Kim Yong Nam to visit foreign countries

Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, will soon pay official goodwill visits to Indonesia, Libya and Syria on the invitations of President of the Republic of Indonesia Megawati Soekarnoputri, the leadership of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, and President of the Syrian Arab Republic Bashar Al Assad.

Withdrawal of "northern limit line" called for

    Pyongyang,July 9 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Panmunjom Mission of the Korean People's Army in a statement issued on July 8 denouncing the United States and the South Korean hawkish forces for bringing forward the so-called "northern limit line" in a bid to conceal the crimes they committed by causing the exchange of fire between the patrol boats of the navy of the KPA and South Korean naval vessels in the West Sea of Korea on June 29 and blaming the north for the incident. Laying bare the true nature of the line, he stated: Firstly, the "northern limit line" is a brigandish line unilaterally drawn by the U.S. and the South Korean military in the inviolable territorial waters of the DPRK side without any discussion with it.
    The "northern limit line" is a line unilaterally drawn by the commander of the U.S. forces present in South Korea in the 1950s as he pleased without any agreement with the DPRK, and the U.S. has not informed it of this till now.
    Secondly, the "northern limit line" is an illegal line that ignores even the elementary provisions of the Korean Military Armistice Agreement and the international law.
    Subparagraph B of paragraph 13 of the AA stipulates that all the islands lying to the north and west of the provincial boundary line between Hwanghae-do and Kyonggi-do shall be under the military control of the KPA side, and the un forces side shall control only five islands in the territorial waters under the military control of the KPA side.
    Even in view of the international law, it is a common practice recognized by all countries to fix boundary lines on the principle of equidistance from the projecting parts of lands of both sides, their outer boundaries and their islands.
    The U.S. government also drew on a map the "imaginary line of territorial waters" of the DRKK south of the "northern limit line" asserted by the South Korean side now.
    Thirdly, the U.S. and the South Korean bellicose elements have been opposed to the proposal of the KPA side for scores of years to discuss and clearly fix the military demarcation line in the west sea because they have been well aware that the "northern limit line" is contrary to the law and does not stand to reason.
    At the 346th meeting of the military armistice commission in December 1973, at the 449th meeting in July 1989 and at general-level military talks in Panmunjom in August and September 1999 the KPA side noted that future clashes were unavoidable unless a clear Military Demarcation Line was drawn in the West Sea, repeatedly urging the U.S. side to take an immediate measure.
    In the wake of the recent incident in the West Sea the KPA side clarified that the issue can be solved only when the Military Demarcation Line in the sea is discussed and fixed. But the U.S. and the South Korean sides paid no heed to it, only keen on the smear campaign against the DPRK.
    The U.S. and the South Korean hawkish forces claimed that patrol boats of the KPA navy crossed the "northern limit line" and opened fire first. This only goes to prove that they perpetrated a premeditated provocation by illegally infiltrating their warships into the territorial waters of our side.
    The spokesman continued:
    The U.S. and South Korean warmongers are well advised to immediately stop the smear campaign against the DPRK and refrain from infiltrating armed vessels into our territorial waters.
    The KPA side is not opposed at all to the south side's request to salvage the recently sunken warship.
    However, the south side should inform the KPA side of the date and time of salvaging operation, ships and equipment to be involved, their operating waters and other details in advance to prevent unexpected new clashes during the operation as it has to be undertaken in the waters under the military control of the north side.
    If the U.S. and the South Korean authorities sincerely wish peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and seek ways for improved relations, they should not dance to the tune of hawkish forces but behave with discretion, facing up to the reality.

U.S. to blame for incident in West Sea

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- The United States can never evade the responsibility for the incident in the West Sea, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary. It goes on:
    The armed clash took place because the South Korean navy fired first hundreds of bullets and shells at the patrol boats of the navy of the Korean People's Army on routine patrol duty by intruding deep into the territorial waters of the north side.
    It is an absolutely far-fetched assertion to claim that the patrol boats of the navy of the KPA trespassed on the "northern limit line."
    The "northern limit line" is not mentioned in the armistice agreement at all. It is nothing but a bogus line unilaterally drawn by the u.s. as it pleased in the territorial waters of the DPRK side without any discussion with it since the conclusion of the agreement. It is well known to the world that the DPRK has never recognized it.
    The infiltration of several warships and many fishing boats deep into the territorial waters of the north side under the pretext of this illegal bogus line itself is a grave act of aggression.
    What is obvious is that the U.S., holding the prerogative of the Supreme Command over the South Korean Army, might know about the intrusion of the South Korean warships into the territorial waters of the north side and their provocation. The U.S., therefore, can never flee from its responsibility for this incident.
    The U.S. is much upset by the situation where the anti-U.S. sentiment is growing stronger than ever before among the South Korean people and they are becoming increasing assertive for the withdrawal of the U.S. Forces from South Korea. This required the U.S. to orchestrate a shocking case. It is beyond doubt that the U.S. warmongers carefully dreamed up the incident in a bid to put the brake on the process of improving the north-south relations and impair the international prestige of the DPRK.
    It is the DPRK's exercise of sovereign right and the fixed will of the people's army and people of Korea to take a strong self-defensive counter-measure by all means against anyone infringing upon its sovereignty. The DPRK will strongly retaliate against any infringement upon its sovereignty.

