DPRK Magicians Association founded
Pyongyang, October 25 (KCNA) -- The DPRK Magicians Association was founded in Pyongyang yesterday.
The objective of the association grouping magic experts and fans is to contribute to the development of the country's magic and the creative activities of the magicians and strengthen the exchange and cooperation with international magic organizations and magicians bodies and magicians in different countries.
The association is headquartered in Pyongyang and has over 10 branches in different parts of the country.
Its chairman is famous juggler Kim Thaek Song, Labour Hero and People's Artiste of the DPRK.
Withdrawal of U.S. forces from S. Korea urged
Pyongyang, October 25 (KCNA) -- The south headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country's Reunification (Pomchonghakryon) reportedly made public a statement on Oct. 18 denouncing the Bush administration for openly revealing its ambition for hegemony with the outcries for the permanent presence of the U.S. forces in South Korea.
Condemning the U.S. forces for committing all sorts of heinous acts in South Korea, the statement noted that bush's remark in a recent interview revealed the U.S. aggressive nature as it was no more than an expression of his intention to turn away from peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula and resort to its permanent division and confrontation with the DPRK.
The statement urged bush to properly understand the South Korean people's daily mounting anti-U.S. feelings, sign a DPRK-U.S. peace agreement and withdraw the U.S. forces from South Korea, though belatedly.
It stressed that the students and people from every background will conduct a more vigorous movement for anti-U.S., anti-war, peace and withdrawal of the U.S. forces from South Korea and certainly open a new phase for the implementation of the June 15 joint declaration and the independent reunification.
Seminars held in Italy
Pyongyang, October 25 (KCNA) -- Seminars on the subject of "The Workers' Party of Korea and Its Historic Roots" and "the WPK, Revolutionary Party of Juche Type" were held by the Unified Communist Party of Italy and the Catania branch of the Italian committee for the study of the Juche idea on October 7 and 10 on the occasion of the 56th anniversary of the WPK and the 75th anniversary of the formation of the Down-With-Imperialism Union (DIU).
The general secretary of the Unified Communist Party of Italy in a speech said:
President Kim Il Sung formed the DIU on October 17, 1926.
The WPK was founded on October 10, 1945, but it took its historic roots at the DIU.
Working at the WPK Central Committee from 30 odd years ago leader Kim Jong Il has strengthened and developed the WPK as the glorious party of Kim Il Sung.
The chief of the Catania branch of the Italian committee for the study of the Juche idea noted that Kim Il Sung founded the immortal Juche idea in his early years. It was thanks to this revolutionary idea that the Korean people could win in the struggle against Japanese imperialism and defeat U.S. imperialism in the three-year war, he noted.
The DPRK has recently made great achievements in its foreign relations, he said, stressing this is the fruit of the wise leadership of the WPK which takes the Juche idea as its guiding idea.
20th national meeting of movement for supporting Korea's reunification
Tokyo, October 23 (KNS-KCNA) -- The 20th national meeting of the movement for supporting Korea's reunification was held in Saitama prefecture, Japan, on Oct 20 and 21 under the sponsorship of the Japan committee for supporting the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea, the Japan-Korea Cultural Interchange Association, the Japan-Korea Society for Scientific and Educational Interchange, the Japan Women's Liaison Society for Solidarity with the Korean Women and the Saitama Prefectural Executive Committee.
Jun Shimizu, secretary general of the Japan-Korea Cultural Interchange Association, in his report at the meeting said:
Supporting the efforts to realize Korea's reunification is an important struggle for world peace at a time when the movement to hail and support the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea is gaining momentum worldwide after the publication of the north-south joint declaration.
The current meeting will become a new starting point of the movement for supporting Korea's reunification.
Denouncing the U.S. and the Japanese government for their hostile policy toward the DPRK, He demanded the Japanese government make an official apology for Japan's aggression of Korea and colonial domination over it and fundamentally correct the policy related to the issue of the legal status of the Koreans in Japan for an early resumption of negotiations for the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the DPRK.
Then, followed panel discussions on the subject of "trend of situation towards reunification", "for friendship and peace" and "ensurance of national education."
An appeal, a special resolution and an emergency resolution were adopted at the meeting.
The documents called upon the Japanese government to stop at once its hostile policy toward the DPRK, resume negotiations for the establishment of diplomatic relations with the DPRK based on apology and compensation for Japan's colonial domination over Korea and protect human rights of Koreans in Japan.
They rejected the investigation of the Japanese prosecutors' office into Japan-DPRK friendship organizations and stressed the need to develop the Japan-DPRK movement.
Withdrawal of SL urged in S. Korea
Pyongyang, October 25 (KCNA) -- The 9th-term Western S
seoul District Federation of University Student Councils reportedly issued a statement on Oct. 17 denouncing the South Korean authorities for walking away and detaining the chairman, vice-chairman and another student of the general student council of Sogang University.
Recalling that the three persons have led students to take the road of the anti-U.S. struggle, the statement criticized the authorities for misrepresenting patriotism as treachery and continuing to suppress patriotic and righteous students and the (South) Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) by invoking the "Security Law", an evil law of the old era.
The authorities should pay heed to the desire of the fellow countrymen for reunification and the requirements of the people, immediately cancel the SL, withdraw the unreasonable labelling of Hanchongryon as the organization "benefiting the enemy" at once and release the detained patriotic students unconditionally, the statement stressed.
51st anniversary of CPV's entry into Korean front marked
Pyongyang, October 25 (KCNA) -- Newspapers here today dedicate articles to the 51st anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers' entry into the Korean front.
