national self-respect called for
Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- Without national self-respect, it is impossible to ensure the independent development of the country and the nation and defend the nation's honour and dignity and maintain its existence, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
National self-respect can be protected only through a fierce struggle against the imperialists keen to put it down, the article says, and goes on:
Today the imperialists are becoming more desperate than ever before in their moves to damage the Juche character and national identity of other countries and nations under the pretext of "globalization." Under such situation, it is crucial and urgent at present to enhance the national self-respect.
Failure to have proper national self-respect would make a mess of the country and the nation. this is a bitter lesson taught by history. A lack of national self-respect may lead to the repetition of a flunkeyist history, a humiliating history.
The Korean people's history of struggle teaches the precious truth that when they live with plenty of guts coupled with high national self-respect, they can defend the sovereignty of the country and the dignity of the people and achieve prosperity and progress.
The national self-respect of the Korean people reflects the great national pride and happiness in holding leader Kim Jong Il in high esteem as the great sun of the 21st century and a benevolent father and great national pride of living in the best socialist country centred on the popular masses.
No force on earth can break such national self-respect.
Pyongyang Embroidery Institute
Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- The Pyongyang Embroidery Institute standing on the bank of the River Pothong boasts Korean architectural style. It is one of the famous centres producing and disseminating applied fine arts in Korea. Recently the institute produced many successful works such as embroideries "Morning of the New Century," "Grand Flower Garden" and "Inhodae on Mt. Myohyang in Autumn."
The institute was set up in February Juche 37 (1948) with 9 women only. But now it has been developed into a creating centre with hundreds of creative staff and embroiderers.
It has several creating and producing units including a creating room and shops specializing in pictorial embroidery and mechanical embroidery.
It has annually created a lot of embroidery works to satisfy the daily growing demand of people for them.
Some of them received gold medals and special prizes at international handicraft exhibitions.
Experts from the institute are active not only at home but in foreign countries to widely disseminate embroidery skill.
GIs' environmental pollution flailed
Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- More than 10 organizations of South Korea including the people's movement for the revision of the shackling South Korea-U.S. "status of forces agreement," the green federation and the headquarters of the movement for combating crimes committed by the U.S. troops held a rally in front of the headquarters of the U.S. 8th army in Seoul on June 5, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News.
Recalling that GIs' environmental pollution such as oil leakage from areas around the U.S. forces base in Wonju and the U.S. 8th army base and the pollution in the firing range in Maehyang-ri are reported in an unbroken chain, the organizations in a statement demanded they improve the environment and apologize for the crimes.
Accusing the U.S. of forcing South Korea to increase its share of the fund for the upkeep of the U.S. troops by 32 percent and rejecting a trial of the man responsible for dumping poisonous substance into the River Han last year, they voiced an opposition to the increase in South Korea's share of the fund.
They also organized a photo exhibition and art performance as regards the environmental pollution in the areas around the bases of the U.S. troops.
Abnormal heat persists in Korea
Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- The whole area of Korea is hard hit by heat plus a long spell of the worst drought.
According to information available from the central weather forecasting institute of the hydrometeorological bureau, the daily heat measured up to this date since April is an all-time high in the history of observation.
Temperature in Kaesong and Sariwon areas on April 9 stood at 27. 9 degrees c and 25. 4 degrees c respectively or 13. 1 degrees c and 10. 8 degrees c higher than normal.
The maximum noon temperature in Hamhung, Wonsan and Hyesan areas on May 20, 21 and 22 registered at an average of 34. 4 degrees c, 12-13 degrees c higher than normal.
The average temperature in Wonsan and Hamhung areas in mid-May was 6. 6 degrees c and 5. 9 degrees c higher than normal and that in Phyongsong, Haeju and Kanggye areas in the last ten days of the month 6. 4 degrees c, 5. 4 degrees c and 3.
9 degrees c higher than normal. temperature in all parts of the country was 3 degrees c higher than normal years.
The average temperature in all areas in nearly all days of June registered at 32-37 degrees c or 8-10 degrees c higher than normal years.
Owing to the unprecedented heat, over 22-25 cm deep soil of the farmland remained dry, badly affecting the growth of non-paddy crops. No harvest is expected from hundreds of thousands of hectares of drought-stricken areas.
The same is true of paddy fields. Water of rivers went down, causing an acute shortage of irrigation water and an unprecedented delay in rice-transplanting.
Worse still, over 20 m/s Kumgang foehn wind struck Kangwon Province in mid-May, doing damage to nearly all the farmland in Kosong and Thongchon areas.
Drought and heat are expected to persist for several days to come owing to continental high pressure.
The state is now taking an emergency step to draw even water from seas into rivers within the tolerable limit.
Japanese government condemned for refusing to permit entry of DPRK delegation into Japan
Pyongyang, June 8 (KCNA) -- The DPRK measure committee for demanding compensation to "comfort women for the army" and the victims of the pacific war issued a statement today denouncing the Japanese government for refusing to permit the entry into Japan of its delegation which left here to participate in the emergency meeting and rally for Asian solidarity due to be held in Tokyo on June 10 and 11.
The statement said:
The meeting is a legitimate international meeting which does not allow the Japanese government to interfere in it to serve its sinister purpose as it is convened in reflection of the common will of fair-minded figures of Japan and other Asian people to deal with the Japanese government's recent approval at an examination of history textbooks in which historical facts are seriously distorted, embellished and deleted.
The Japanese government's approval of those textbooks is stirring up strong protest and curse from the broad international community as it is a shameless behaviour of wantonly trampling underfoot the generally accepted justice and morality of the international community and revealing Japan's political and moral vulgarity.
The Japanese government, however, did not bother to refuse to permit under an absurd pretext the entry into Japan of the delegation of the committee, a non-governmental organization of the DPRK which suffered the most disastrous damage, far from lending an ear to the opinion of the international community.
It is a height of folly for the Japanese government to calculate that it can "justify" its unreasonable moves to tamper with history by calming down the daily mounting protest from the international community by such base means as blocking the DPRK delegation from participating in the meeting. it should bear this in mind.
The committee strongly denounces the Japanese government's behaviour, dismissing it as a base act diametrically contrary to the elementary morality and usage in international relations and a heinous hostile act against the DPRK.
The Japanese government will be held wholly responsible for the grave consequences to be entailed by this step.