Anniversary of Kim Jong Il's work marked
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today dedicates an article to the 10th anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il's celebrated work "The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party".
The work was published when the Korean revolution was facing a severe trial and ordeal and socialism collapsed in some countries and, thus, a path of socialism was urgently needed to be indicated, the article notes, and says:
The historical task raised by the times and the revolution was successfully carried out by Kim Jong Il possessed of unshakable faith in socialism and extraordinary wisdom.
In the work he made a scientific clarification of the historical lessons drawn from the collapse of socialism in several countries, on the basis of the Juche idea. And he comprehensively laid down the general line of the Workers' Party of Korea for the building of socialism.
Ten years have passed since the publication of the work.
This decade has been annals of victory and glory in which validity and vitality of the ideas and theories advanced in the work have been fully demonstrated.
This has been a proud course in which the might of the driving force of the Korean revolution has been considerably increased. That might has reached the highest level under the unique army-based policy of Kim Jong Il.
The last one decade has been a period of heroic struggle when the socialist principles have been adhered to.
It has also been marked with leaping advances and innovations as a vista has been opened for the march toward the building of a socialist economic power in the new century.
The history of the past ten years proves in practice that the army-based policy is the most powerful mode of politics in our era, which makes it possible to successfully carry out the WPK's general line for the building of socialism.
General onward movement called for
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today editorially calls for dynamically pushing forward this year's revolutionary march to successfully build a powerful socialist nation.
It goes on:
The main idea of the new year's joint editorial published by Rodong Sinmun, Josoninmingun and Chongnyonjonwi is to dynamically push forward the general onward march so as to adorn this year, a year of great significance which will mark the 90th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army, as a year of a new surge in building a powerful nation.
We should vigorously accelerate the general onward march for building a powerful nation under the uplifted banner of the slogan "Glorify this year that greets the 90th birthday of President Kim Il Sung as a year of a new surge in the building of a powerful nation" set forth in the joint editorial this year.
The joint editorial set forth tasks to be fulfilled to thoroughly embody the viewpoints that our leader, ideology, army and political system are most valuable so as to eternally exalt the revolutionary history and feats of President Kim Il Sung in this significant year.
These four viewpoints represent an ideological and moral character of Kim Il Sung's nation and an eternal slogan for building a powerful nation in the 21st century.
The campaign for implementing the militant tasks set forth in the joint editorial is a worthwhile one to successfully build a powerful socialist nation on this land true to the noble intention of leader Kim Jong Il.
The whole party and army and all the people should fully display loyalty to the party and the leader and make redoubled efforts.
The ideological and moral source of the victory in the revolutionary advance this significant year lies in highly displaying the ardent worship of Kim Jong Il and the steadfast spirit of devotedly defending him.
What is important for carrying out the tasks set forth in the joint editorial is for all the party members, servicemen of the Korean People's Army and people to live and struggle in the same noble revolutionary spirit as displayed by the preceding generations of the Korean revolution.
The torch of Ranam kindled by Kim Jong Il is a follow-up of the torch of Kangson lit in the period of the great Chollima surge after the war and the torch of Songgang in the 1990s and the great torch for a general onward movement for building a powerful nation.
The revolutionary advance to make faster leaping progress and attain higher goals is a Juche-oriented onward movement to build a powerful nation our own way and by our own efforts.
This years' revolutionary advance is a worthwhile drive to pave the way for achieving prosperity so much desired by us and this leads to successfully building a Kim Jong Il powerful nation.
World people's struggle for independence called for
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- As long as imperialism remains its oppression will persist and as long as there is its oppression people are bound to struggle against it, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
The world people demand independence and many countries are going in for independence. It is an irresistible basic trend of our times, the article notes, and goes on:
The common desire and struggle of the progressives advocating independence are a decisive factor of opposing all the oppressive forces including imperialism, colonialism and dominationism and radically changing the appearance of the world.
Their struggle means a struggle against imperialism, the biggest dominationist forces opposed to independence.
The imperialists consider aggression and interference as the goal of their foreign policy and threaten and encroach upon the sovereignty of other countries and nations in pursuance of this policy.
A revolutionary struggle alone can put an end to all sorts of subjugation and shackles including class and national exploitation and oppression.
The independent development of the country and nation would have been unthinkable without a struggle against imperialism.
Independence against imperialism represents a banner of the people's struggle at the present times.
The global independence is steadily progressing thanks to the efforts of the people to destroy the old order of domination and subjugation and realize independence.
