U.S. accusation against DPRK over religion refuted
Pyongyang, November 2 (KCNA) -- The United States in a recent "Annual Report on International Religious Freedom" accused the DPRK and some other countries of acting in contravention of its "Law on Religious Freedom".
In this regard Minju Joson today in a signed commentary denounces this as high-handed interference running counter to the elementary principle of the international law.
The commentary goes on:
The U.S. should have reflected on having abridged and violated religious freedom, instead of pulling up other countries over their religious issues by invoking its "Law on Religious Freedom".
The U.S. indiscriminately bombed and destroyed churches and religious facilities everywhere in Korea and bestially killed many religionists during the Korean War. Such bestial outrages of the U.S. against religionists are still going on.
The U.S. is slinging mud at other countries over their religious issues while shelving its violation of religious freedom and styling itself a "judge of religious issues".
This imprudent behavior reminds one of a thief crying "stop the thief".
The U.S. mud-slinging at the DPRK over its religious issue is aimed to impair the daily mounting authority and prestige of the DPRK. This will bring it to nowhere.
The freedom of religion is fully guaranteed by law and many religionists are free to conduct their activities under the DPRK socialist system. The U.S. mud-slinging only reveals once again its shamelessness before the world.
Anti-U.S. struggle called for in S. Korea
Pyongyang, November 2 (KCNA) -- The solidarity for implementing the south-north joint declaration reportedly made public an appeal for a massive anti-U.S. struggle and militant slogans.
The appeal said that the grave situation prevailing on the Korean peninsula at present is due to the hostile policy of the bush administration towards the DPRK and its moves to escalate tensions in a bid to maintain its hegemony over the peninsula by scraping the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration.
It called upon all the Koreans to turn out in the anti-U.S., anti-Japan struggle and the struggle against the separatists in order to preserve the self-respect and prosperity of the nation.
The slogans expressed opposition to the United States obstructing the implementation of the joint declaration and rendering the situation on the Korean peninsula strained with its anti-DPRK policy.
The Bush government should renounce its hostile policy towards the DPRK and implement the DPRK-U.S. agreement, they urged.
They also demanded that Japan stop its ballistic missile development, a threat to peace in northeast Asia, and redeem its past of aggression and make an apology and compensation for it.
They urged the resignation of Ri Hoe Chang betraying the nation and the dissolution of the "Grand National Party."
The slogans called upon all the fellow countrymen to check the U.S. intervention and put into practice the joint declaration by their united efforts.
Korean people's struggle for reunification supported
Pyongyang, November 2 (KCNA) -- Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos and Malian President Alpha Oumar Konare expressed support for the Korean people in the efforts for national reunification on October 26 when they received credentials from the new DPRK ambassadors to their countries.
Jose Eduardo Dos Santos said he was glad to know that under the wise guidance of Kim Jong Il, the Korean people have achieved great success in the development of the national economy, overcoming all difficulties, and are devotedly working to build a powerful and prosperous country.
On the friendly relations between Angola and the DPRK, he said he would make efforts to further develop and strengthen these relations.
Alpha Oumar Konare said that leader Kim Jong Il has made signal successes in the efforts for the building of a powerful and prosperous country and national reunification and in external relations by wisely leading the Korean people while successfully overcoming the temporary hardships.
He also said he remembers the assistance of the Korean people to the Malian people.
Mt. Myorak plantlife reserve
Pyongyang, November 2 (KCNA) -- The Mt. Myorak Plantlife reserve, situated in the Myorak Mountain range in central Korea, is one of a dozen such reserves in the DPRK.
It is a unique outspur from the plains of north hwanghae province that covers an area of 126.3 square km and has an average annual temperature of 7 to 8.5'c. annual precipitation is 1,100 to 1,200 mm, a relatively large amount.
With its clear weather and hot summers, it has favorable conditions for the growth of vegetation.
Its soil is, largely, brown forest soil occurring on limestones and, partially, alpine brown soil. Composed of loam or sand-mixed loam, the soil is thin-layered, with protruding rocks and piled gravel.
The forests are mainly of Mongolian oaks and other deciduous trees. The upper part of the forests is made up of pines, oaks, Mongolian and oriental oaks, the middle part of overcup oaks, linden trees, ginger plants and pepper bushes, and the lower part of sod, miscanthus sinensis, atractylodes japonica, thalictrum aquilegifolium var.
Sibiricum and indigofera kirilowii maxim.
The reserve is also inhabited by nut pines and larches, and at the foot of mountains and in the valleys by acacias, black walnuts, amur maples, honeysuckles, oriental bitter-sweets and clematis. It also hosts such endemic plants as euonymus alatus var. apterus regel and acer ukurunduense var. pilosum nakai.
Like others of its kind, the reserve is under governmental protection and serves as a base for biological research.
New medicines manufactured
Pyongyang, November 2 (KCNA) -- Hamhung University of Pharmacy of Korea has succeeded in locally producing a variety of new medicines this year through its intensified scientific researches.
Typical of them are aminopentamid, ambenonium, dipenocsirat, rasepedrin and metadon.
Aminopentamid, a synthetic anti-spasmodic medicine, is efficacious for the treatment of hyperacid gastritis, stomach ulcer and stomach cramps. It has no sideeffect as it regulates the secretion of gastric juice.
Ambenonium is very good for the treatment of myasthenia, peripheral facial paralysis, infantile paralysis, gut paralysis and various symptoms of partial spinal nerve paralysis. It can be easily produced with locally available raw materials.
Other medicines good for the treatment of diarrhea, asthma and headache have also been manufactured by the university.
Paper on national reunification
Pyongyang, November 2 (KCNA) -- The most urgent task of the Korean nation is to achieve national reunification, free from foreign domination and interference, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
The division stops the Korean nation from mobilizing and utilizing local resources and people's wisdom and talents in a uniform way for the prosperity of the country and the nation, the article says, and goes on:
A reunified country will enable the north and south of Korea to pool their efforts to rapidly develop the national economy and make the country rich and powerful and people well off. And it will also enable the homogenous Korean nation to preserve its peculiarity in culture and develop its culture in a unified way.
National reunification is, indeed, the cause common to the nation for the happiness of the fellow countrymen and prosperity of the country.
National reunification manifests the dignity and honor, indomitable will and spirit of the Korean nation.
Anyone who has the soul of the Korean nation, whether he or she is in the north, south and abroad, and is a worker, peasant, intellectual, student, politician, economist, man of culture, religionist or serviceman, should all unite to strive for national reunification, a common interest of the nation.
Greetings to President of Dominica
Pyongyang, November 2 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, on October 30 sent a message of greetings to Dominican President Vernon Shaw on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of its independence.
The message extended warm congratulations to him, and through him, to the government and people of Dominica on the occasion.
It wished the people of Dominica well-being and prosperity and expressed belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would develop on good terms.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from Chinese party delegation
Pyongyang, November 2 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il received a gift from the visiting delegation of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.
The gift was handed to an official concerned by head of the delegation Zhang Wenyue, member of the Central Committee of the CPC and deputy secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the CPC.