Struggle against U.S. for independence called for
Pyongyang, November 21 (KCNA) -- Only when foreign domination and interference are thoroughly rejected and a vigorous struggle against the U.S. for independence is waged, is it possible to implement the north-south joint declaration and achieve independent reunification at an early date, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article:
It goes on:
The domination and interference of foreign forces are a stumbling block lying in the way of Korean reunification.
What the U.S. has committed since the publication of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration clearly proves that the U.S. is the arch criminal disturbing the cause of the independent reunification of the Korean nation.
The U.S. moves are aimed to realize its strategy to dominate the whole of Korea by checking the movement for the independent reunification of the Korean nation and keeping the Korean peninsula divided into two parts forever.
The whole Korean nation should be awakened and launch a fierce struggle against the U.S. for independence.
The victory in this struggle depends on the great unity of the nation. Only when the nation struggles in firm unity, can it reject foreign forces, defend its sovereignty and dignity and achieve independent reunification.
S. Korean trade union organization threatens general strike
Pyongyang, November 21 (KCNA) -- The Federation of South Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) declared that it would call a general strike unless a bill demanding the cutdown of working hours is passed through the regular "national assembly" session, according to the CBS from Seoul.
The federation held a "national workers' rally" at Poramae park, Seoul, on Nov. 18 with over 15,000 unionists attending at which it threatened to launch a winter action to have its demands met.
NACR calls upon fellow countrymen to struggle for national reunification
Pyongyang, November 21 (KCNA) -- The north, south and overseas headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification (Pomminryon) released a joint statement yesterday on the occasion of the 11th anniversary of Pomminryon.
Recalling that the Pyongyang summit meeting and the publication of the June 15 joint declaration last year were the great shining events in the national history which put an end to the past history of antagonism and confrontation and opened a new era of reconciliation and unity between the north and the south and independence and reunification, the joint statement said:
The June 15 joint declaration is that of national independence, peace and great unity.
Now that the anti-reunification moves of foreign and conservative forces have become serious, Pomminryon solemnly calls on 70 million Koreans to rise up in the nation-wide joint struggle under the banner of the joint declaration.
The great festival for national reunification held in Pyongyang on August 15 was a ground of celebration and unity where the Korean nation's will for reunification was fully demonstrated and meeting and solidarity of people from all walks of life were realized.
However, the South Korean authorities took a legal action against the participants in the festival on charges of violating the "security law". The statement strongly demanded a stop to suppressing them and their immediate release.
Pointing out that the joint declaration is a milestone for building a reunified country, the statement earnestly called on the 70 million fellow countrymen to vigorously turn out to reunify the country in the near future under the banner of the joint declaration.
Anecdotes about President Kim Il Sung
Pyongyang, November 21 (KCNA) -- It happened in autumn, Juche 50 (1961) when President Kim Il Sung gave field guidance to the Chonsam Cooperative Farm in Anbyon county, Kangwon Province.
While talking to farmers, the president pointed to a persimmon tree in front of the managerial board of the farm and asked them to guess how many persimmons it was laden with. When the chief accountant of the farm put them at about 500, he guessed that they might be about 800. As it was the time to harvest persimmons, the farmers picked all the persimmons from the tree after seeing the president off.
They could count 800 persimmons except three unripe ones.
The president's rare guessing took them by surprise.
There is another anecdote about the president.
The president posed for a photograph in his generalissimo uniform for the first time on April 22, Juche 81 (1992), complying with requests repeatedly made by officials.
Saying that he would like to have a photo taken with a guard, he let the guard be relieved from his duty and stood with him under an apricot tree with flowers in full bloom.
Officials were deeply moved to see the president having a picture taken with the guard.
It happened when the president was talking to the general secretary of a political party of an European country. The general secretary carefully looked at a small pocket book placed before the president when several hours' talks were drawing to an end. listening to the president eloquently speaking about issues related to all fields, political, economic, military and cultural, even without a paper carrying the main purport of his speech, he asked the president what was recorded in the pocket book.
When the president showed him the book with a smile, he could see only some words written after a triangular mark in the book.
Korean photo, book and handicraft exhibition opens in Congo
Pyongyang, November 21 (KCNA) -- A Korean photo, book and handicraft exhibition was opened in Brazzaville, Congo, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il's election as supreme commander of the Korean People's Army and the 84th birth anniversary of the great communist revolutionary fighter Kim Jong Suk.
