Talks held between Kim Yong Nam and Mustafa al Kharoubi
Tarabulus, July 15 (KCNA correspondent) -- Talks between Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, and Major General Mustafa al Kharoubi, member of the historical leadership of the Great September 1 Revolution of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, were held in Tarabulus on July 15.
Present there from the DPRK side were Paek Nam Sun, foreign minister, Ri Kwang Gun, minister of foreign trade, and other suite members and from the Libyan side were Embarek Abdullah al Shamikh, secretary of the General People's Committee, and Abdulrahman Mohamed Shalgham, secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Relation and International Co-operation.
The talks took place in a friendly atmosphere.
Message of sympathy to Chinese President
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the presidium of the DPRK supreme people's assembly, sent a message of sympathy to Chinese president Jiang Zemin on July 15.
The message said:
Upon hearing the sad news that many areas of china suffered huge human and material losses due to flood, I extend profound sympathy and consolation to you and, through you, to the Chinese government and the people in the afflicted areas.
I sincerely hope that the communist party and the government headed by you and the people of China will eradicate the aftermath of the flood damage at an early date and achieve greater success in the drive to modernize the country.
Russian foreign minister to visit DPRK
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov, foreign minister of the Russian Federation, will soon visit the DPRK at the invitation of its government.
International women handball tournament held
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- The Pyongyang international women handball tournament was held in a round robin at the Handball Gymnasium in Chongchun Street, Pyongyang, from July 10 to 15.
Participating in the tournament were teams from China, Spain and Hong Kong (china) and teams A and B from the DPRK.
The gold, silver and bronze medals were snatched by teams A and B of the DPRK and the Chinese team respectively.
KCNA on Japan's participation in "Rimpac"
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- The U.S.-led "Rimpac-2002" multinational joint maneuver, the biggest annual naval exercise in Asia, is drawing serious attention of the international community for Japan's projected action.
What should not be overlooked is the fact that several destroyers including Aegis destroyer "Kirishimamaru" of the Japanese maritime "Self-Defence Force" participating in the joint maneuver fired even interceptor missiles to show off its muscle.
Japan wanted to make demonstration missile fire before the world.
The fire of missiles from the Hinomaru-flagged warships cannot but arouse deep concern among the people of Asia and the rest of the world.
Japan, which has painted itself as a "peace-loving state" pursuing an "exclusively defensive policy," has participated in the "Rimpac" for the 12th time. Japan's claim that its participation in the maneuver "contributes to the security of Asia" is sheer sophism.
Japan launched military aggression under the pretext of "liberating Asian countries from the rule of the whites." Seized by its wild ambition for the "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere," it invaded the Asian countries to exploit and plunder them in the past. It is the height of folly and miscalculation if Japan thinks that the people of Asia and the rest of the world have forgotten Japan's crime-woven past for good.
Japan's ambition to dominate Asia remains unchanged and its moves to invade the DPRK have become evermore undisguised.
This is clearly evidenced by the fact that the Foreign Affairs Research Council of the Japan Liberal Democratic Party groundlessly pulled up the DPRK over the recent armed clash in the West Sea of Korea, describing it as an "organized and premeditated action on the part of North Korea" even before a probe was made into the truth behind the incident and Japan's Defense Agency chief approved the dispatch of a reconnaissance plane to strengthen the surveillance over the Korean Peninsula.
All facts go to clearly prove that the overseas dispatch of Japan's "SDF" is aimed at providing a springboard for the implementation of its policy of aggression and war, not for the "security" of Asia.
Japan's moves to dispatch the "SDF" overseas should be checked without fail as such moves are escalating the tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region and disturbing the global peace and security.
Japan's burlesque for "comfort women for army" under fire
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- The Japanese ruling quarters described their recent donation to the "Civilian Fund" for the compensation to the "comfort women for the army" as a gesture of doing something for former "comfort women for the army" out of sympathy with them.
In this regard Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary dismisses this as a maladroit and nasty burlesque.
It goes on:
The crimes related to the "comfort women for the army" are the biggest crimes against humanity in human history because the Japanese imperialists mobilized the army and police to force more than 200,000 women of Korea and other Asian countries into sexual slavery for the imperial army of Japan.
