Kim Jong Il inspects KPA unit no. 696
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) - Leader Kim Jong Il inspected KPA unit no. 696 stationed in North Hamgyong Province on August 19 just after his return home from his foreign tour.
He was accompanied by Kim Yong Chun, chief of the general staff of the KPA, KPA generals Hyon Chol Hae and Pak Jae Gyong and first vice department directors of the Central Committee of the WPK Jang Song Thaek and Ju Kyu Chang.
Kim Jong Il dropped in at the servicemen's hall and saw a record of exploits performed by the unit in battles on the road of victory and glory.
He also dropped in at the operation command room of the unit where he heard a report on the situation from the unit commander before acquainting himself in detail with the performance of the unit's duty.
He praised the officers and men of the unit for having achieved many successes in the strenuous efforts to implement the party's military line of self-defence to the letter and advanced highly important tasks to be carried out by the unit to increase its combat capability in every way.
Then he went round a bedroom, a mess, a greenhouse and other logistic facilities. He took warm care of the servicemen's living, getting familiar with details of supply service at the unit.
He enjoyed an art performance given by soldiers and posed for a photograph with the officers and men of the unit.
Then he moved on to a company under the unit.
He took meticulous care of its servicemen's living, going round an education room, a bedroom, a mess, a kitchen, a sideline store, an outdoor rest place and a stock farm of the company.
He noted with great satisfaction that the company has spruced up its interior and exterior like a rest home and is managing its economic life assiduously and highly praised its servicemen for the proud achievements made by them in the past.
Saying that the company is soldiers' home and communist school, he set forth tasks to be carried out by the company to strengthen it.
He gave the soldiers of the company a pair of binoculars and an automatic rifle as gifts and had a picture taken with them.
Kim Jong Il visits Ranam Coal Mining Machine Complex
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) - Leader Kim Jong Il visited the Ranam Coal Mining Machine Complex to meet workers there Sunday just after he returned home from his historic foreign tour.
Accompanying him were chief of the general staff of the Korean People's Army Kim Yong Chun, first vice department directors of the WPK Central Committee Jang Song Thaek and Ju Kyu Chang, and KPA generals Hyon Chol Hae and Pak Jae Gyong.
Leader Kim Jong Il went round a steel casting shop, medium- and small-size processing shops and other production processes of the complex to learn about its production, and encouraged its workers in the vigorous drive for increased production.
At the complex he was greatly satisfied to learn that its officials, workers and technicians solved knotty technical problems by themselves through their intensified creative cooperation and a widespreed mass technical innovation movement and successfully manufactured major ordered equipment in less than one year, and highly estimated their feats.
Saying that the duty and role of the complex are very important in consolidating the foundations of the independent national economy and giving full play to its might, he advanced specific tasks to be carried out by the complex.
After going round the complex, he appreciated a performance given by the itinerant art propaganda squad of the complex.
That day he met labor innovators of the complex and gave pep talks to them before posing for a picture with them.
U.S. moves to isolate and stifle DPRK condemned
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- Vishwanath, director general of the International Institute of the Juche Idea (IIJI), issued a statement on August 9 in support of leader Kim Jong Il's answers given to questions put by Itar-Tass.
He said that the IIJI fully supports his answers.
No one believes that the united states, which is styling itself the world "superpower", is exposed to a "missile threat" from the DPRK which is small in terms of territory and number of the population and is thousands of miles away from the U.S., he said, and went on:
The reality goes to prove that the DPRK is not threatening the U.S. but the latter, after occupying a half of the Korean peninsula by force of arms, is constantly threatening the DPRK.
He extended firm solidarity to the Korean people in their just struggle to shatter the U.S. moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK, build a powerful socialist country and reunify the country.
New Bulgarian ambassador to DPRK arrives
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- Dimitar Tzanev, newly-appointed Bulgarian ambassador e.p. to the DPRK, arrived here yesterday by air.
DPRK order awarded to Chinese diplomat
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- A ceremony of awarding a DPRK order to Li Bin, minister-councillor of the Chinese embassy here, was held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall yesterday.
The DPRK friendship order first class was awarded to him in recognition of his positive activities to boost the friendly relations between the DPRK and China and support the struggle of the Korean people for the independent reunification of the country.
Present at the awarding ceremony wereYyang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Yong Il, vice-minister of foreign affairs, and Wang Guozhang, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK.
KCNA on U.S. maladroit method
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- Rumsfeld, U.S. secretary of defense, in a press interview on August 13 again let loose sophism that the DPRK' missile threat is by no means an exaggerated story but a hard reality the U.S. faces at present.