Letter to Kim Jong Il from NDFSK CC

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- The central committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea sent a letter to General Secretary Kim Jong Il on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of President Kim Il Sung's demise. The letter said:
    The past 8 years have been the days when all the fellow countrymen and humankind more keenly felt what a peerlessly great man they upheld as the leader and the father, and the historical days during which his idea and leadership have been given a continuity together with Juche Korea.
    The 80 odd year-long life of the president was a sacred life of a great man born of heaven, who glorified a bright life as a great thinker, politician, revolutionary and man and performed immortal feats for carving out the destiny of the nation and achieving the human cause of independence in the annals of the 20th century.
    Referring to his feats performed in founding the immortal Juche idea to open a new era of the development of the human history, the era of independence, and building a powerful socialist nation, independent, self-supporting and self-reliant in national defence, in the homeland, the letter continued:
    The president perfectly solved the issue of carrying forward the revolutionary cause to provide a decisive guarantee for the final completion of the cause of Juche and the eternal prosperity of Kim Il Sung's nation, which is arousing the highest praise and admiration from among all people.
    Thanks to you, the president's revolutionary cause has been brilliantly carried forward and developed and his revolutionary history continues century after century.
    You have founded the original mode of the army-based politics and embodied it, thus defending the destiny and dignity of the nation and peace on the Korean Peninsula and opening up the bright future of the country and the nation.
    The successful realization of the cause of perpetuating the memory of the leader and many miracles and events in the building of a powerful socialist nation of Juche in the DPRK are entirely a great fruition of your noble loyalty, faith and obligation towards the president.
    The letter stressed that the NDFSK would spark off enthusiasm of the people from all walks of life for independent national reunification like a volcano under the uplifted banner of the June 15 joint declaration and carry out the instructions of the president for national reunification at any cost.

Japan hit for attempt for nuclear armament

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Japanese reactionaries should have a correct understanding of the trend of the times towards peace against war and act with discretion. Minju Joson says this in a signed commentary today. It goes on:
    The Nagasaki assemblymen's council, Japan, recently adopted a resolution for legislation of "three non-nuclear principles".
    This reflects the desire of the Japanese people for non-repetition of nuclear disaster.
    The Japanese reactionaries have accelerated nuclear armament for decades under the pretext of the "three non-nuclear principles".
    Japan has already possessed a large amount of plutonium which is enough to make thousands of nuclear weapons. It is not a secret that Japan's technologies of manufacturing nuclear weapons and developing means of their delivery are on the high level.
    The Japanese reactionaries are busy pushing ahead with joint researches and establishment of theatre missile defense system with the United States and seek to introduce nuclear and missile technologies in return for it before anybody else.
    This betrays their intention to realize the ambition for overseas expansion at any cost in reliance upon nuclear weapons.
    Their desperate efforts for nuclear armament and adoption of the "emergency legislation" with which to mobilize manpower and material resources are prompted by their intention to realize overseas expansion.
    They are seriously mistaken.
    Peace against war and nukes is an international trend of the times.
    Those who swim against the trend of the times will be bound to meet destruction.

KCNA on Japan's hostile attitude toward DPRK

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- According to Mainichi Shimbun, the foreign affairs research council of the Liberal-Democratic Party and the director of the defence bureau of the Defence Agency of Japan described the recent armed clash in the West Sea of Korea as an "organized and premeditated action of North Korea" in a bid to shift the blame for it on to the DPRK. And they went the length of slandering its political system. Such behaviour can never be tolerated as it is a continuation of the persistent anti-DPRK hostile moves taken by the Japanese reactionaries to tarnish the image of the peaceloving DPRK and isolate and stifle it when ever an opportunity presents itself.
    In fact, they have no ground to talk anything about the recent incident, and it is impertinent for them to poke their nose into the case without knowing its origin and circumstances.
    As already clarified by the DPRK, the incident occurred when the South Korean Army under the U.S. manipulation intruded into the territorial waters of the north side and fired first at patrol boats of the navy of the Korean People's Army on routine coastal guard duty. It was an entirely deliberate and premeditated military provocation made by the South Korean military.
    The United States and the South Korean right-wing conservatives are now misleading public opinion over the incident, talking about "provocation by the north side" and "violation of the armistice agreement" and calling for a "war".
    However, the truth behind the case is becoming clear with the passage of time.
    Fishermen on Yonphyong islet and soldiers of the South Korean Army who got wounded in the incident testified to the fact that it was triggered off by the South Korean Army. Accordingly, voices calling the South Korean side to account for the incident are growing stronger.
    Ignoring such hard facts, the Japanese reactionaries are only echoing the groundless arguments made by the U.S. and the South Korean right-wing conservatives so as to distort the truth of the incident.
    The U.S. and the South Korean right-wing conservatives are working hard to spoil the atmosphere for inter-Korean reconciliation arranged with much efforts, incite confrontation between the fellow countrymen, deliberately strain the military situation on the Korean Peninsula and find a pretext for an invasion of the DPRK.
    Taking advantage of their plots, Japan seeks to fish in troubled waters. This shows how sinister and wicked Japan is.
    What is more intolerable is the fact that the foreign affairs research council of the LDP dared vilify even the political system of the independent and dignified DPRK.
    The Japanese reactionaries took issue with its political system over the incident, which glaringly reveals what they seek in their smear campaign.
    Japan should not resort to such third-rate trick but change its hostile policy toward the DPRK as soon as possible.

