Kim Jong Il's thanks to builders of power station
Pyongyang, August 7 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il sent a message of thanks to the builders and helpers who have performed great feats in the construction of Kumjingang Youth Power Station no. 6 in Jongphyong county, South Hamgyong Province.
Officials, members of the youth shock brigade and people in the county set themselves a bold and high goal of building large-scale dam and power station on the River Kumjin by their own efforts in the period of the "arduous march" and the forced march. To hit this target, they braved difficulties in the revolutionary spirit of soldiers and finished the project equivalent to the construction of a big power station in a few years.
Recalling the facts, the message said that the completion of the power station has turned the River Kumjin, which had often brought disasters in the past, into a river of happiness, helping protect people's lives and properties and thousands of hectares of farmlands in Sinsang area from drought and flood damage. It has also made it possible to put the production of local industrial factories in the county on a normal basis and improve the people's living, it added.
In the message Kim Jong Il highly praised the builders and helpers for having successfully built the dam and power station as monumental edifices in the era of the Workers' Party and expressed the firm belief that they would achieve greater success in carrying out their revolutionary duty to live up to the party's expectation and trust.
Construction of Kumjingang Dam and power station completed
Pyongyang, August 7 (KCNA) -- The construction of Kumjingang Dam and Kumjingang Youth Power Station no. 6 has been completed.
It makes it possible to protect people's lives and properties and arable land from drought and flood damage, ensure stable farming and better conditions of people's living.
During the project the builders carried out the work of filling several million cubic meters of earth and stones, the concrete tamping of over 10,000 cubic metres to successfully build a spillway, water inlet, generator room and waterway tunnels.
They also finished 10 odd km-long road and waterway projects and placed an excursion boat Kumjingang-1 in service on the reservoir.
A tape-cutting ceremony was held on the spot on Monday.
General Secretary Kim Jong Il's message of thanks to the builders and helpers was conveyed at the ceremony.
Present at the ceremony were Han Pong Chun, Minister of Power and Coal Industries, Ri Thae Nam, chief secretary of the South Hamgyong Provincial Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Phung Gi, chairman of the South Hamgyong Provincial People's Committee, and others.
Cuban embassy officials visit Kwail county
Pyongyang, August 7 (KCNA) -- Violeta Goodridge Culzac, Cuban charge d'affaires ad interim here, and embassy officials visited Kwail county yesterday in the month of solidarity with the Cuban people.
This county of South Hwanghae Province on the west coast of Korea is well known as the nation's leading fruit producer.
The guests were deeply impressed to see a vast expanse of orchards of the Pukchang honored with the field guidance of General Secretary Kim Jong Il and Songgok farms.
At the end of the visit, the Cuban charge d'affaires said that the county was the historic place which President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il visited several times and that this fact alone clearly told how deeply they were concerned for the people's living.
She hoped that the agricultural workers there would harvest rich fruits under the leadership of Kim Jong Il.
Report on general officer-level talks between KPA side and U.S. Forces' side
Pyongyang, August 7 (KCNA) -- A report on the general officer-level talks in Panmunjom was released today.
It says:
The general officer-level talks between the Korean People's Army side and the U.S. Forces' side were held in Panmunjom on Tuesday.
At the talks the KPA side positively estimated the "UN Forces'" side for having informed in advance the former side of the issue related to the salvage of the sunken warship of the south Korean army during the armed clash in the West Sea.
At the talks both sides discussed specific issues of providing against any unnecessary tensions between the two sides during the forthcoming operation to salvage the warship and the issue of agreeing upon and fixing a clear west sea border in future.
The talks took place in a sincere atmosphere.
Pyongyang Catfish Farm built
Pyongyang, August 7 (KCNA) -- A modern catfish farm was built in the southern part of Pyongyang.
With a plottage of nearly 100,000 square metres, the farm has production buildings and annexes, the total floor space of which is over 12,200 square metres.
In the farm there are more than 100 outdoor breeding ponds and four buildings which have 30 odd indoor round ponds. The farm is equipped with all facilities to put on a scientific and intensive basis the catfish production from hatching to fry culture, fattening of catfish and breeding.