He is an extremely bellicose element who advocated the U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK as early as in 1998, asserting that the U.S. should step up the development of the Missile Defense system (MD) because the DPRK can develop an inter-continental ballistic missile within five years and strike the U.S. and Europe.
It is ridiculous, indeed, for him to resort to such a maladroit and base method to conceal the criminal nature of the development of the MD which may upset the global strategic equilibrium and spark off a fierce worldwide arms race.
His true colours as a military gangster would have been saliently revealed if he had declared that the U.S. was going to establish the MD in order to put political and military pressure upon various countries, China, Russia and EU in particular, and build a sphere of military domination.
The crafty method frequently employed by U.S. bellicose elements to spread the fiction of the DPRK's "missile threat" would only bring into bold relief their political and diplomatic immaturity.
It is a universally recognized fact that the DPRK's missile program is of peaceful nature and it does not pose any threat to any country which respects the DPRK's sovereignty.
The DPRK's missiles are strictly self-defensive means to defend peace from the reckless war moves of the U.S. and its allies.
No matter how noisily the U.S. talks about the DPRK's missile "threat to the U.S.", nobody believes it.
The U.S. bellicose elements are well advised to discontinue the development of the MD, as unanimously demanded by the international community, before peddling the fiction of "threat from North Korea" here and there.
Emperor hotel and casino
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- The hotel was built at the Pipha islet area in a 170 million investment by Hong Kong's Emperor Group. It is one of the biggest wholly foreign-owned ventures.
With a building area of 27,000 square metres, the hotel is a five storey building, with two stories underground, and has 90 bedrooms and 200 beds. The bedrooms are of excellent standard.
The hotel is furnished with a swimming pool, amusement and Karaoke halls and a clinic. There are Korean, Chinese, Japanese and western restaurants and cafes. Telephone and fax services are available. Eighteen TV channels from countries such as the DPRK, China and Japan are available.
Divided into two stages, the hotel management is to set up facilities near Pipha islet for swimming, sightseeing and sports.
Telecommunications centre
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- The Rason International Telecommunications Centre has been built. It is run by the North-East Asia Telephone and Telecommunications Co., Ltd., sponsored by the DPRK Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and Loxley Pacific Co., Ltd. of Thailand.
This means the completion of a telecommunications system providing access to the international network.
Loxley Pacific Co., Ltd. established a 30 year telecommunications network concession for the zone in a 28 million investment in April 1996.
Telephone automation has been introduced through a digital telephone exchange and a data exchange facility.
Rason city and china are linked with optical fibre cables.
in addition, a comprehensive digital telecommunications centre has been built at a cost of 15 million. the centre, housed in a nine-storey building, has a total area of 7,000 square metres.
The installation of additional networks, including internet, wireless pager and mobile telephone networks, is planned.
University graduation certificates of S. Korean martyrs conveyed to their parents
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- University graduation certificates which were awarded to martyrs Ri Han Ryol and Pak Sung Hui of South Korea were conveyed with due ceremony to their parents, who came here to participate in the 2001 grand festival for national reunification, at Pyongyang Koryo Hotel yesterday.
Present at the ceremony were leading officials and students of Pyongyang University of Medicine and Han Tok Su Pyongyang University of Light Industry, Pae Un Sim, mother of Ri Han Ryol, and Pak Sim Bae, father of Pak Sung Hui.
A graduation certificate of the course of medicine of the department of medicine of Pyongyang University of Medicine and a graduation certificate of the course of foodstuff processing engineering of the department of foodstuff engineering of Han Tok Su Pyongyang University of Light Industry, which had been respectively awarded to Ri Han Ryol and Pak Sung Hui who devoted their youth to the struggle for independence, democracy and reunification, guided by ardent patriotism were conveyed to their parents.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from delegation of south side
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- A gift was presented to leader Kim Jong Il from the delegation of the south side to the 2001 grand festival for national reunification.
The gift was handed to vice-president Kim Yong Dae of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly yesterday.
Large-scale naval maneuver staged in S. Korea
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- A large-scale naval maneuver was staged in the East Sea of Korea from August 16 to 18, according to a report of Yonhap News from Seoul.
The maneuver staged with a fleet of the South Korean navy involved was allegedly aimed to counter "infiltration" of somebody's planes and warships.
It was participated in by more than ten warships and submarines including a destroyer and different types of aircraft.
