Acceleration of socialist construction called for

   Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) -- A powerful nation is certain to be built as the last instructions of President Kim Il Sung clearly indicate the path to be followed by us and leader Kim Jong Il is wisely guiding the army and the people. Rodong Sinmun today says this in an editorial. It goes on:
    The behest left by the president for the revolutionary soldiers and the people carries his deep trust and expectation that they would remain loyal to the revolution to the last true to their pledge and the earnest words that they should accomplish the revolutionary cause without fail, upholding the leadership of the party.
    More thoroughly fulfilling his behest is the most sacred and honorable struggle to give a steady continuity to his history century after century and a worthwhile struggle to build a powerful nation of Juche on this land and thus successfully realize his desire and plan in his lifetime.
    Kim Jong Il is energetically leading the army and the people under the uplifted slogan of the building of a powerful nation so as to realize the president's desire and plan on this land as soon as possible.
    He is the supreme incarnation of the sense of moral obligation as he set a practical example teaching the true communists how to hold their leader of revolution in high esteem.
    The editorial calls upon the whole party and army and all the people to give full play to the might of the singlehearted unity, the mainstay for the Korean revolution and an instrument for certain victory, and bring about a new surge in the building of an economically powerful nation, united closer around him, true to the president's behest.

U.S. is to blame for non-compliance with AF

   Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) -- If the DPRK-U.S. Agreed Framework (AF) collapses due to the unreasonable and hawkish attitude of the U.S. it will be totally to blame for that, warns Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary.
    It says:
    It is none other than the u.s. which has aggravated the DPRK-U.S. relations to the extreme pitch of coolness, refusing to properly implement the AF.
    It has backtracked from the AF, a basis of improving the DPRK-U.S. relations, by not complying with its provisions.
    Time is running out for the provision of light water reactors (lwrs) to which the u.s. committed itself.
    However, the lwrs construction is so delayed that nothing has been done since the ground work was undertaken. It is quite clear that the U.S. can hardly provide lwrs to the DPRK in time. The U.S. is wantonly violating the principles agreed upon at the DPRK-U.S. joint statement made public in June 1993.
    The DPRK has sincerely implemented all the points agreed upon between the DPRK and the U.S. despite great difficulties, prompted by its will not to break a promise once made to others.
    If the DPRK had pushed ahead with its plan for nuclear energy development for a peaceful purpose, its acute shortage of power would have already been solved.
    Yet, it has remained true to the promises it made to the U.S. although even one kw of electricity is badly needed.
    While insisting on far-fetched assertions, the U.S. seems to work hard to shift responsibility for the non-compliance with the AF and the extremely aggravated bilateral relations onto the DPRK.
    If it has no willingness to implement the AF and drop its hard line and hawkish attitude to stifle the DPRK, the latter will be left with no option but to go its own way.
    The DPRK, in fact ,does not expect anything from the u.s.

Day of Sun commemorated in different countries

    Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) -- Opening ceremonies of week and month of Korean film shows and photo exhibitions, lectures and film shows were held in Sweden, Bulgaria, Guinea, Singapore and Equatorial Guinea from March 20 to 26 on the occasion of the Day of the Sun. Put on display at the places of functions were photos showing leadership exploits of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il.
    Korean films such as "The Great Life in 1994" and "Forever in Heart of Humankind" were screened there.
    The first secretary of the c.c., the Communist Party of Bulgaria at an opening ceremony of a photo exhibition said that the president's whole life was one of a great revolutionary and a great man who made a total devotion to the people.
    The director of the medical department of the defence ministry of guinea in a lecture given under the title "Fortune of Korea" said that Kim Il Sung liberated Korea, led the Fatherland Liberation War to victory and realised socialist industrialization in a short span of time, thus performing immortal feats for the Korean revolution.

New memorial stamp published

    Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) -- A new stamp was printed in commemoration of the 20th April Spring Friendship Art Festival. Printed in the upper part of the stamp are letters "The 20th April Spring Friendship Art Festival" and painted in the centre a festival mark, flag and pigeons.
    Given in the left low part of the stamp is a festival prize and in the right low part are Mangyong Hill bearing the footprints of President Kim Il Sung in his childhood and artistes from five continents singing of the day of the sun, his birthday (April 15).
    Also seen in the stamp is part of the music note of "Song of Pyongyang Festival." size is 36 mm45 mm and face value is 10 jon.
    circulation is 10,000 (perf) and 500 (imperf).
    The 20th festival is a joint festival of humankind which opens in commemoration of the 90th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung.

Land realignment project completed

    Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) -- The project for leveling and rezoning more than 100,000 hectares of land under leader Kim Jong Il's grand nature-harnessing plan was brought to completion in South Hwanghae Province with President Kim Il Sung's 90th birth anniversary at hand. The project took one and a half year.
    South Hwanghae Province situated along the west coast of Korea is the nation's leading granary.
    All the fields in the province have turned into standardized fields of 800 to 1,500 Phyong each. As a result, over 738,000 patches of paddy fields were dwindled to a half, levees of nearly 50,000 km to one third and waterways of more than 10,000 km to at least 1,000 km.
    Many non-paddy fields have been converted into paddy fields and levees, puddles and vacant grounds realigned into nearly 2,000 hectares of new land under cultivation.

