Kim Ki Nam meets Czechoslovak party delegation

Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- Kim Ki Bam, secretary of the c.c., the Workers' Party of Korea, met and had a talk with the delegation of the Czechoslovak Communist Party led by Miroslav Stepan, General Secretary of its central committee, yesterday in a friendly atmosphere. Saying that it was deeply moved to see a lot in the DPRK, the head of the delegation noted that the Korean people were vigorously pushing forward the revolution and construction united close around leader Kim Jong Il.
The CCP expresses full support to the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and hopes that it will be implemented to the letter, he added. He also wished the Korean people continued great success in the efforts to build a powerful socialist nation and achieve the reunification of the country under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Il.

DPRK senior officials meet Cuban and Nepalese delegations

    Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, met and conversed with the visiting delegation of the Cuban Foreign Ministry headed by its vice-minister Jose Armando Guerra Menchero at the Mansudae Assembly Hall yesterday. Present there were Kung Sok Ung, vice-minister of foreign affairs of the DPRK, and Esteban Lobaina Romero, Cuban ambassador to the DPRK.
    At the meeting the head of the delegation said that the Cuban people who have always set store by the close relationship between Fidel Castro Ruz and President Kim Il Sung sincerely rejoice over the achievements made by the Korean people.
    He expressed belief that the friendly relations between the two countries would grow stronger.
    That day, Yang Hyong Sop met and talked with the delegation of the Nepalese Foreign Ministry headed by its secretary Narayan Sumsher Thapa.
    Present there was Kim Yong Il, vice-minister of foreign affairs of the DPRK.
    At the meeting the head of the delegation said that he would make positive efforts to boost the friendly relations between the two countries.
    The kingdom of Nepal believes that Korea would be reunified independently and peacefully free from interference of foreign forces, he said.
    On the same day foreign minister Paek Nam Sun met the delegations which paid a courtesy call on him.

Secretary Kim Yong Sun meets Russian ambassador

Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Sun, secretary of the c.c., the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, met and had a talk with Andrei Karlov, new Russian ambassador e.p. to the DPRK, who paid a courtesy call on him at the People's Palace of Culture yesterday. Present there were An Kyong Ho, director of the secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, and Yuri Bochkaryov, counsellor of the Russian embassy here.

Over 2,000 families move into new houses

    Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- New houses for over 2,000 families have been built in Samjiyon area, Ryanggang province. One-storeyed, two-storeyed and three-storeyed houses have been built to suit the topographical feature of the area at the foot of Mt. Paektu.
    The dwellers are provided with all amenities of modern life including electrically heated rooms and electric rice cookers.
    The houses have been completed in less than one year through a nationwide drive.
    Workers and agricultural workers moved into those houses in the township of Samjiyon county, Rimyongsu and Mubong workers' districts and farms in Pothae area on October 14 and 15.

Japanese flags burnt in S. Korea

Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- Demonstrations against the Japanese prime minister's junket to South Korea slated for Oct. 15 were held across South Korea, according to Radio No. 1 from Seoul. The Democratic Workers' Party held a demonstration of burning a Japanese flag in Seoul on Oct. 14 and bitterly denounced the Japanese prime minister's junket aimed to gloss over the distortion of Japanese history textbooks.
The DWP burnt Japanese flags in Suwon of Kyonggi province, Pusan , Kwangju and all other areas.

Campaign for police reform projected in S. Korea

Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- Five South Korean human rights organizations including the citizens' solidarity for human rights on October 10 agreed to launch a campaign for police reform until Oct. 27, according to Seoul-based Radio No. 1. The organizations declared that in the period they would run a report center against police violence through the site of the citizen's solidarity for human rights and different homepages and pay protest visits to police stations and sub-stations concerned.

Rearrest of union leader protested in S. Korea

Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and religious organizations of South Korea launched a protest struggle against the rearrest of KCTU chairman Tan Pyong Ho, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News. The KCTU held a large rally in Seoul and decided to demand the release of the chairman, etc. it also vowed to launch a vigorous struggle against the "government" after holding an emergency central executive committee meeting and an extraordinary deputies' conference.
Religious organizations including the (South) Korean Catholic Priests' Council for Justice and the "National Catholic Alliance for Justice" also set up a committee for the release of the KCTU chairman and decided to conduct activities for a probe into his arrest.

Senior officials of DPRK meet Russian ambassador

Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- Yon Hyong Muk, member of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, Kim Kuk Thae and Jong Ha Chol, secretaries of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Choe Chil Nam, editor-in-chief of the Rodong Sinmun, and Ji Jae Ryong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the WPK, yesterday met and conversed in a friendly atmosphere with Andrei Karlov, new Russian ambassador to the DPRK who paid a courtesy call on them. Present there were officials concerned and staff members of the Russian embassy here.

S. authorities urged to create conditions for meeting of separated families

Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- The present South Korean authorities should properly understand the people's will and wishes, stop such criminal acts as putting a brake on the favorably developing south-north relations and cooperating with the U.S. in its moves to stifle the north, immediately lift the "emergency alert", turn the situation on the verge of war into an atmosphere of reconciliation and peace and thus create conditions for the meeting of separated families as early as possible, said a spokesman for the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) in a statement released on Oct. 13 as regards the unpredictably tense situation prevailing in South Korea after the whole army and police have been put on "emergency alert" under the pretext of happenings abroad. He termed the authorities' acts to stir up an atmosphere of confrontation an outright challenge to the efforts to implement the June 15 joint declaration.
Realities clearly prove that their oft-repeated talk about "alleviating the sufferings of separated families" and "improving the inter-Korean relations" is nothing but rhetoric and their real intention is to stifle the north in league with foreign forces, he said, adding that the authorities should be held wholly responsible for the present situation as they have never been sincere in the efforts to improve the south-north relations.

World Day of Food observed

    Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- Papers here today observe the World Day of Food. Rodong Sinmun says that the world day of food to be observed this year under the motto "Let us combat hunger to alleviate poverty" will mark an important occasion of giving a powerful impetus to the efforts to settle the issue of food and eradicate poverty worldwide.
    Noting that great attention is being paid to the settlement of the issue of food in the world, the article says:
    The DPRK has waged a vigorous struggle to boost the agricultural production despite several consecutive years' natural disasters.
    Gigantic projects for harnessing nature including land realignment and waterway project, a signal turn in seed selection and development and introduction of new agricultural technology in the DPRK make the prospect of agricultural production bright.
    The worldwide solution of the problem of food is by no means impossible.
    It is quite possible to settle the problem if all the countries around the world pool their will and efforts to do so.
    Minju Joson in an article says that the DPRK government estimates the activities of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization to solve the food problem and will fulfil its international and national obligations to eradicate starvation and poverty in the world.

Humanitarian aid to DPRK from Australia

Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- The Australian government sent wheat worth five million Australian dollars in humanitarian aid to the DPRK through the World Food Program in connection with the drought that hit the DPRK this year. The Australian government provided humanitarian aid to the DPRK on several occasions from 1997 as regards the natural calamities that lasted for several years in the country.

New Pakistani and Madagascan ambassadors here

Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- New Pakistani ambassador e.p. Sultan Habib and new Madagascan ambassador e.p. Royal Raoelfils to the DPRK arrived here today by air.