Today 51 years ago the party and government of China dispatched the Chinese People's Volunteers consisting of good sons and daughters of the Chinese people to the Korean front under the banner of "resisting America and aiding Korea, safeguarding the home and defending the motherland."
On this occasion the officers and men of the people's army and people of Korea extend greetings to the officers and men of the people's liberation army and people of china and express noble respects to the fallen Chinese People's Volunteers, Rodong Sinmun in a signed article says, and goes on:
The officers and men of the Chinese People's Volunteers valiantly fought in the same trench with the officers and men of the Korean People's Army and performed great feats.
They displayed mass heroism and self-sacrificing spirit in numerous operations and contributed to the victory of the Korean people in the Great Fatherland Liberation War.
Mountain ridges of Korea are permeated with their blood and associated with their feats.
Their entry into the Korean front powerfully demonstrated the might of long-standing korea-china friendship and deepened the bonds between the two peoples.
The history of Korea-China friendship continues in the new century, too.
It is the will of the leaders of the two countries and the desire of the two peoples to steadily strengthen and develop Korea-China friendship in the 21st century.
Korea-China friendship will be consolidated by the joint efforts of the two parties, two governments and two peoples.
The feats performed by the CPV on the Korean front will shine long with the history of Korea-China friendship.
Minju Joson says that although more than a half century has passed since the CPV's entry into the Korean front, their heroic self-sacrificing spirit has been cherished in the hearts of the Korean people.
The Korean people will as ever make efforts to develop Korea-China friendship together with the Chinese people, says the paper.
S. Korean authorities' rearrest of Tan Pyong Ho assailed
Pyongyang, October 25 (KCNA) -- The (South) Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held rallies at Seoul railway station plaza and ten other areas simultaneously on Oct. 20, at which it strongly denounced the authorities for rearresting and prosecuting its chairman Tan Pyong Ho, according to Radio No. 1 from Seoul.
The organization at the rallies said that the "government's" prosecution of the chairman was an act of ignoring the desire of workers who have sustained sufferings since the start of the crisis of foreign exchange.
It vowed to launch an all-out rescue movement including a signature campaign demanding the release of the chairman together with citizens and public organizations at home and abroad.
Reform of S. Korean universities called for
Pyongyang, October 25 (KCNA) -- The "National Consultative Council of Professors for Democratization" and six other professor organizations in South Korea held a press conference in Seoul on October 22 and went on a signature campaign for 10,000-professor declaration demanding the reform of universities, according to the South Korean Kyunghyang Daily News.
The organizations at the press conference said that the neo-liberalist policy of the "ministry of education" to introduce the principle of market into the operation of universities, the repeal of the amendment to the "private school act", etc. compelled the professors to come out as the driving force for the reform of universities.
They decided to conduct an all-out signature campaign and hold a seminar for the uprooting of irregularities in the campus operation and the democratic revision of the "private school act" and host a meeting of professors within November.
Greetings to Austrian President
Pyongyang, October 25 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, today sent a message of greetings to Austrian President Thomas Klestil on its national day.
He extended warm congratulations to the president and people of Austria on the occasion.
Expressing conviction that the friendly relations between the two countries would steadily develop on good terms, he sincerely wished the Austrian people peace and well-being.
Message to chief delegate of south side
Pyongyang, October 25 (KCNA) -- Kim Ryong Song, head of the north side delegation to the inter-Korean ministerial talks, today sent a message to the chief delegate of the south side as regards the fact that the south side has not shown affirmative response to the north side's reasonable draft amendment to the schedule but persisted in an unreasonable assertion concerning the venue of the talks with the date of the opening of the sixth inter-Korean ministerial talks just at hand.
Recalling the fact that with a view to seeking a smooth solution of the issue related to the inter-Korean relations even under the present prevailing situation the north side has repeatedly put forward reasonable proposals concerning the talks already agreed upon and the schedule of visits and, in particular, has made sincere efforts to hold the sixth inter-Korean ministerial talks on the date agreed upon, the message says:
The north side's proposal for holding the talks in Mt Kumgang area has already been presented to the fifth ministerial talks in Seoul and such position has so far been consistently maintained.
The north side is, therefore, of the view that the proposal is an entirely just and reasonable proposal acceptable to anyone.
As for the venue of the ministerial talks which have hitherto been held between the two sides, the two sides had two rounds of talks in Pyongyang and Seoul respectively and one round in Jeju island of your side as the north side had reminded the south side of it. So, it is quite natural to have the talks in Mt. Kumgang area of the north side.
As the south side is well aware of it, the north side unconditionally agreed to the south side's proposal to have the third inter-Korean ministerial talks in Jeju island and the issue of holding the talks in Mt. Kumgang was already discussed at that time.
Judging from this fact, the south side has no reason to oppose the north side's proposal for holding the sixth talks on Mt. Kumgang.
The south side cannot deny the fact that it has been inter-Korean practice that when the side which hosts talks proposes the venue of the talks, the other side respects and agrees to it.
The south side has been opposed to fixing as the venue of the talks famous Mt. Kumgang of the nation where multifaceted contacts and talks between the two sides and their events have taken place with success and proposed to have the talks on Mt. Myohyang where the two sides have never had talks. The misbehavior of the south side is quite incomprehensible. After all, this only goes to prove that the south side has no will for holding the talks nor position to save the prevailing situation as soon as possible and implement what has been agreed upon as regards the schedule.
The north side will always keep Mt. Kumgang area open for an early holding of the sixth ministerial talks and wait for the south side to come out to the talks in response to the reasonable proposal of the north side.