Kaesong Koryo hot pepper paste

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Bean paste is one of the basic foodstuffs peculiar to the Koreans. Among them, Kaesong Koryo hot pepper paste has peculiar taste and flavour.
    Red black hot pepper paste is very popular on domestic and foreign markets.
    It is served to go with rice and used for preparing soysauce mixed with vinegar. It is good for seasoning various dishes.
    Main ingredients of this hot pepper paste are soybean malt, glutinous rice, rice, barley, pulverized red pepper, salt and a variety of spices.
    In order to obtain soybean malt it is necessary to boil soybean and mash it to get its loaves and keep them in a cool, dry and shady place for their fermentation.
    It can be classified into sesame hot pepper paste, meat hot pepper paste, oil hot pepper paste and Korean pepper bush paste according to its processing methods.
    There is a factory in Kaesong which specializes in producing Koryo hot pepper paste.

Korean Koryo Medicine Technical Center

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- The Korean Koryo Medicine Technical Center produced more than 100 kinds of new tonic foodstuff with Insam, the root bark of various araliaceous shrubs, faggot, chemical compounds of selenium, etc. The center newly standardized the Koryo medicines of at least 1,000 kinds and tonic foodstuff of over 60 kinds in recent years.
    Situated in Pothonggang district, Pyongyang, it serves as a center for dissemination of science and technology for the production of Koryo medicines and tonic foodstuff and examination of them in the country.
    The centre has research rooms for Koryo medicines, pharmacology and biological medicines and an intermediary pilot plant, etc.
    The intermediary pilot plant is equipped with more than 160 modern facilities for experiment, measurement, production and photographing.
    It conducts researches into new medicines and produces first-aid medicines and ryongmyogusimdan, sahyangmyo injection, ryongmyoangunguhwanghwan, and other remedies effective for the treatment of cardiovascular system disorders. Those medicines are popular on foreign markets.
    The center is also conducting brisk exchanges with international organizations including the who and the UN population fund and Russia, China and other countries.

Anecdotes about President Kim Il Sung

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- One day in January, Juche 38 (1949), premier Kim Il Sung suddenly told his chauffeur to stop the car on his way back from his field guidance to South Phyongan Province. He proposed to go back to the peasant's house he had visited in the daytime. Saying he was reluctant to leave without seeing him again as his family seemed to be the poorest in the village. With what great regret he would say even the premier told him outside without entering his house as it looked so shabby, he added. so, the car went back to the village. The premier spent the night in his house and even had a breakfast with him without reserve.
    It happened in September, Juche 79 (1990) when President Kim Il Sung visited china while the banquet was under way.
    Kim Il Sung told General Secretary Jiang Zemin that one official was a quite familiar face.
    Jiang introduced to the president the official as the deputy director of the general office of the Communist Party of China.
    Searching his memory, the president said with a smile on his face in a moment that he was a stenographer. Then the president called the official and asked if he participated in the talks with Mao Zedong as a stenographer.
    He told the president that he participated in the talks as a stenographer in 1963. the president said it was not 1963 but 1964 and he saw the stenographer sitting at one corner of the conference hall. The president recollected with deep emotion that a stenographer at that time grew up to be a cadre.
    The president dropped in at a new modern dwelling house in the Saenal agricultural co-operative (at that time) in Sinchon county, South Hwanghae Province, in the evening of January 25, Juche 47 (1958.).
    He looked round inside and outside of the house, asking if its floor was heated and it was not cold in the room.
    Acquainting himself with everything, he told officials to spend the night in the house not yet occupied.
    He had a supper at the disordered new house lately and went to bed after talking with officials of the county and the cooperative for hours.
    Next morning he instructed the officials to build many cultural houses of the same style for farmers, saying he found during the night its structure was good and the fire burning well and felt no wind coming in.

