Evening galas of youth and students
Pyongyang, October 18 (KCNA) -- Evening galas of youth and students were held in Pyongyang and local areas yesterday to mark the 75th anniversary of the Down-With-Imperialism Union.
Looking back on President Kim Il Sung's immortal exploits of declaring the new start of the Korean revolution with the formation of the DIU and ushering in the building of a revolutionary party of Juche type, youth and students danced to the tune of songs including "Long live generalissimo Kim Il Sung" and "Hold aloft the flag of DIU" at the monument to party founding, the tower of the Juche idea, the Pyongyang Grand Theatre, the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium and other places of the capital.
Evening galas were also held in provinces, cities and counties yesterday.
The galas showed the faith and will of the youth and students to accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche started by Kim Il Sung to the last under the army-first leadership of Kim Jong Il.
Japanese society for Japan-Korea agricultural interchange formed
Tokyo, October 16 (KNS-KCNA) -- An inaugural ceremony of the Japanese Society for Japan-Korea Agricultural Interchange was held in Tokyo on Oct. 13.
The society has been developed from the Japan-Korea Society for Friendship and Exchange of Agriculture and Peasants, which was organized in 1985, to meet the requirements of the new century. It will conduct activities to further expand non-governmental exchange between the two countries, particularly, survey, research and technical exchange in the field of agriculture, and to make a great contribution to establishing diplomatic ties between Japan and the DPRK as early as possible.
Addressing the ceremony, Masao Yoshita, chairman of the former Japan-Korea Society for Friendship and Exchange of Agriculture and Peasants, said that the present task of Japan is to establish Japan-DPRK diplomatic relations. He noted he would conduct positive non-governmental activities for Japan-DPRK friendship and make efforts to help the Japanese government understand the importance of the activities.
At the ceremony Masao Yoshita was elected chairman of the society.
CILRECO secretary general visits NDFSK Pyongyang mission
Pyongyang, October 18 (KCNA) -- Guy Dupre, secretary general of the International Liaison Committee for Reunification and Peace in Korea (CILRECO), visited the Pyongyang mission of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) yesterday.
Chief Pak Kwang Gi and members of the mission greeted him and talked with him.
The chief informed him of the NDFSK activities and expressed thanks to the CILRECO for its positive activities for international solidarity and support for Korea's reunification.
Guy Dupre said that the CILRECO would conduct more active movement for international solidarity and support for the just struggle of the NDFSK and South Korean people for national reunification.
3rd Japan-DPRK seminar on education held
Tokyo, October 16 (KNS-KCNA) -- The 3rd Japan-DPRK seminar on education was held in Tokyo on Oct. 13 on the subject of "defusing of discrimination against the right to national education and early normalization of Japan-DPRK diplomatic relations."
Present there were Norio Fukuoka, head of the international and organizational departments of the Japan Teachers' Union, Ku Tae Sok, chairman of the Union of Korean Teachers and School Clerks in Japan, Kiyo Nakagoji, president of the Japan-Korea Society for Scientific and Educational Interchange, teaching staff of Japanese schools and educationists under the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon).
A reporter and speakers at the seminar said that it is an inviolable right to give national education to sons and daughters of Koreans in Japan and that to ensure it is the moral and legal responsibility of Japan which had deprived Koreans of language, letters and names after militarily occupying Korea.
They underscored the need to treat the Korean schools like Japanese schools, grant an educational subsidy to the Korean schools on the same level as that of the Japanese private schools, accept the U.N. proposals and recommendations on ensuring the right to national education, adjust the national law of Japan and so on in order to defuse the national discrimination.
It is important to intensify the activities for supporting the peaceful reunification of Korea, they said, calling for early normalization of the Japan-DPRK diplomatic relations.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from Vietnamese delegation
Pyongyang, October 18 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il received a gift from the Vietnamese government economic delegation on a visit to the DPRK.