The ponds have a cycling system for providing fresh air and hot water all the time.
The farm has also processing facilities and grounds for producing animal protein feed by itself.
Its annual production capacity is thousands of tons.
Russian charge d'affaires hosts reception
Pyongyang, August 7 (KCNA) -- Russian charge d'affaires ad interim Oleg Dabydov hosted a reception at the embassy on Tuesday evening on the occasion of the first anniversary of General Secretary Kim Jong Il's visit to the Russian Federation.
Addressing the reception, he said that Kim Jong Il's Russia visit gave a strong impetus to strengthening political dialogue between Russia and the DPRK and greatly contributed to boosting ties-up and exchanges in economic, cultural, scientific and technological and other fields between the two countries.
Recalling that the agreements and joint declarations signed in Pyongyang and Moscow are being successfully implemented, he said that it is a fruition under the deep concern of President Putin and Kim Jong Il.
The Russian people wish the Korean people fresh success in their struggle to build a powerful nation under the wise guidance of Kim Jong Il, he said, hoping that the Korean people would achieve the independent and peaceful reunification of the country, the cherished desire of the nation, at an early date.
Yon Hyong Muk, member of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, said that Kim Jong Il's visit to the Russian Federation in august last year was a historic event of weighty significance in further deepening the friendly relations between the leaders of the two countries and consolidating the traditional DPRK-Russia relations.
The positive development of DPRK-Russia relations entirely conforms with the desire, wish and fundamental interests of the two peoples and exerts positive influence upon ensuring peace and security in northeast Asia and the rest of the world, he said, expressing his belief that the bilateral relations would be expanded by the joint efforts of both sides.
Prior to the reception the participants saw a Korean documentary film showing Kim Jong Il's historic visit to the Russian Federation.
Present on invitation were vice-premier of the cabinet Jo Chang Dok, president of the Academy of Sciences Ri Kwang Ho, first vice-minister of foreign affairs Kang Sok Ju, and officials concerned. Staff members of the Russian embassy were present.
Arkadi Lavrov, consul general of the Russian Federation in Chongjin, also hosted a reception Monday evening on the same occasion.
Anecdotes about Kim Il Sung
Pyongyang, August 7 (KCNA) -- It happened on September 12, Juche 51 (1962) when President Kim Il Sung gave field guidance to Hamhung city. He climbed Mt. Tonghung together with officials and proposed to build a zoo there.
As regards officials' earlier recommendation to build a zoo in Kwijusa valley, the president said that if the zoo is built far from the city, it is inconvenient for people to visit the zoo. As Mt. Tonghung is towering in the city of Hamhung, why should the zoo be built in a place far away from the city? He asked.
Saying to them it was very good to build the zoo here in many aspects by taking those favorable conditions into account, he taught concrete orientation and ways of construction.
Later he sent many animals including rare leatherback to the zoo.
The Hamhung zoo is a pleasure ground for the people built in the site chosen by him.
He visited a village in Kangdong county, South Phyongan Province (at that time) in a summer day of a year when the Fatherland Liberation War was at its height. There he learned that pupils were studying in a classroom in a remote mountain village as there was no school there.
Instructing officials to build a school by taking into good account labor force, building materials and transport means, he proposed to choose its site in a sunny and safe place and build floor-heated rooms so that pupils might not feel cold in winter.
At a time when even a combatant was badly needed on the front where hard-fought battles were going on, many soldiers of the people's army were engaged in the construction of the school and military trucks transported building materials instead of running to the front.
It was under this deep care of the president that the school appeared at the foot of the mountain overgrown with chestnut trees and schoolchildren in the village could study in the sunny classrooms.
Korea rich in plant resources
Pyongyang, August 7 (KCNA) -- Korea is abundant in plants and their species.
Most of the species of plants on the earth inhabit in Korea, their number totalling about 9,600.
Korea has a long history of formation of forests and its natural and geographical conditions are favorable to the growth of the plants because the country was less affected by the glacial age.
