United Nations issues appeal for humanitarian aid package
Pyongyang, December 3 (KCNA) -- The United Nations on Nov. 26 issued an appeal for a humanitarian aid package worth 2.5 billion U.S. dollars for 18 countries of the world including the DPRK next year.
In this regard a spokesman for the DPRK Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee issued a statement on December 3.
He said:
The United Nations in the appeal recalled that though the DPRK was hard hit by drought and flood again this year its grain production showed an increase of over one million tons over the previous year thanks to the positive efforts of the government. And 1.47 million tons of grain is still short of its minimum requirement. So the appeal called on the international community to give humanitarian aid worth about 260 million U.S. dollars for the rehabilitation of agriculture and health and other fields in the DPRK including more than 610,000 tons of food.
The spokesman said that the U.N.'s appeal for humanitarian aid is a manifestation of the international community's concern for the DPRK for which it feels thankful.
The humanitarian aid rendered by the U.N. to the DPRK in recent years has encouraged the Korean people in their efforts to overcome temporary difficulties caused by natural disasters.
The DPRK expresses the hope that the international community will continue to render support and aid to the Korean people in their efforts to eradicate the aftermath of the natural disasters and bring the people's living to normal in response to the U.N. appeal for humanitarian assistance.
The DPRK will continue to closely cooperate with the world food program and other U.N. organizations, non-governmental organizations and donor countries which are offering humanitarian aid to the DPRK.
Japan's crackdown upon Chongryon condemned
Pyongyang, December 3 (KCNA) -- A meeting of overseas compatriots was held in Pyongyang yesterday to strongly denounce the Japanese authorities' political suppression of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon).
Present there were compatriots in Japan and china on a visit to the socialist homeland.
At the meeting a reporter and speakers said that the Japanese authorities should have apologized to and compensated the compatriots in Japan and other Koreans, the very victims of Japan's military occupation, but are perpetrating harsher persecution and suppression of those compatriots in Japan, adding that such crimes can never be pardoned.
They noted that the Japanese authorities' vicious and despicable political crackdown upon Chongryon is arousing the surging national resentment among all the overseas compatriots who love the homeland and the nation.
Meanwhile, the General Association of Koreans in China in a statement issued on November 29 declared that the Japanese reactionary authorities should clearly know who is their opponent, stop acting rashly and bear full responsibility for all the ensuing consequences.
Greetings to Angolan foreign minister
Pyongyang, December 3 (KCNA) -- DPRK foreign minister Paek Nam Sun sent a message of greetings to his Angolan counterpart Joao Bernardo De Miranda on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In the belief that the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would continue to be boosted in the future, the message sincerely wished the foreign minister and people of Angola greater success in their work to put an end to the civil war as early as possible and rehabilitate the ruined economy.
Greetings to Central African President
Pyongyang, December 3 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, on November 28 sent a message of greetings to Ange-Felix Patasse, head of state and President of Central Africa, on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of the proclamation of the Central African Republic.
The message extended warm congratulations to the president, government and people of Central Africa on the occasion and expressed the belief that the friendly relations between the two countries would continue to develop.
The message sincerely wished the president and people of Central Africa greater success in their work for the stability of the country and social development.
More meetings held
Pyongyang, December 3 (KCNA) -- More meetings of workers and peasants were held in various parts of the country to bring a new peak to production and construction, holding high the torchlight of Ranam kindled by leader Kim Jong Il.
Meetings were held at the Hochongang Hydro-Power Station, the Feb. 8 Jikdong Youth Coal Mine, the Kum Song Tractor Plant. The Amnokgang Tire Plant, the Pyongyang Railway Station, and the Hamhung Basic Foodstuff Factory and on the Saegil Cooperative Farm in Sinchon county.
Reporters and speakers at the meetings said that the torchlight of fresh leaping progress and innovations is a historic event which signaled the new start of a great revolutionary upswing in the era of the army-based politics.
They called on all the workers and peasants to step up the revolutionary advance in the new century in hearty response to the torchlight of Ranam under the army-based revolutionary leadership of Kim Jong Il, so as to create new miracles and innovations in building an economic power.
Enhancement of UN role called for
Pyongyang, December 3 (KCNA) -- It is necessary for the United Nations to enhance its role in order to fairly solve international issues in the interests of humankind, says Rodong Sinmun in a signed article today.
The United Nations should play a pivotal role in dealing with international issues so as to creditably discharge its mission, the article says, and goes on:
Only by doing so can it quickly approach the ever-arising international problems on the principle of impartiality and check the unreasonable moves of some countries to use unexpected events arising in the international arena as a lever for their interests.
