Halt to crackdown upon KCTU demanded
Pyongyang, July 23 (KCNA) -- The South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a rally demanding a halt to the crackdown upon the KCTU in Seoul yesterday with at least 14,000 unionists attending, according to Seoul-based Radio No. 1.
At the rally the organization demanded the authorities withdraw the order to arrest KCTU chairman Tan Pyong Ho if the issue of their confrontation with workers is to be settled.
It also strongly urged the authorities to release the arrested workers, halt the campaign to nab workers and provide the irregular workers with regular jobs.
Greetings to Egyptian President
Pyongyang, July 23 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, yesterday sent a message of greetings to Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak on the occasion of the 49th anniversary of the July 23 revolution, the national holiday of the Egyptian people.
The message warmly congratulated the president, government and people of Egypt on this occasion.
It expressed belief that the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries would grow stronger and sincerely wished the friendly Egyptian people progress and prosperity.
U.S. urged to drop policy of confrontation
Pyongyang, July 23 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary assails the united states for contemplating about the creation of four "rapid strike combat brigades" under the pretext of possible disputes in the Korean peninsula and other Asia-Pacific areas, while frantically staging war drills against the DPRK.
This is an indication that the U.S. is making the provocation of the second Korean war a fait accompli, the commentary notes, and goes on:
The U.S. singled out the "settlement of regional disputes" as a main thrust of its military strategy in view of the new international situation after the demise of the cold war.
The present U.S. administration is set to escalate the showdown of strength after choosing the Korean peninsula and other Asia-Pacific areas as a major theatre for carrying out the strategy.
The Korean peninsula is made its main target.
The U.S. imperialists have already deployed huge forces in and around South Korea. Not content with this, they are going to bring a new carrier flotilla and airborne and maritime landing forces there.
In recent years they created mobile strike units by reorganizing the U.S. air force stationed in the Asia-Pacific region into 10 expeditionary forces in pursuance of their strategy for a showdown of strength on the Korean peninsula.
The U.S. staged such war exercises as a joint mine warfare exercise with the South Korean military authorities in a bid to round off the operational plan to rapidly hurl reinforcements into South Korea.
It leaves no doubt that the U.S. bellicose forces would unleash a war of aggression against the DPRK as they designated it as their "no. 1 enemy."
The U.S. is busy with preparations for a war against the DPRK, while talking about "dialogue."
The U.S. is well advised to face up to the reality and abandon its reckless policy of confrontation.
Abrogation of S. Korea-Japan "fisheries agreement" called for
Pyongyang, July 23 (KCNA) -- The "National Federation of Fishermen" and other fishermen's organizations in South Korea held a rally of 500 fishermen in Pusan and began a signature campaign for abrogation of the shackling South Korea-Japan "fisheries agreement", according to a foreign news report.
The participants said that in the "agreement" Japan and South Korea designated the fishing ground around Tok islet as tentative waters for joint fishing. they branded this as the Japanese government's political intrigue hatched up at a time when South Korea was in a political and economic confusion.
Punishment of U.S. criminals called for
Pyongyang, July 23 (KCNA) -- The Bulgarian group for the study of the Juche idea issued a statement on July 11 as regards the Korea War crimes tribunal on GIs' mass killings of civilians during the 1950-1953 Korean War held in New York.
The statement expressed support to the judgement of the tribunal on the crimes against humanity including the U.S. mass killings of innocent people committed since its occupation of South Korea in 1945.
The world progressives are satisfied at this fair judgement, it noted, adding that the u.s. criminals who ruthlessly killed millions of innocent Korean people should be legally punished by a fair international fair court as groups of Hitler and Tojo were.
Rodong Sinmun calls on all Koreans to display patriotism
Pyongyang, July 23 (KCNA) -- National reunification is a patriotic cause achievable only through a patriotic struggle of the whole nation, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
The patriotic spirit of the Korean nation serves as a solid ideological and moral foundation for the great national unity and a driving force for national reunification, The article says, and goes on:
There exist a number of differences between the north and the south beside the differing ideology and system. But the primary task before the Korean nation is to achieve national reunification.
Patriotism serves as a great banner grouping the Koreans from all walks of life in the north, south and abroad for national unity and reunification, regardless of differences in ideology, system, political view, religious belief, interests of individual class and social strata.
Leader Kim Jong Il's policy is the most patriotic all-embracing policy.
He has wisely led the struggle for great national unity and reunification holding aloft the banner of patriotism.
The Workers' Party of Korea and the DPRK government have exerted all efforts to achieve the cause of national reunification in conformity with the historic circumstances where the inter-Korean relations and the movement for national reunification have entered a new phase unprecedented in its history.
The Korean nation is carrying on its vigorous struggle to frustrate by the concerted efforts of the nation the challenge of the outside and anti-reunification forces and their moves to check the advance of the movement for independent national reunification.
All the Koreans will more vigorously accelerate their march for independent reunification, true to Kim Jong Il's noble patriotic intention.
DPRK-China plan for cultural exchange signed
Pyongyang, July 23 (KCNA) -- A DPRK-China inter-governmental plan for cultural exchange for Juche 90-91 (2001-2002) was signed here today.
It was signed by Hong Son Ok, vice-chairperson of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and Wang Guozhang, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK.