Reception given at Russian embassy
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Military attache of the Russian embassy here Vladislav Prokopenko hosted a reception at the Taedonggang club for the diplomatic corps on yesterday evening on the occasion of the "Day of Defenders of the Fatherland."
Present on invitation were Kim Il Chol, minister of the People's Armed Forces, generals and officers of the Korean People's Army and military attaches of embassies of different countries here.
Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov and embassy officials were also present there.
Speeches were made at the reception.
DPRK delegate refers to peace-keeping activities
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) A DPRK delegate addressing a meeting of the ad hoc committee on U.N. peace-keeping operations on Feb. 12 said that today's reality requires the peace-keeping activities to fulfil their mission and role before the international community and consistently adhere to their basic principles of activity in conformity with them. He referred to the following issues in this regard:
Firstly, peace-keeping operations are necessary for ensuring international peace and security but it is most urgent to remove the root cause of all sorts of misfortune and clashes.
This root cause is the way of thinking and the policy of confrontation in the era of the cold war. therefore, dominationism, hegemony and unilateralism, an expression of policy of showdown in international relations, should not be allowed and there should be no such practices as encouraging or instigating disputes.
Secondly, it is also important for the U.N. to conduct peace-keeping operations in conformity with the principles and purpose of the U.N. charter and on the principles of respect for each country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.
What is essential here is to conduct peace-keeping activities in such a way as to make substantial contributions to ensuring international peace and security to meet the expectation of the U.N. members.
Thirdly, it is imperative to foil any attempt to achieve sinister political and military aims under the signboard of peace-keeping operations.
As the UN's 50 odd year-long history shows, its activities for international peace and security have been misused in many cases for the political and military purpose of invading specified countries and their consequences are still left.
The Korean peninsula can be cited as a good example.
The delegate expressed his expectation that all the U.N. members would not allow the U.S. to abuse the sacred name and flag of the U.N. in South Korea any longer but pay due attention to putting an end to such practices.
Floral basket to DPRK embassy in Kinshasa
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- President of Democratic Congo Joseph Kabila sent a floral basket to the DPRK embassy in Kinshasa on February 8 on the occasion of the birthday of leader Kim Jong Il.
The political and diplomatic advisor to the president laid the basket before the portraits of President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
Foreign papers observe February holiday
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Newspapers of many countries of the world carried special write-ups illustrated with portraits of leader Kim Jong Il and photos showing his revolutionary activities on the occasion of the February holiday, his birthday.
The February 15-18 issues of the Russian Pravda carried special write-ups under the title "Congratulations to you comrade Kim Jong Il."
The paper said: Feb. 16, the birthday of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Il, is an auspicious holiday common to the world progressives.
The Russian Moskovski Kommunist alloted one whole page to an article titled "sun that rose in the east." It introduced Kim Jong Il's brief biography and immortal exploits he performed by leading the party, the state and the army in the most difficult period.
The Jan. 28 issue of the Syrian newspaper Al-Esbou Al-Riadi dedicated its two whole pages to an article titled "On the occasion of the birthday of Kim Jong Il, the great leader of the Korean people."
The February issue of the German newspaper Die Rote Fahne devoted one whole page to his brief biography, the Feb. 7 issue of the Tanzanian paper Uhuru one page to an article titled "21st century and the great leader of Korea Kim Jong Il", and the February issue of the India Europe news and information bureau one page to an article captioned "world praises great man."
The Lao newspaper Pasason in an article titled "Kim Jong Il, elder statesman of the DPRK," the Feb. 8 issue of the Cambodian paper Pracheachon in an article captioned "army-centered policy in Korea", the Indonesian paper Koran Tempo in an article captioned "leader of high calibre" and the Feb. 13 issue of the Iranian paper Kayhan international in an article titled "He Kim Jong Il, leader of versatile knowledge and many talents" highly praised Kim Jong Il as a great man.
U.S. bellicose elements' outbursts slammed
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Recently, too, U.S. President Bush blustered that the U.S. would not allow the DPRK to "threaten the American way of life", repeating his earlier remarks about the "axis of evil" and pulling up the DPRK over the "development of weapons of mass-destruction." Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, tenet and other heavyweights of the bush administration echoed Bush's remarks inciting war hysteria.
Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary terms them a malignant mud-slinging at the DPRK and a revelation of an undisguised design for a war of aggression to stifle the DPRK by force of arms.
The commentary goes on:
It is the view of the U.S. that it may threaten and dominate other countries by use of weapons of mass-destruction but the DPRK should not be allowed to take any military measure for self-defense. This is a brigandish logic.
The further the U.S. moves to stifle the DPRK get intensified, the greater efforts the DPRK will exert to strengthen its revolutionary armed forces and consolidate the country's military position in every way. no one has the right to take issue with it.
It is shameless and gangster-like act for the U.S. to threaten the DPRK with blatant aggression after interpreting its just measure as an evil action.
The U.S. is, indeed, an empire of evil.
The U.S. bellicose forces' frantic moves against the DPRK will only lead to a war. If the U.S. ignites a war of aggression in Korea under an absurd pretext, it will not miss the chance to wipe out the aggressors to the last one on this land but achieve the cause of national reunification.
S. Korean people's struggle supported
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Juan Carretero Ibanes, secretary general of the Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America, issued a statement in Pyongyang in support of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) and the South Korean people who turned out in the anti-U.S., anti-Bush struggle.
In the statement he extended full support to the South Korean people in their struggle against Bush's outbursts about the "axis of evil" and his Seoul visit aimed at aggression.
He continued:
Mounting high is the wrath and resentment of the Korean nation at the united states that is chilling every step for national reconciliation and unity taken with so much effort, not content with having kept Korea divided and brought so many losses to it for over half a century.
It is the U.S. policy to sacrifice others to meet its own interests.
The moves for aggression and war pursued by the bush administration against the DPRK represent unilateral policy of hegemony followed against the Korean peninsula.
The U.S. should drop its hostile policy toward the DPRK and moves for the permanent division of the Korean peninsula that are swimming against the times, withdraw its aggression troops and weapons of mass destruction from South Korea at once and refrain from blocking the Korean nation's march for independent reunification.
I express the expectation and belief that all the anti-imperialist independent forces and peace-loving people the world over will resolutely counter with high vigilance the high-handed practices of the U.S. that is gravely threatening the world peace, keen on hegemony, extend unsparing support and solidarity to the struggle for reunification of the Korean nation set out in the implementation of the June 15 joint declaration and thus make positive contributions to the cause of independence against imperialism and the cause of the world peace.
Wreath laid before liberation tower by Russian embassy
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The Russian embassy in Pyongyang laid a wreath before the liberation tower today on the occasion of the "Day of the Defenders of the Fatherland."
Guards of honor of the Korean people's army lined up there.
Present at the wreath-laying ceremony were ambassador Andrei Karlov, military attache Vladislav Prokopenko and other staff members of the Russian embassy and military attaches of embassies of different countries here.
The participants laid a wreath in the name of the embassy of the Russian Federation before the tower and observed a moment's silence in honor of the fallen fighters of the former soviet army.
That day, the Russian embassy laid a wreath and bunches of flowers before the grave of fallen fighters of the former Soviet army in Sadong district, Pyongyang.
Independent national reunification called for
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The three principles of national reunification, the ten-point programme of the great unity of the entire nation and the proposal for founding the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo set forth by President Kim Il Sung serve as immortal charters for reunification and ever-victorious guidelines which should be invariably held fast to by the Korean nation to achieve independent reunification, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
It says:
It is leader Kim Jong Il's will to carry forward the cause of national reunification started by the president and reunify the country in our generation at any cost true to his intention and last instruction.
He, with a deep insight into the nation's mounting desire for reunification and the urgent need to improve the inter-Korean relations, set forth the five-point policy of the great national unity which clearly represents the president's noble idea of the great national unity and his patriotic intention.
Thanks to his pluck and will the historic Pyongyang meeting and the inter-Korean summit took place and the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration representing his idea and will for independent reunification was made public.
The declaration serves as a landmark in the era of independent reunification.
In the declaration Kim Jong Il set out the proposition for independent reunification "by the united efforts of our nation," thus teaching the Korean nation the essence of the movement for independent reunification.
