Korean books presented to Madagascar
Pyongyang, June 24 (KCNA) -- A ceremony for presenting Korean books was held at Antananarivo University of Madagascar on June 13.
The DPRK ambassador to Madagascar handed leader Kim Jong Il's famous works and other Korean books to the president of the university at the ceremony.
The president of the university said in his address that the books contain the unique ideas and theories and rich experience of struggle performed by President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the great leaders of Korea, in leading the DPRK as a state defending socialism for a long time, and the achievements made by the Korean people. They also reflect the aspiration of the world progressives after a new society, he noted, expressing the determination to make a wide use of these books.
Halt to suppression of trade unions urged
Pyongyang, June 24 (KCNA) -- 43 civic organizations of South Korea including the citizens' solidarity for democratic society and the green federation held a press conference on June 20, at which they demanded the authorities stop calling police force out to the scene of unionists' strike, Seoul-based MBC reported.
The organisations said the authorities' attitude will result in violating human rights and democracy. civic organizations will jointly face up to it, they warned. they demanded the authorities discontinue suppression of the labour movement and democratic forces and launch genuine democratic reforms such as the revision of the "security law" and the law on combating corruption.
Japan urged to admit legal responsibility for past crimes
Pyongyang, June 24 (KCNA) -- A DPRK delegate made a speech at the 26th session of the working group on contemporary forms of slavery of the UN sub-commission on promotion and protection of human rights held in Geneva on June 14.
It has been widely known to the international community what bitter sufferings and misfortune the sexual slavery for the Japanese army called the system of "comfort women for the army" brought on the victims even at the present time, he said, and went on:
The Japanese authorities approved at examination junior high school history textbooks to be used from next year, which totally distorted, concealed and justified such unethical criminal acts as the crimes related to the "comfort women for the army", forced labour and mass killings of civilians committed by Japan in Korea and all other parts of Asia during and before the second world war, to say nothing of the Japanese imperialists' aggression and military occupation of Korea and other Asian countries.
Not content with avoiding the state responsibility for the sexual slavery for the army, Japan was so despicable to describe the victims of unethical crime as "lavatory." This is an unbearable insult to the Korean and other Asian people who suffered from the atrocities of the Japanese imperialists in the past.
The Japanese high-ranking officials recently made public a plan for official visits to the "Yasukuni Shrine". This is related to the Japanese authorities' approval of the controversial history textbooks.
We demand once again that the Japanese authorities stop at once the anachronistic and criminal moves to tamper with history which are going against justice of the international community and human desire, admit the legal responsibility for all the past crimes including those related to the sexual slavery for the army and fulfil a relevant obligation.
Multi-part feature film "the Nation and Destiny" part 48 produced
Pyongyang, June 24 (KCNA) -- The Korean Film Studio recently produced "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" part 1, part 48 of multi-part feature film "the Nation and Destiny."
A preview of the film was held at the People's Palace of Culture yesterday.
The film raised acute socio-political issue showing that whether to defend revolutionary faith or not discriminates between patriotism and treachery.
The film exerts a great influence upon the audience for its high ideological and artistic value.
Japan's ambition for reinvasion assailed
Pyongyang, June 24 (KCNA) -- The Japanese reactionaries are reportedly seeking to develop military reconnaissance satellites aimed at spying on the DPRK.
Their development plan is designed to expand their offensive forces to outer space, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary.
It goes on:
They are to spy on the DPRK with military reconnaissance satellites and hit the objects of the DPRK in "case of emergency." It is a very dangerous attempt.
Their hostile policy towards the DPRK and their ambition for aggression are getting more vicious. they have set the DPRK as the first target of overseas aggression.
This is evidenced by their remarks that Japan will dispatch its "self-defence forces" to the Korean penensula for its "security" if a war breaks out on the peninsula.
bringing to light their moves to make an aggressive advance into vast area of asia through the Korean peninsula, the commentary says:
If they take the road of overseas aggression while stepping up their moves to become a military giant, it will plunge Japan deeper into a pit of death.
The DPRK has no choice but to provide against their development plan.
They are well advised not to be as foolish as to jump into fire with gunpowder.
U.S. double standard under fire
Pyongyang, June 24 (KCNA) -- Minju Joson today in a signed commentary says that the "suspected kidnapping of Japanese" that recently the Bush administration allegedly dealt with when "re-examining its North Korea policy" is non-existent and is not a matter that the U.S. should poke its nose into.
The U.S. has double standard in dealing with humanitarian issues, the commentary says.
It goes on:
In persistently talking about the "kidnapping of Japanese" faked up by Japan, while turning away its face from the "comfort women for the army" issue of worldwide concern the U.S. seeks to use the "kidnapping issue" as a lever of pressure upon the DPRK.
The U.S. should abandon double-dealing attitude in dealing with international issues, while putting its interests to the forefront.
The U.S. should see that it is not beneficial to the U.S. to get on the nerves of the DPRK over the humanitarian issue.
Pyongyang mass rally and demonstration held
Pyongyang, June 24 (KCNA) -- A Pyongyang mass rally and an anti-U.S. demonstration took place at Kim Il Sung Square today on the eve of "June 25, the day of struggle against the U.S. imperialists", 51 years after they unleashed the Korean War.
Ryang Man Gil, chairman of the Pyongyang City People's Committee, spoke first at the rally.
The last Korean War was a criminal war of aggression deliberately ignited by the U.S. imperialists to stifle the DPRK and realize their ambition for world supremacy and a war of unprecedented mass killings of civilians, he said, and went on:
Yankees called out their aggression troops and armed forces of South Korea and their 15 satellite states to kill Koreans in the most cruel and bestial way and destroy peaceable cities, rural and fishing villages, industrial establishments, schools and hospitals.
During the war they dropped more than 420,000 bombs on Pyongyang to reduce it to debris. GIs occupied Sinchon county to kill more than 35,383 innocent people, or one quarter of its population.
They made desperate efforts to stifle the DPRK and bring the Korean people to their knees with the mobilization of huge armed forces of aggression and through criminal atrocities but surrendered to the Korean people and people's army who turned out as one in the struggle, rallied close around the party and the leader.
The U.S., far from drawing a due lesson from the defeat in the Korean War, has maliciously challenged the peace-loving DPRK's sincerity and efforts for reunification while persistently committing new war provocations pursuant to the hostile policy toward the DPRK.
The present U.S. administration has brought grave obstacles to the favourably developing inter-Korean relations and national reunification.
The Korean people will answer the U.S. imperialists' "hardline countermeasure" with toughest countermeasure, anti-DPRK confrontation with merciless retaliation against the U.S. they will wipe out all the aggressors and achieve the historic cause of national reunification if the U.S. imperialists dare take the road of war.
The U.S. should discontinue the reckless moves for confrontation and war against the DPRK, apologize for the crimes committed against the Korean nation and immediately quit South Korea, taking along its troops, nuclear weapons and other combat equipment.
Then followed speeches made by war veteran Ri Pok Su, former unconverted long-term prisoner Ham Se Hwan and student Kwak Kum Ju.
The speakers said that if the U.S. war maniacs unleash another war of aggression, the Korean people and people's army will annihilate all the provokers and aggressors.
Yankees should not act rashly, aware of the fighting spirit of the Korean people to annihilate the enemy, they warned.
An anti-U.S. demonstration took place at the end of the rally.
Present at the rally were Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, and officials concerned.