Particularly, it abounds in plant resources of economic value, including the plants for timber, fibre, medicine, oil, aroma, wild vegetables, fodder, apiculture and horticulture. Their species amount to more than 2,000.
Korea is one of the regions where the persimmon, pear, peach, apricot, plum, jujube, chestnut, mulberry, paper mulberry, Chinese matrimony trees, bean, millet, red bean, garlic, insam (ginseng), angelica gigas, etc. have their origin.
It is also famous in the world for its abundance in such oil trees as beech, gingko and miricaceae trees.
Over 800 species of indigenous plants and their variants add to the richness of the nation's plant resources.
The rich forest resources have been cultivated favorably to the development of the nation's economy and people's living.
The forests of economic plants such as walnut, persimmon, evodia daniellii benn, juglans cordiformis and pine-nut trees, the grasslands and medical plant fields have rapidly expanded, helping toward nature conservation.
Koreans called upon to hold aloft banner of national independence
Pyongyang, August 7 (KCNA) -- Only when the Koreans hold aloft the banner of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, the banner of national independence, can they meet the challenge of the separatist forces and successfully achieve national reunification, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
It goes on:
It is the actual requirement of the movement for national reunification to hold aloft the banner of the declaration.
The present reality indicates that as long as the united states pursues its policy of aggression towards the DPRK it is impossible to expect any progress in the movement for national reunification and it will only bring confrontation and war to this land. Only when the Koreans advance under the uplifted banner of the June 15 joint declaration can they join hands with each other and usher in an era of reunification.
Only by holding aloft the banner of national independence, can the Koreans defend the peace of the country and the security of the nation.
The U.S. imperialist hawkish forces are busy with preparations for a war against the DPRK after declaring a "nuclear preemptive attack" as a policy and singling the DPRK out as its target.
It is clear what consequences will be entailed when the U.S. imperialists' moves to invade the DPRK are left unchecked.
It is possible to prevent a new war and create a peaceful environment for national reunification only when the whole nation unites in the spirit of the June 15 joint declaration to decisively shatter the U.S. imperialists' moves for a war and vigorously carry on the anti-U.S. and anti-war struggle.
Ground concrete tamping for LWR starts
Kumho, August 7 (KCNA) -- Ground concrete tamping started for the construction of light water reactor to be provided by the United States to the DPRK under the DPRK-U.S. agreed framework.
A ceremony of starting the work took place at the Kumho area construction site Wednesday.
Present there were Charles Kartman, executive director of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), and KEDO executive board member ambassadors.
Officials concerned of the DPRK were present on invitation.
The executive director and the ambassadors made speeches at the ceremony. Then the ground concrete tamping started.
Report on talks between DPRK, Japan Red Cross organizations
Pyongyang, August 7 (KCNA) -- A report on the talks between the Red Cross organizations of the DPRK and Japan was released.
According to it, the DPRK Red Cross Society and the Japan Red Cross agreed to hold the talks in Pyongyang on August 18 and 19.
The talks will take up the issue of investigating the missing persons, the issue of hometown-visiting of Japanese women in the DPRK and other humanitarian issues.
Compensation to A-bomb victims urged
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- The Korean Association of A-Bomb Victims for Anti-Nuclear Peace demands that the United States make due compensation to all A-bomb victims including Koreans and that the Japanese government make an immediate apology and compensation to A-bomb victims in the DPRK on the basis of impartiality.
This stand was clarified in a statement released by Ju Song Un, chairman of the association, on Monday, 57 years after A-bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki of Japan.
The chairman said that the U.S. should apologize to the whole world for using such weapons of mass destruction as A-bombs against humankind, stop threatening other countries and nations with nuclear weapons and promptly give up the development of new-type nukes now under way.
Japan should demonstrate its will for nuclear disarmament and elimination of nukes and its government should not distinguish between Japanese and Koreans but ensure impartiality in aiding A-bomb victims, he said, adding:
It should make a full compensation to the families of those victims who died already in the DPRK.