Enhancement of the UN role is precisely the work of adjusting itself and setting correct direction of its work so as to conduct its activities properly to suit the purpose of its formation, and the work of creating international environment to ensure its authority.
If the UN Security Council reforms were made in such a way that the UN General Assembly may have the authority might to deliberate on the issues of international peace and security and approve major resolutions of the security council, concerning them, the UN would never be such a puppet under the control of some forces as in the past.
The UN Security Council should be reformed in the way of enhancing the authority of the UN General Assembly. And it should be reformed so that those countries, which can speak for the will of developing countries that have been neglected at the UN in the past, may be elected SC member states according to the unanimous agreement of the UN member states.
The UN should play a leading role in solving the issue of terrorism which is now being hotly debated in the international arena.
It should never be allowed to label those countries calling for equal sovereignty as "terrorism-sponsor states" and to infringe upon sovereignty with unilateral military interference and sanctions and inflict untold pain upon people, allegedly to oppose terrorism.
Any war killing innocent civilians or harassing regional situation and stability cannot be justified in combating terrorism.
It is the DPRK principled and consistent position to oppose all forms of terrorism and any support to it, the article declares, and goes on:
Arbitrariness of some forces behaving like international police in dealing with international disputes is a dangerous one that may degrade the un prestige and, furthermore, reduce the UN to a mere name.
The DPRK will discharge its noble mission and duty as a UN member state and make positive efforts to enhance the UN role in the international arena as in the past.
New microorganism for paper making developed
Pyongyang, December 3 (KCNA) -- DPRK scientists succeeded in developing new microorganism needed for the production of paper.
This microorganism is very active bacterium pseudomouas, pseudoalcaligenes 43 that does not dissolve cellulose but selectively does lignin ingredient only.
As it is highly capable of dissolving lignin, it can dissolve not only straw but iris pallasii and hibiscus cannabinus.
It grows at PH 10-11 and a temperature of 50-60 degrees centigrade.
They have introduced a new method of cultivation whereby lignin dissolution proved most active.
This method helps cut the time of cultivation from 7 days to 5 and increase the rate of lignin dissolution from 40 per cent to 60 per cent.
If paper is produced from 30,000 tons of straw by the method of treating microorganism, it will be possible to boost the paper output by 5,000 tons while saving 1,800 tons of caustic soda and 15,000 tons of coal.
This method has been applied to hundreds of paper-making units.
Japanese authorities' suppression of Chongryon under fire
Pyongyang, December 3 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary dismisses the Japanese investigation authorities' action of ransacking the central headquarters of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon), the Tokyo metropolitan headquarters and the western Tokyo headquarters of Chongryon on November 29 as an intentional and premeditated political plot to crack down upon Chongryon.
The commentary goes on:
The Japanese investigation authorities have perpetrated an unprecedentedly large scale investigation, conducting a of campaign of search and arrest against credit associations of the Korean bank under the pretext of "evasion of inspection" since the end of September. They ransacked the Chongryon central headquarters, while groundlessly linking this issue with the Chongryon central standing committee.
The Japanese authorities have full responsibility and obligation under the international law to legally guarantee Chongryon's activities and respect the democratic national rights of the Koreans in Japan.
Nevertheless, the Japanese authorities groundlessly pulled up Chongryon, the dignified organization of overseas citizens of the DPRK, and ransacked its central headquarters. This is a high-handed criminal act and an intentional political suppression of Chongryon and Korean residents in Japan, which can never be justified.
The Japanese authorities are recklessly suppressing the Koreans in Japan, the direct victims of Japan's forcible drafting in the period of its occupation of Korea, and Chongryon, their legitimate organization, though they have not yet redressed its crime-woven past.
This is, in fact, a double crime. This was the first undisguised political suppression since the formation of Chongryon and the campaign was launched at a time when Japan is putting its ambition for overseas expansion into practice in real earnest taking advantage of the anti-terror war. The DPRK cannot but follow this development with particular vigilance.
The suppression of Chongryon constitutes an infringement upon the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK.
The DPRK will never tolerate the outrageous acts of antagonizing and slandering it and any violation of the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK and Chongryon but will strongly react to them.
The Japanese authorities should stop at once the political suppression of Chongryon, make an apology for it and unconditionally and immediately release the unreasonably arrested people.
DPRK state tourism delegation leaves
Pyongyang, December 3 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the DPRK state general bureau of tourism headed by its director general Ryo Sung Chol left here today for Spain to visit the headquarters of the World Tourism Organization.