The gift was handed to an official concerned today by Mai Van Dau, vice-minister of trade who is heading the delegation.
Agreement signed between governments of DPRK and Vietnam
Pyongyang, October 18 (KCNA) -- An agreement on the 4th meeting of the inter-governmental committee for economic, scientific and technological cooperation between the DPRK and Vietnam was signed in Pyongyang today.
It was signed by Ri Ryong Nam, vice-minister of foreign trade of the DPRK, and Mai Van Dau, vice-minister of trade of Vietnam.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from Chinese delegation
Pyongyang, October 18 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il received a gift from the office of Qiushi, the politico-theoretical journal of the central committee of the Communist Party of China.
The gift was handed to Jong Ha Chol, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, today by Gao Mingguang, president of the office who is heading its delegation on a visit to the DPRK.
Jong Ha Chol meets Chinese delegation
Pyongyang, October 18 (KCNA) -- Jong Ha Chol, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, today met and had a talk with the delegation of the office of Qiushi, the politico-theoretical journal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China led by its president Gao Mingguang.
Present there were Ryang Kyong Bok, editor-in-chief of Kulloja, the political and theoretical magazine of the WPK Central Committee, officials concerned and Chinese ambassador to the DPRK Wang Guozhang.
The head of the delegation said that during their visit, they could keenly feel the close friendship between the two parties and peoples of china and the DPRK. We will work hard for China-DPRK friendship which was provided by chairman Mao Zedong and President Kim Il Sung and which is being further developed under the care of Jiang Zemin and Kim Jong Il, he added.
Telephone message to chief of south side delegation
Pyongyang, October 18 (KCNA) -- Kim Ryong Song, head of the north side delegation to the north-south ministerial talks, today sent a telephone message to Hong Sun Yong, chief of the south side delegation, in connection with the fact that the authorities' talks due on Mt. Kumgang on October 19 will not be held as scheduled.
Recalling that the south side repeated unreasonable assertions unacceptable to anyone while groundlessly taking issue with the sincerity of the north side, the message said:
Your side suddenly "discussed measures to cope with the movement of the north army" and put the whole army and police on "emergency alert" one week before the exchange of the fourth visiting groups of separated families and relatives and the Seoul visit of the Taekwon-do exhibition team. This is quite contrary to the fundamental spirit of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and the points agreed upon at the fifth north-south ministerial talks.
Worse still, it is a hostile act toward our side that your side brought more air force from the U.S. under the pretext of filling up the "military vacuum" with the humanitarian visit just ahead, though your side talks about the importance of the "issue of separated families."
Your side is hell-bent on distorting the fact through media in the wake of the unreasonable moves. This is a perfidy to the dialogue partner. It is designed to evade the responsibility for the present situation.
Our side considers that the present difficulties created by your side should be removed as soon as possible.
Proceeding from this stand, our side demands your side immediately take steps to create circumstances and atmosphere acceptable to the dialogue partner by all forms of efforts if your side has a willingness to respect the spirit of the June 15 joint declaration and make reconciliation and unity with the north.
We assure you that if your side shows a positive response to this just demand of ours, we are ready to exchange the visiting groups of separated families and relatives and the Taekwon-do exhibition teams anytime.
We also consider that talks, agreed upon between the two sides, should be held.
As regards the forthcoming north-south authorities' talks to pep up Mt. Kumgang tourism, your side should no longer obstruct the holding of the talks over the issue of their venue which is not in accord with the agenda.
Out of the stand to provide the progress of dialogue between the north and the south at any cost, our side proposes to hold the authorities' talks to pep up Mt. Kumgang tourism on October 25 because it is impossible to hold as scheduled the talks slated for October 19 on Mt. Kumgang. We also proposes to hold on Mt. Kumgang the 2nd meeting of the north-south committee for the promotion of economic cooperation on November 5 and the 6th north-south ministerial talks on October 28 as scheduled.
We expect that your side will affirmatively respond to our reasonable proposal.