The Japanese government is playing a sleight of hand to evade its responsibility for making an apology and compensation, far from repenting of and admitting them though half a century has passed since Japan's defeat. This only lays bare Japan's moral vulgarity before the international community.
Their "donation" farce is an intolerable insult to the Asian people who suffered unspeakable disasters and damage due to the Japanese imperialists and a challenge to human conscience.
Japan can never shirk its responsibility to make an apology and compensation for its past crimes.
Japan's persistent efforts to evade the redress for its past crimes would only invite stronger criticism and denunciation from the world people.
If Japan wants to be trusted by the international community, it should boldly opt for apologizing and compensating for its past criminal aggression.
U.S. projected building of embassy and apartment house under fire
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- The participants in a rally in Seoul on July 11 urged the overall withdrawal of the U.S. embassy's plan to construct its building and apartment house at the site of the Deogsu palace.
The demand was made in a protest letter to the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, which was adopted at a rally of citizens urging the withdrawal of the plan.
The letter expressed indignation at the fact that in spite of the South Korean people's strong protest, the U.S. embassy has been pushing ahead with the plan for constructing a 15-storyed embassy building and an 8-storyed apartment house for its staff members, demanding the revision of the relevant law, and even made such remarks as distorting the history to justify the plan.
The rally was sponsored by the meeting of citizens opposing the construction of the U.S. embassy building and apartment house at the site of the Deogsu palace, which groups over 30 organizations. The meeting of solidarity expressed its will to conduct such functions as publication of a declaration of intellectuals and an open seminar of citizens in protest against the construction and continue staging demonstrations and people's signature campaign, with the rally as a momentum.
After the rally, the participants thrust the protest letter to the U.S. embassy.
KCNA blasts anti-DPRK diatribe
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- In South Korea traitor Ri Hoe Chang-led ultra-rightist conservatives and hawkish elements of the South Korean army are intensifying the anti-DPRK campaign, at the instigation of the U.S. belligerent forces, over the armed clash that took place in the West Sea of Korea on June 29.
It was well known that as soon as the incident occurred, the hard-line hawkish group of the U.S. administration described it as a "provocation" by the DPRK and a "violation of the Armistice Agreement" on July 2 before its truth was probed, in a bid to strain the situation on the Korean Peninsula again.
In response to such message of the U.S., the South Korean military announced "results of investigation into the exchange of fire in the West Sea" on July 7, in which it defined the incident as "a deliberate attack" made by the DPRK.
Regarding this as a golden chance to take a political initiative, the Ri Hoe Chang group frantically slandered the June 15 north-south joint declaration, a programme for the independent and peaceful reunification common to the nation, and asserted at the "National Assembly" that "even a war should not be ruled out."
All these frantic moves after the West Sea incident show for what and for whom the case was needed.
The developments go to prove that the recent incident was deliberately triggered off by the U.S. and the South Korean hawkish forces who dislike the improvement of relations between the DPRK and the U.S. and cooperation and exchange between the North and the South of Korea.
The U.S. war maniacs felt the need to establish their political and military domination over the Korean Peninsula, a strategic vantage in the Asia-Pacific region, and the Ri Hoe Chang group to take a political initiative in south Korea as a servant for the implementation of the U.S. world strategy for supremacy and thus gratify their greed for "power".
However, the anti-U.S. sentiment of the South Korean people and their desire for the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea were mounting higher than ever before.
The shock therapy that sprang to their minds was to invent a new incident intended to calm down such sentiment and desire.
The U.S. and the South Korean warlikers made careful preparations to do so. This is illustrated by their choice of the waters for a provocation which they describe as "Northern Limit Line".
The "Northern Limit Line" is a bogus line as it is not stipulated in the Korean Armistice Agreement, and it was drawn in disregard of the elementary requirements of the international law.
Well aware of this, the U.S. and the South Korean warlikers made a surprise preemptive attack on the patrol boats of the DPRK on a routine coastal guard duty in the waters, causing the exchange of fire. They lost no time to charge the North with "provocation".
The Ri Hoe Chang group, who volunteered to play a political servant of the U.S. hawkish forces, is resorting to such fin de siecle rowdyism as calling for "war". War is by no means a play of kids.