It is the basic trend of the history which no force on earth can ever stem.
Year marked with surging enthusiasm@for reunification
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- Last year was a historic year in which the enthusiasm of the Korean people in the north, the south and abroad for reconciliation, unity and reunification mounted higher than ever before.
The 2001 meeting for opening the door of reunification by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation held in Pyongyang in January set the year of achieving this aim. It called upon the 70 million fellow countrymen to wage a nation-wide patriotic movement for reunification to open up an epoch-making phase for the independent national reunification under the uplifted banner of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration.
Political parties and organizations in the north, south and abroad heartily responded to this call. And people from all walks of life including representatives of various political parties and social organizations, workers, farmers, intellectuals, youth and students held meetings at which they demonstrated once again the reunification will of the fellow countrymen to promote reconciliation and unity and opening the door of national reunification at any cost by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation.
A particular mention should be made of the 2001 grand festival for national reunification held in august in a peculiar manner. It was the biggest national meeting in the history of festivals.
The festival brought together hundreds of representatives from each of the north, south and overseas sides. This involved solidarity stage of youth for reunification in the new century, a joint performance of artistes from the north, south and abroad, meetings of businessmen, religionists, workers and farmers of the north and the south and a forum of women of the north and the south for reunification.
These events clearly proved the Koreans are a homogeneous nation that cannot live separated from each other and they can surely accelerate the reunification if they get reconciled and united.
Last year also witnessed various functions for reunification such as a grand seminar for national reunification to commemorate the 1st anniversary of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, a may day meeting of the workers of the north and the south for reunification and a meeting of farmers of the north and the south for reunification which were held frequently on an unprecedented scale.
Independent reunification of nation called for
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- A New Year's joint editorial of the newspapers of the party, the army and the youth league in the DPRK set forth the slogan "Reunify the country by united efforts of our nation" reflecting the firm will and ardent desire of the Korean nation for reunification.
Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article calls upon all the people to hold higher this slogan and come out as one in the grand march for independent reunification of the nation, which is a shortcut to defending and implementing the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and to speeding up national reunification.
The prevailing rigorous situation requires that all the Koreans in the north, south and abroad should step up the grand march for reunification, holding higher the slogan reflecting the basic spirit of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, the article says, and goes on:
The foreign forces who divided the Korean nation into two for their interest of aggression will and can never bring reunification to the Korean nation.
As specified in the joint declaration, the issue of the country's reunification should be solved by the Korean nation itself.
The main point of the joint declaration is to solve the issue of the country's reunification independently by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation.
As noted in the New Year's joint editorial, the joint declaration is an eternal landmark of the country's reunification.
Anyone who worries about the destiny of the country and the nation and really wants reunification should turn out as one in the patriotic struggle to defend and implement the joint declaration, loudly shouting the slogan "Reunify the country by united efforts of our nation".
Although the situation is rigorous, if all the fellow countrymen turn out in the struggle, loudly shouting this slogan, they can check and frustrate the confrontation, division and war provocation moves of the separatist forces at home and abroad and continue the grand march for independent reunification of the nation, the article says, and adds:
No force on earth can block the grand march of the Korean nation for independent reunification.
DPRK sportspersons prove successful
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- Last year DPRK sportspersons achieved spectacular successes in international games by winning over 40 gold medals.
DPRK girls won gold medals at the 13th Asian Women's Football Championships.
Kye Sun Hui, winner of gold medal in the women's 48kg judo match at the Olympic games held in Atlanta, captured another gold medal in the 52kg category at the 2001 world judo championships held in Germany in July, thus winning admiration of world Judoists.
Hong Chang Su exalted the honor of the DPRK by retaining two times his title in the matches against his challengers in the super flyweight of the WBC.
At the 12th World Taekwon-do Championships DPRK Taekwon-do players came first in the team standing by winning more than 20 medals including 17 gold medals and 4 cups.
At the games Pu Song Min, Ro Song Hui, Chae Sim Myong, Pak Myong Sun, Kim Kyong Sil, and others proved to be matchless Taekwon-do players.
DPRK weightlifters bagged 14 gold medals and one silver medal at the 4th weightlifting universiad held in Slovakia in last June.
Besides, not a few DPRK players beat all their rivals with high technique and in the staunch fighting spirit at the 2nd Asian Junior Greco-Roman and Freestyle Wrestling Championships held in Iran in July, the 1st Asian Women's Boxing Championships in Thailand in August and other international games.