Kim Jong Il appreciates performance of servicemen's family art circle members
Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il Tuesday appreciated a performance given by KPA large combined unit no. 567 servicemen's family art circle members who came back after a performance tour of front units.
He was accompanied by KPA generals Hyon Chol Hae and Pak Jae Gyong and other general officers, secretary of the WPK central committee Kim Kuk Thae, director of the information and instruction department of the WPK central committee Jong Ha Chol and others.
In their repertoire the performers sonorously sang of their great pride and happiness of stoutly growing and struggling as women revolutionaries who are reliably performing an important role in the revolution under the warm loving care of Kim Jong Il and successfully represented the unshakable faith and will of the servicemen's family members to devote their lives to the sacred struggle to devotedly defend the headquarters of the revolution and achieve the final victory of the Korean revolution and the cause of national reunification together with their husbands who are with arms in hands.
At the end of the performance Kim Jong Il acknowledged the enthusiastic cheers of the performers and audience and congratulated the art circle members on their successful performance.
He expressed great satisfaction with their performance tour of front units, highly praised them and expressed thanks to them.
Highly praising the army again for conducting brisk family art activities and energetically pushing forward the revolutionization of servicemen and their families, he advanced highly important tasks which would serve as a guideline in popularizing art activities.
Hunger strike in S. Korea
Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- All the unionists of the CBS of South Korea went on an indefinite hunger strike on June 18, Seoul-based MBC reported.
The strike started according to the June 12 decision of the central committee of the trade union that all the unionists including those in the technical sector should go on strike. The trade union has waged the struggle for 9 months from last October in demand of the wage hike, system reform, etc.
Title of Hero of Labour awarded to Hong Chang Su
Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- The title of Hero of Labour of the DPRK was awarded to Hong Chang Su, the first Korean world pro-boxing champion in Japan.
Hong, a pro-boxer under the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon), emerged winner in the super fly category of the world championships of the world boxing council held in Japan in August last year and retained his world championship in a match he had with a challenger in Seoul last May.
An awarding ceremony took place at the Mansudae Assembly Hall yesterday.
Present there were Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, officials concerned, and Hong's party.
After a decree of the presidium of the DPRK spa was read out at the ceremony, the title of Hero of Labour, the gold medal (hammer and sickle) and the order of National Flag First Class were awarded to Hong Chang Su who made great contributions to demonstrating the authority of the socialist homeland and the might of Chongryon by retaining the world pro-boxing championship.
Indian embassy officials help Korean farmers
Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- Ambassador Binanda Kumar Gogoi and officials of the Indian embassy here helped the farmers of the Korea-India Friendship Kalchon Cooperative Farm in Nampho on June 19 in weeding in a maize field.
During a break they talked to each other, sang songs and danced, deepening the feelings of friendship.
The Indian guests handed aid materials to the farm.
Korean people's cause of national reunification supported abroad
Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- Solidarity meetings for support to the decision of the joint meeting of the political parties and organisations in the DPRK to pave the way for national reunification by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation were held in Madagascar and Tanzania on June 8 and 9 on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the publication of the north-south joint declaration.
Speeches were made at the meetings.
Rakotomandimby Selestine, national chairman of the socialist progressive party of Madagascar, said that leader Kim Jong Il arranged the historic Pyongyang meeting and made sure that the joint declaration which indicates the way of national reunification was published, and performed the undying exploits in the history of the movement for national reunification by leading the nationwide work to implement the declaration.
He stressed the need to lift the voices of solidarity to positively support the Korean people in their struggle to achieve the reunification of the country with the world progressives loving justice and peace in the "June 15-August 15 period of the movement for the promotion of national reunification."
Francis Fanuel Lyimo, chairman of the Tanzanian national coordinating committee of the Juche idea study groups, expressed the belief that the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea will be achieved on the basis of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and urged the united states to drop the hostile policy towards the DPRK, withdraw its troops from South Korea and do things helpful toward Korea's reunification.
GIs' mass killings of civilians under fire
Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- All the Koreans are simmering with bitter curses and hatred against the murderers, upon hearing the news that the truth behind mass killings of civilians was disclosed in South Korea, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary.
A report on the truth behind mass killings of civilians and a list of victims during the Korean war were discovered in an underground archives of the "national assembly" of South Korea recently after the lapse of over 40 years.
The U.S. imperialist aggression forces were behind those mass killings, the commentary says, and goes on:
The history of the U.S. imperialist aggression forces' presence in South Korea that has lasted for over half a century was a history of mass killings of civilians.
They are brutes in human skin and the sworn enemy of the Korean nation.
The South Korean people should no longer allow themselves to suffer national disaster, misfortune and disgrace due to those brutes.
The South Korean people should value the dignity and sovereignty of the nation and mercilessly punish the aggressors infringing upon them to demonstrate their mettle.
U.S. urged to dispel DPRK's doubt about its intention
Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today carries a signed commentary on U.S. President Bush's statement issued on June 6 as regards the resumption of negotiations with the DPRK.
The commentary says:
It is noteworthy that the new U.S. administration proposed to resume DPRK-U.S. dialogue which it unilaterally had put under suspension for four months, but the DPRK cannot but remain vigilant against its real intention.
The U.S. side, while proposing to resume negotiations without preconditions, unilaterally set out and opened to the public topics of discussion such as the so called nuclear, missile and conventional armed forces-related issues of the DPRK before both sides sat together.
The DPRK cannot but interpret the U.S. administration's "proposal for resuming dialogue" as unilateral and conditional in its nature and hostile in its intention.
The grave situation prevailing in the DPRK-U.S. relations is a product of the U.S. vicious hostile policy towards the DPRK.
The DPRK's conventional armed forces which have been built up as a measure for self-defence to cope with reckless military threats from the united states and its allied forces, can never be a subject of discussion.
If the U.S. wants the DPRK's "reduction of conventional armed forces", it should, first of all, withdraw its armed forces from South Korea.
If the U.S. has a true will to have a dialogue with the DPRK it should adopt as topics of discussion practical issues related to the implementation of the agreed points of the DPRK-U.S. agreed framework and the DPRK-U.S. joint communique which both sides had already committed themselves to fulfil.
The most realistic and urgent issue related to the implementation of the AF is for the united states to handle in a responsible manner the issue of compensating for the loss of electricity caused by the delay in the LWR provision.
It is the position and demand of the DPRK that the U.S. should dispel its doubt as to whether the United States has a political will to drop its hostile policy toward the DPRK and discuss and settle the pressing issue of compensating for the loss of electricity.
Paek Nam Sun meets new Belgian ambassador
Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- Paek Nam Sun, foreign minister of the DPRK, met and conversed with Koenraad Rouvroy, new ambassador of Belgium to the DPRK who paid a courtesy call on him at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
Credentials from new ambassador of Belgium to DPRK
Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, received credentials from Koenraad Rouvroy, new ambassador of Belgium to the DPRK, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
Present there was Choe Su Hon, vice-minister of foreign affairs.
After receiving credentials, Kim Yong Nam conversed with the ambassador.