Even live bullets and shells were used in the four-phased drill "aimed to defeat enemies coming in attack from air, sea and underwater."
It also involved an exercise to search for submarine with planes and others involved.
A naval officer concerned disclosed that "there is a plan to conduct such a maneuver on a regular basis in the future."
Delegation of south side leaves
&n1sp; Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- The delegation of the south side led by Kim Jong Su, permanent chief of the headquarters for promoting the 2001 national joint functions for implementing the June 15 south-north joint declaration, left here today after participating in the 2001 grand festival for national reunification.
It was seen off at the airport by director of the secretariat of the central committee of the democratic front for the reunification of the fatherland Jo Kyu Il, first vice-director of the secretariat of the committee for the peaceful reunification of the fatherland Kim Ryong Song, and vice-chairman of the central committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party Mun Pyong Rok who are vice-chairmen of the preparatory committee for the festival.
Joint press statement released
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- A joint press statement of Koreans in the north and south of Korea and abroad was released today on the successful 2001 grand festival for national reunification which was held here from August 15 to 16.
According to the document, the delegation from the south side and abroad stayed in Pyongyang till August 21, had meetings and solidarity meetings with workers, farmers, youth and students, women, religionists, businessmen and men of culture and people of other social strata in the north, toured different places and participated in joint functions.
The 2001 grand festival for national reunification, the first gathering of delegates from the north and south of Korea and abroad after the division of the country, was a nationwide event for reunification that demonstrated at home and abroad the ardent desire and firm will of the fellow countrymen to reunify the country independently by the efforts of the Korean nation itself in accordance with the June 15 north-south joint declaration and a proud assembly for great national unity that left its great mark on the history of the movement for national reunification, it says.
The delegates from the north and south of Korea and abroad, it says, agreed to follow up the successes gained in the festival and implement to the letter the historic June 15 north-south joint declaration through a nationwide campaign for reunification.
It further says:
1. the delegates from the north and south of Korea and abroad reconfirmed the historic June 15 north-south joint declaration which was adopted amidst the support of all the fellow countrymen as the only landmark for national reunification in the new century and a patriotic reunification programme and agreed to work hard to implement the declaration so as to settle the reunification issue independently by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation.
2. They agreed to strengthen solidarity of non-governmental organisations to put an end to the interference of outsiders, remove a source of war and ensure security of the nation and peace so as to reunify the country independently and peacefully in the spirit of the declaration.
3. With a view to following up the successes of the Pyongyang festival they agreed to have joint events in Pyongyang and Seoul on the 57th anniversary of August 15 national liberation and welcome the participation of the north side delegation in the projected Seoul joint event.
4. They agreed to invigorate exchange as well as multi-faceted non-governmental cooperation in order to achieve national reconciliation and unity and strengthen solidarity among people from all walks of life.
They agreed to take steps to put into practice the urgent issues discussed at the meetings and gatherings of organisations and people of different social standings which took place during the festival.
5. They appreciated the success of the inter-Korean joint photo exhibition aimed to expose atrocities of the Japanese imperialists and Japan's distortion of history which took place as an event common to the nation during the festival. They agreed to continue having various forms of joint events to lay bare the Japanese imperialists' occupation of Korea and their thrice-cursed crimes against the Korean nation and get an apology and compensation for them and to strengthen a joint action of non-governmental organisations to firmly protect the dominium over Tok islet and have an academic symposium in this regard as an immediate task.
Israel's use of force against Palestine under fire
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK answered a question put by KCNA today as regards the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian area.
It says:
Israel is now escalating the recourse to arms. It mounted a missile attack on a Palestinian police station in the west bank and closed by force Palestinian institutions including an office of the Palestine Liberation Organization in east Kuds in retaliation against Palestine's recent suicidal bomb attack.
More and more innocent people fall victim and undergo pain and tensions are increasing in the region due to the escalating conflicts. This is arousing serious apprehension of the international community.
Israel's occupation of the PLO office in east Kuds by force and continued missile attacks on Palestinian institutions are an undisguised provocation to Palestine and the Arab people and a grave challenge to the mideast peace process.
Israel should not resort to reckless "policy of strength" but immediately stop all military actions against the Palestinian people and respond as early as possible to the demand of the Arab people and the international community for the comprehensive and fair settlement of the mideast issue.
KEDO high-level experts negotiation delegation here
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- A KEDO delegation arrived here today to participate in high-level experts negotiation for the implementation of the agreement on the provision of light water reactors between the DPRK and KEDO.