S. Korean people's struggle supported

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Juan Carretero Ibanes, secretary general of the Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America, issued a statement on June 15 supporting the national democratic front of South Korea and the South Korean people in their struggle on the occasion of the 2nd anniversary of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration. The statement said that the joint declaration is fully supported by all the Korean people and the world progressives as it serves as a historic landmark for Korea's reunification.
    The anti-reunification policy and war provocation moves of the U.S. administration are main obstacles to peace, stability and independent reunification of the Korean Peninsula, the statement added, demanding the U.S. refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Korea and immediately pull its troops out of South Korea.
    The NDFSK and the South Korean people will surely win in their struggle for the implementation of the joint declaration, reunification of the country and the national sovereignty as they are led by Kim Jong Il, it stressed.

African Summit hailed

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Minju Joson today carries an editorial as regards the first summit of heads of state and government of the African Union due in Durban of South Africa. The summit will discuss urgent issues for peace, stability, integration, unity, prosperity and development of the continent in the new century, the editorial says, and goes on:
    The African people work hard to solve all problems and realize unified development of the continent on their own efforts in conformity with the changed circumstances in the new century.
    African countries set up several regional organizations including the Southern African Development Community and the Eastern African Community to cooperate in political, economic, cultural, military and other fields. The efforts prove successful in the continental integration and development.
    The Korean people speak highly of the African people's efforts for unified continental development and are sincerely pleased at them.
    The history of the African people's struggle for the continental prosperity and development is associated with efforts and the immortal exploits of President Kim Il Sung.
    The traditional friendly relations between the DPRK and African countries are developing under the special concern of leader Kim Jong Il.
    The DPRK hopes that the summit will successfully discuss all the raised issues and yield good results.

Removal of Macarthur's statue urged in S. Korea

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- The South Korean people are strongly demanding the removal of the statue of Macarthur, former commander of the "UN Forces". This is a manifestation of the will of the nation to restore its dignity damaged by the U.S. Minju Joson says this in a signed commentary today.
    It goes on:
    Macarthur was one of those who caused the division of the Korean nation and inflicted a war holocaust upon it for three years.
    His crimes committed against the Korean nation are too big to make a compensation for them.
    It is an intolerable national disgrace that the statue of Macarthur, the sworn enemy of the Korean nation, remains standing in South Korea till now.
    His statue clearly proves that the u.s. imperialists are the real ruler of South Korea and the latter is under the former's domination and subjugation.
    The Korean nation who has displayed courage in the struggle against foreign invaders and inherited the resourceful patriotic traditions can no longer remain a passive onlooker to such disgrace of the nation.
    It is quite natural that the South Korean people are demanding the removal of the statue of Macarthur because when they were freed from the colonial rule of the Japanese imperialists, he put them under the U.S. colonial yoke.
    There is no room in this land for his dirty statue to remain standing.

Greetings to African Summit

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, today sent a message of greetings to the first meeting of heads of state and government of the African Union. The message said that the summit, the first of its kind since the proclamation of the African Union, will mark a historic event in taking decisive measures to solve disputes and other regional problems by the concerted efforts of the African countries and jointly meet global challenges and thus achieve the unity and progress of the continent.
    The DPRK government and people highly estimate the great success made by the African countries in the efforts for lasting peace and common progress of the region and extend full support and firm solidarity to the just cause of the African people to build new Africa, independent, peaceful and prosperous, it noted.
    The message sincerely hoped that the summit would successfully discuss all the issues on the agenda in conformity with the aspiration and demand of all the African people and yield good results.

Greetings to Governor-General of Bahamas

Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, yesterday sent a congratulatory message of greetings to Dame Ivy Dumont, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The message extended warm congratulations to the governor-general and government and people of Bahamas on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of its independence.
Expressing belief that the friendly relations between the two countries would grow stronger, it wished the people progress and prosperity.

Greetings to Chairman of African Union

    Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, today sent a message of greetings to Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, president of the republic of South Africa and chairman of the African Union. The message extended warm congratulations to him on his election as first chairman of the union at the first meeting of heads of state and government of the African Union now under way amidst world attention.
    The Korean people are rejoiced over the fact that the African Union was formally inaugurated at the recent summit, providing a reliable guarantee for further raising the position of the African Continent on the international arena and achieving regional peace and common prosperity by its concerted efforts, the message said.
    It highly praised South Africa for advancing new proposals for continental peace and prosperity and exerting efforts for their materialization and taking an active part in mediating a peaceful settlement of disputes. The message extended full support to it.
    Expressing belief that the union will fully tap and use its huge potentials and abundant natural resources and make a great contribution to achieving regional peace and stability and common progress and prosperity, the message sincerely wished him good success in his responsible work for the strengthening and the development of the union.