"Let us reunify the country by the united efforts of our nation", a slogan put up by the Korean nation, is a slogan of practice and struggle for independent reunification.
To reunify the country by the united efforts of our nation means materializing the spirit of national independence and great national unity. The proposition itself calls for great national unity.
The cause of national reunification is sure to be accomplished as there is the great leadership provided by Kim Jong Il, the lodestar of national reunification, the joint declaration, a landmark of independent reunification, and the concerted efforts of the nation advancing under the banner of the declaration.
Russian newspaper introduces achievements of Korean people
Moscow, February 20 (KCNA) -- The Russian newspaper Patriot in its sixth issue carried an article entitled "brain and heart of the revolution" written by its editor-in-chief Mikhail Demskov.
Referring to the achievements of the Korean people, the author said that the "miracle of Korea" the world calls could be wrought because the Korean people have been imbued with the Juche idea.
The most outstanding model of heroes and creators produced in the flower garden of the Juche idea is just Kim Jong Il, supreme leader of the Korean people and respected leader of the people, he noted, and continued.
The world recognizes that he is the great activist who is making a great contribution to shaping out the future of humankind in the 21st century.
He is mainly characterized by the qualification of an outstanding thinker and theoretician of revolution and a philosopher. He has further developed and enriched the Juche idea by clarifying the matters arising in carrying out the people's cause of independence.
The DPRK has turned adversity into favorable condition without the slightest vacillation and compromise despite the serious difficulties caused by collapse of socialist market, the imperialist allied forces' moves to isolate and stifle it, a great national loss, the demise of President Kim Il Sung and natural disasters.
The U.S. was foolish enough to intensify a military and political offensive, but the leadership of Korea put the U.S. on the defensive and smashed its anti-DPRK offensive by responding to a hard line with the toughest policy.
The international authority and prestige of the DPRK and its supreme leader were rapidly enhanced at the turn of the century and this gave broad possibility for Korea to conduct a diplomatic offensive all over the world.
The experience and examples set by the DPRK and its supreme leader are a very valuable wealth for Russians.
KCNA on Bush's S. Korea visit
Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- As already reported, U.S. President Bush, who sparked a worldwide furore for his remarks about the "axis of evil" visited South Korea from Feb. 19 to 21 during his visit he called for a "change" in the political system in the DPRK and malignantly slandered even its supreme headquarters, not content with a string of vituperation made against the DPRK.
The DPRK can never pardon bush for unhesitatingly slinging mud at the supreme headquarters of the DPRK and even calling for a "change" in its people-centred political system, most dignified and independent, where the leader, the party and the masses form a harmonious whole.
His outbursts once again betrayed his true colours as a politically half witted fellow bereft of an elementary reason, not to speak of his qualification as the president of a country.
His South Korean junket was aimed to draw South Korea into the U.S.-led "anti-terrorist alliance" and put down the nation's desire for great unity by instigating anti-reunification forces in South Korea. It was, in a word, a war junket to finally examine the preparations for a war on the spot.
What should not be overlooked is the fact that he inspected areas along the military demarcation line in military uniform and said that he would never allow the world's most dangerous regimes to pose a threat with most dangerous weapons, while terming the DPRK's sacred revolutionary armed forces "evils."
He termed the DPRK one of the "most dangerous regimes" and talked about the "proliferation of weapons of mass-destruction." this laid bare his attempt to spread the afghan war to the Korean peninsula.
He asserted that the U.S. nuclear and missile forces strong enough to destroy the world scores of times are "deterrent forces" and the DPRK's forces for self-defence to defend its national dignity and sovereignty from the potential threat of aggression from the U.S. pose a "threat" and can be used for "terrorism." This is a gangster-like logic of a typical rogue and a kingpin of terrorism.
The same is true of the "issue of dialogue" with the DPRK.
His loudmouthed dialogue with the DPRK does not deserve even a passing note as he forces it to change its political system, the system of its people's own choice.
The DPRK will not sit any longer with the bush group keen on inventing pretexts for invasion in a bid to change the political system in the DPRK.
It is useless for the DPRK to sit with those who do not recognize its political system.
Bush and his group are well advised to stop acting recklessly, well aware that the "strength" to contain their opponent is not their exclusive possession.