The group should be clearly mindful that if a war breaks out in this land again, those calling for "war" will be burnt to death in the flames kindled by themselves.
International signature campaign goes on
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- The international signature campaign is gaining momentum to support the June 15 inter-Korean joint declaration and demand an immediate withdrawal of the U.S. troops from South Korea.
The signature paper was signed on July 2 by chairman of the Liberal Party of Burundi Gaetan Nikobamye on behalf of over 32,000 party members, the general secretary of the People's United Party of Belize on behalf of 30,000 party members and general chairman Nurdin Purnomo and secretary general of the central leading council of the Diversity Unity Party of Indonesia.
This signature campaign has been launched on a worldwide scale according to an appeal of the International Liaison Committee for Reunification and Peace in Korea.
Kaesong Folk Hotel
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- There is a folk hotel of peculiar style in Kaesong, which was the capital of Koryo, the first unified state of Korea.
The hotel with some 120 beds provides people with services of Korean customs.
It covers more than 12,000 square meters and its floor space is some 5,000 square meters.
A stream is flanked by buildings with bed rooms in the east and by a restaurant, reception hall, shop, bookshop and other service facilities in the west.
Each building has two or three floor-heated rooms and a floor of Korean-style verandah. The room beside the entrance, drawing room and the main room are separated from each other.
The hotel serves the guests with thick chicken soup with Koryo insam, beef soap with rice, fried cake made with wheat flour and other Kaesong food.
Traditional architectural decoration in Korea
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- Painting buildings with diverse colors is a long-standing decoration peculiar to Korea.
Ancestors used to paint buildings with diverse colors and patterns. Mineral paints were first used to prevent the decay of wooden buildings due to rain, wind and moth.
The principle of painting the "upper part of a building green and its lower part red" was applied with a main emphasis on making the red color match the blue color.
Since the period of the Three Kingdoms, that is before the 7th century, there has been a well-regulated system in the decorative arrangement, the selection of patterns and colors. This has developed to be a more diverse and refined one.
Method of painting can be classified into most splendid, splendid and common color paintings according to required patterns and color arrangement.
The most splendid color painting involves complicated, refined and gorgeous decoration and pattern arrangement. This method was used in painting palaces and main buildings of temples. The Pogwang Temple in the area of the Simwon Temple in Pakchon and the Taeung Temple in the area of the Ryangchon Temple in Kowon can be cited as examples.
The second method is most common as it is neither too monotonous nor splendid.
This method was applied to the Ryongwang pavilion in Pyongyang, the Jewol Pavilion in Hamhung and the Kyongam Pavilion in Sariwon.
The last method is simple in pattern and color. This method was widely used in painting buildings related to feudalistic Confucianism as its doctrine called for "simplicity" at that time.
These methods of painting, a good heritage of the nation, are well preserved and being developed to suit the contemporary aesthetic taste in the DPRK.
It is well proved by the colorfully painted eaves of the roofs of the international friendship exhibition in mt. Myohyang that showcases the world people's praises of the great men.
Period of Arirang performance extended
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- More days are given to the Kim Il Sung Prize-winner mass gymnastic and artistic performance "Arirang" now under way at the may day stadium here.
As "Arirang" is getting more popular, the number of Korean and foreign spectators is on a steady increase with each passing day.
The number of spectators has been 10,000 more than the daily average since July 5. The preparatory committee for the "Arirang" performance is deluged with requests to extend the period of the performance.
Taking into consideration the ardent desire of the Korean people and servicemen to see the performance, Kim Jong Il saw to it that the period of performance was extended once again.
The performance had been watched by over 2.7 million servicemen, working people, school youth and children and foreigners from 50 odd countries as of July 10 since its premier was given in late April amid the keen interest of Koreans and foreigners.
Korean Myongsim Trade Company
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- The Korean Myongsim Trade Company has boosted the production of various kinds of honey good for health.
Manager Ri Tong Ho said the company produces honey very efficacious in medical treatment by making the best use of natural environment and plants in the country. He added that it is popular at home and abroad, as it is digestible and free from side effects.