Master writer of world fame

    Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) -- Paek In Jun was a master writer of world fame. He was born to a peasant family in Yongung-ri, Unsan county, North Phyongan Province in the northwestern part of Korea, on October 27, 1920.
    His desire to become a poet in his youth could be realized only under the care of President Kim Il Sung after the liberation of the country.
    He conducted energetic creative activities, holding different posts at party and government organs.
    He began literary activities from a new angle by publishing a hymn "singing of him as our sun" in Juche 36 (1947), attracted by the greatness of the president.
    During more than five decades he created many masterpieces including over 20 scenarios, more than ten operas and dramas and scores of words of songs, thus further enriching the treasure-house of the Juche-oriented literature and art.
    He was one of the pioneers in creating works depicting the leader in the history of the literature and art of Korea.
    Typical of his works are the hymn "Long life and good health to the leader", the words of song "The General is the Destiny of Korea", lyric poem "Calling His Great Name", scenario "The Sun of the Nation."
    He was a master writer of versatile attainments and a veteran of the literary and art world capable of successfully creating any style of literary work including dramas and satirical poems. His collections of poems are "Songs of the People", "Voices of Simple People", "Paek In Jun's Collection of Poems", and others.
    He made a big contribution to adapting immortal masterpieces including "The Flower Girl" for films, operas and dramas.
    He died on Jan. 20, 1999.
    He was winner of Kim Il Sung Order, Kim Il Sung Prize, National Reunification Prize and the Title of Labour Hero.

Anecdotes about Kim Il Sung

    Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) -- There was nothing but an iron bed in a bedroom and a round table in a drawing room in President Kim Il Sung's lodging quarters right after the liberation of the country in august 1945. So, one day his aide bought a new bed, a desk and a carpet from a furniture shop to refurbish his rooms.
    Seeing the newly furbished rooms back to the quarters late at night, the president spoke to him in a serious tone that no one should exceed the people's living standard as they have not yet got rid of poverty although the country was liberated.
    His lodging quarters thus remained as simply furnished as before.
    It was early in Juche 40 (1951) when the grim fatherland liberation war was at its height.
    The president had a meal with his uncle who came to see him after a long separation.
    Bowls of cooked millet and soup and a small bowl of Kimchi were all they had.
    After coming back home the uncle ground with all his care rice he had been keeping for an emergency use and sent it to the supreme headquarters with a letter carrying his earnest request to serve Kim Il Sung with boiled rice.
    But the president sent it to an army clinic near the supreme headquarters.
    It was a maxim of his life that he can not take rice when the people are fighting against the Yankees, tightening their belts.
    In spring in Juche 80 (1991) officials were going to repave roads in the compound of the Kumsusan Assembly Hall where the president was working.
    There were many cracks on the roads as it was a long time since they were paved. However, the president did not approve of the plan.
    After a deep thought, the officials decided to pave them during his field guidance to local areas.
    Upon learning this, the president reprimanded them, saying that he would be very pleased to walk even rugged roads only if the people would be able to lead an affluent life.
    He told them to stop the plan and pave one more mountain road leading to school instead.
    He walked the cracked roads till the last days of his life.

Opening ceremonies of new school year held

    Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) - Ceremonies of opening the new school year were held yesterday at schools across the country. Schools were in a festive mood, crowded with new pupils of primary schools who finished the compulsory pre-school education course and those of senior middle schools and their parents congratulating them on their admission and teaching staff.
    Hong Song Nam, Han Song Ryong, Choe Thae Bok and other senior party and state officials and officials of the commissions and ministries of the cabinet, national institutions, local party and power bodies attended the opening ceremonies and congratulated the new pupils.
    The ceremonies underscored the need for all pupils to study hard so as to uphold the army-based leadership of Kim Jong Il with high scholarly performance and for the teachers to effect a new turn in the educational work in keeping with the requirements of the new century.
    At the end of the ceremonies, the first lessons of the new school year were conducted.

Increased defence capability called for

    Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) -- Capability for self-defence is a sure guarantee for protecting peace from the high-handed and arbitrary practices of the imperialist aggressor forces and building an independent state, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article. It goes on:
    The imperialists do not hesitate to commit military intervention and aggression against some sovereign states because their military power is weak.
    If an army of a country is strong and its military position invulnerable, it can remain reassured and confident of what it is doing no matter how desperately the imperialists may work against it.
    But a country with weak military power tends to look about the circumstances around it when doing anything and strain every nerve to curry favor with others.
    Doing so can never be called an independent policy and it, in fact, cannot be construed otherwise than a dependent policy and survile attitude.
    The DPRK neither feels scared nor daunted by the desperate moves of the U.S. warmongers. We will return artillery fire for the u.s. imperialists' rifle fire.
    If they fire an artillery piece, we will retaliate against this with a more powerful weapon.
    The spirit of the Korean people and people's army is based on the most revolutionary and strongest anti-imperialist class-consciousness and self-confidence in the tremendous military means.

Greetings to Guinean President

Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Guinean President Lansana Conte on April 1 on the occasion of the 18th anniversary of the proclamation of the Second Republic in Guinea. The message extended warm congratulations to the president and, through him, to the friendly government and people of guinea on the occasion.
In the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would continue to develop on good terms in the future, too, it sincerely wished the president and people of guinea greater success in the work for the sovereignty of the country and the nation's unity.

Condolences to Queen of UK

Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, today sent a message of condolence to Elizabeth II, queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in connection with the death of her mother.
Upon hearing the sad news of the death of the mother of your majesty the queen, I express profound sorrow to your majesty and the other bereaved families, the message said.