On display in the exhibition hall were photos showing immortal feats of President Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Suk and Korean books and handicrafts.
Present at the opening ceremony were the mayor of Brazzaville city, officials of the ministries of foreign affairs and trade, figures from political and social circles and people from all walks of life.
Imperialists seek way out in war
Pyongyang, November 21 (KCNA) -- It is the imperialists' nature to seek a way out of political or economic crisis in a war, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
The nature of imperialism lies in that it has its socio-economic foundation on the capitalist system dominated by monopoly, the article notes, and goes on:
It is the nature of monopoly to seek monopolistic high profits. Unbounded is the greed of the monopoly capital for maximum profits. This wild ambition is realized through overseas expansion. This is bound to be accompanied by aggression and war.
Whenever the imperialists face a crisis, they seek a way out of it in aggression and war. This was proved by the first and second world wars.
The 1929-1933 economic crisis, which swept the capitalist world, and a new economic crisis which began in 1937 were the principal cause of the outbreak of the second world war.
The imperialists are still seeking a way out of their political and economic crises in a war.
Class contradictions between the reactionary ruling class, which arrogates state power and means of production to itself, harshly cracks down on the people in their struggle for independence, and the people vigorously struggling against it are daily growing sharp in the capitalist countries. The current economic crisis that is sweeping the whole capitalist world is an unprecedentedly serious and catastrophic one as it involves fuel, raw material, financial and all other crises.
The nature of the imperialists seeking a way out of crisis in a war will remain unchanged unless their social and economic foundation is rooted out.
Imperialism is aggressive in its nature. It is not imperialism that is not aggressive.
There will be always aggression and war as long as imperialism exists.
Only when a country increases its defense capability for self-defense and always keeps itself fully ready under this situation can it defend its revolutionary gains and protect the people's lives and properties from the imperialist aggression.
All the countries advocating independence and peace should give priority to military affairs and exert efforts to increase capability for self-defense and vigorously struggle in unity to smash the imperialists' moves for aggression and war.
8th KJU congress closes
Pyongyang, November 21 (KCNA) -- The 8th congress of the Korean Journalists Union closed yesterday.
The congress heard more speeches by delegates that day.
The speakers referred to the successes and experience journalists and other pressmen have gained in their efforts to defend the socialist ideological position on the forefront of the ideological domain since the 7th congress of the KJU held in November Juche 82 (1993).
They ascribed these successes to leader Kim Jong Il's unique and great politics of giving importance to the writing brush.
They vowed to bring about a new revolutionary turn in media activities in hearty response to the letter of Kim Jong Il, which indicates the road for the media to follow in the new century.
The congress discussed the second agenda item "on the revision of the rules of the Korean Journalists Union" and adopted the revised rules.
It also took up the third agenda item "on the election of the leadership of the Korean journalists union" and elected the members of the central committee of the KJU.
Kim Song Guk was elected chairman of the central committee of the KJU.
Greetings to Lebanese prime minister and foreign minister
Pyongyang, November 21 (KCNA) -- Hong Song Nam, premier of the DPRK cabinet, sent a message of greetings to Rapik Hariri, prime minister of Lebanon, on the occasion of the 58th anniversary of its independence.
Hong Song Nam extended warm congratulations to him and wished him greater success in his work for stability and prosperity of the country.
Paek Nam Sun, minister of foreign affairs, also sent a message of greetings to his counterpart Mahmoud Hammoud.
Greetings to President of Lebanon
Pyongyang, November 21 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, today sent a message of greetings to Emile Lahoud, President of Lebanon, on the occasion of the 58th anniversary of its independence.
The message wished the president and the people of Lebanon greater success in the work for stability and prosperity of the country and expressed the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and Lebanon would grow stronger in the new century.
DPRK senior officials meet Chinese ambassador
Pyongyang, November 21 (KCNA) -- Premier Hong Song Nam of the DPRK cabinet and vice-president Yang Hyong Sop of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly separately met and conversed with Wang Guozhang, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK who paid a farewell call on him, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
Choe Thae Bok and Jong Ha Chol, secretaries of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, and Ji Jae Ryong and Pak Kyong Son, vice-department directors of the c.c. WPK, also met and talked with him when he visited them to say goodbye to them.