The company collects honey from flowers of natural plants to process it into wild honey, acacia honey, buck wheat honey, honey from linden tree in Mt. Oga, etc.
Honey produced in different seasons is very efficacious for hepatocirrhosis, arteriosclerosis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, prostatic hyperplasia and other diseases.
The company produces hundreds of tons of honey every year at the bee-farming bases in northern inland areas including Jagang and Ryanggang Provinces and the suburbs of Pyongyang.
The company is situated in Sochon-dong, Sosong District, Pyongyang.
Tel : +850-2-3818115
Fax : +850-2-3814564 .
KEDO delegation arrives
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) today arrived by air to participate in the expert-level negotiations for the implementation of the agreement on the provision of light water reactors between the DPRK and the KEDO.
Gift to Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Il received a gift from the chairwoman of the party for peace and unity of Russia.
The gift was handed to an official concerned by visiting chairwoman Sazhi Umalatova.
Inter-sector talks held between DPRK and Libya
Tarabulus, July 15 (KCNA correspondent) -- Inter-sector talks between the DPRK and the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya were held in Tarabulus on July 14 and 15.
They were separately held between foreign minister Paek Nam Sun, minister of foreign trade Ri Kwang Gun, President of the academy of sciences Ri Kwang Ho, acting chairman of the committee for cultural relations with foreign countries Mun Jae Chol, vice minister of public health Choe Chang Sik from the DPRK side and secretary of foreign affairs of the general people's congress Suleiman Sasi Ash-shahumi, secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Relation and International Co-operation (GPCFRIC) Abdulrahman Mohamed Shalgham, secretary of finance Al-ojaili Abdul-salam Barini, the secretary of the general department for the scientific researches of general people's committee, deputy secretary in charge of information and culture of the secretariat of foreign relation and international cooperation Hasouna Al Shawish and the general director of health service department from the Libyan side.
At the talks both sides had a frank exchange of views on the issue of boosting the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries in the new century and on the issues of mutual concern and reached a consensus of views on the matters discussed.
The talks proceeded in a friendly atomosphere.
Agreements, plan signed betwiin DPRK and Libya
Tarabulus, July 16 (KCNA correspondent) -- An agreement on the promotion and protection of investment, an agreement on the scientific and technological cooperation and a plan for the Juche 91-93 (2002-2004) information and cultural agreement were signed here tuesday between the goverment of the Democratic People's Republic of Kora and the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya .
Present at the ceremonies from the DPRK side were foreign minister Paek Nam Sun, minister of foreign trade Ri Kwang Gun, President of the academy of sciences Ri Kwang Ho, acting chairman of the committee for cultural relations with foreign countries Mun Jae Chol and others, and on the opposite side were secretary of the general peoples' committee for foreign relation and international co-operation Abdulrahman Mohamed Shalgham, secretary of finance Al-ojaili Abdul-salam Barini and officials concerned.
The documents were signed by mjinister of foreign trade Ri Kwang Gun, president of the academy of sciences Ri Kwang Ho, acting-chairman of the Korean committee for cultural relations with foreign countries Mun Jae Chol upon authorization by the DPRK goverment. they were also signed by secretary of finance Al-ojaili Abdul-salam Barini of the general people's committ, the secretary ofthe general department for the scientific reserches of the general people's committee, and deputy secretary in charge of information and culture of the secretariat of foreign relation and international cooperation Hasouna Al Shawish,authorized by the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
Kim Yong Nam leaves Tarabulus
Tarabulus, July 16 (KCNA correspondent) -- Kim Yong nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, left Tarabulus today by a special plane after successfully wrapping up his official goodwill visit to the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
He and his party were seen off at the airaport by major general Mustafa Al Kharoubi, member of the historical leadership of the Great September 1 Revolution of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Gais Ibrahim, general coordinator of the social peoples' leadership, secretary of foreign affairs of the general people's congress Auleiman Sasi Ash-Shhumi, secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Relation and International Co-operation Abdulrahman Mohamed Shalgham, secretary of the people's bureau of Libya to the DPRK Ahmed Amer Al Muakkaf and other senior officials, DPRK diplomatic envoys of various countries.
A farewell function took place at the airport.
the plane left Tarabulus at noon.