Anniversary of Kim Jong Il's Russian visit observed
Pyongyang, August 10 (KCNA) -- The United States should honestly honour its commitments and duties as the party chiefly responsible for the Korean issue. It should definitely drop its anachronistic anti-DPRK policy and stop doing anything obstructive to the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea. We do not want to regard the U.S. as our sworn enemy but hope to see improved DPRK-U.S. relations. This is a clear stand of General Secretary Kim Jong Il of the DPRK, said the Russian newspaper Pravda in an article observing the 1st anniversary of his Russian visit.
It is pointed out in the Russia-DPRK Moscow declaration that the DPRK's missile plan is of peaceful nature and it, therefore, does not pose a threat to any country that respects the sovereignty of the DPRK.
The declaration also says that the U.S. troops' withdrawal from South Korea is an urgent issue in ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in northeast Asia.
The U.S. made a negative response to the peaceful initiatives for the Korean Peninsula and the rest of Asia taken in Moscow.
U.S. President Bush in his belligerent speech included the DPRK in an "axis of evil."
His reckless remarks came as a shock to many politicians and evoked resentment among the Korean people.
For nearly half a century since the ceasefire in Korea the DPRK has advocated national reunification based on the principle of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity as its main target.
Kim Jong Il said that the military confrontation between the north and south of Korea may spark only distrust and misunderstanding between Koreans, cause them not to trust and get reconciled with each other, increase the tensions and bring a holocaust to the Korean nation.
If the south Korean authorities make a positive change in practice to meet the expectation of the whole nation away from their policy of confrontation against the nation and reunification in the future, we will open-heartedly negotiate with them any time on the issue of the nation's destiny and work for national reunification together with them, he noted, adding that the countries concerned should respect the sovereignty of our nation and its will for reunification and positively cooperate with it in solving the issue of national reunification independently and peacefully.
Int'l table-tennis tournament held
Pyongyang, August 10 (KCNA) -- The 16th Pyongyang International Table-Tennis Tournament was held at the table-tennis gymnasium in Chongchun Street from August 5 to 9.
The tournament brought together teams from China, Japan, Thailand and the DPRK teams a and b.
In the men's and women's team events the Chinese team took the first place while the teams of the DPRK a and b each placed second and third.
In men's singles Chinese paddler Yang Xiaofu came first and in the women's singles Chinese paddler Wang Shan placed first.
In men's doubles DPRK paddlers Pak Won Chol and Kim Song Chol came first while DPRK players Kim Hyon Hui and Kim Hyang Mi placed first in women's doubles.
In the mixed doubles DPRK players Pak Won Chol and Kim Hyang Mi came first.
S. Korean public angered by U.S. Forces' refusal to transfer jurisdiction
Pyongyang, August 10 (KCNA) -- The U.S. Forces in an official document addressed to the south Korean ministry of justice on August 7 once again refused to transfer jurisdiction over killers of schoolgirls to south Korea, according to a news report.
They asserted that they could not transfer the criminal jurisdiction as there was no precedence of transferring jurisdiction over an accident that happened when soldiers were on duty.
This arrogant behavior has touched off bitterer wrath from among the south Koreans from all walks of life.
The All-People Measure Committee for Schoolgirls Sin Hyo Sun and Sim Mi Son Killed By the U.S. Armored Car called a press conference near the U.S. embassy that day and issued a statement.
The statement expressed the south Koreans' resolution to carry on the struggle till bush has apologized to the bereaved families and all other people after thoroughly probing the truth and punishing the murderers.
The south Korean consultative council of students' associations and several other organizations also issued statements urging the U.S. Forces to give up the criminal jurisdiction.
Anti-Ri Hoe Chang struggle declared in S. Korea
Pyongyang, August 10 (KCNA) -- The Seoul District Federation of University Student Councils reportedly called a press conference at Yonsei University on Wednesday at which it declared that it would launch students' struggle to stop Ri Hoe Chang from running for the presidency.
A declaration of students calling for a struggle to stop Ri Hoe Chang, who has disturbed the implementation of the June 15 joint declaration and engaged himself in irregularities and corruption, from running for the presidency was issued at the press conference on behalf of the headquarters for anti-Ri Hoe Chang struggle of the federation.
A press release read out at the conference said that a struggle should be launched against Ri because he is an anti-reunification element who did not bother to let loose reckless remarks against the joint declaration and, not content with that, undisguisedly stood against national reunification when he cried out for its abrogation shortly ago.
It also charged that Ri, utterly indifferent to the nation's destiny, does not hesitate to support the U.S. war moves while begging for the permanent presence of its troops in south Korea, adding: we are opposed to Ri's running for the presidency because if he is allowed to take presidential office, the nation can never escape from a war holocaust, much less achieving reunification.
We are opposed to Ri also because he is keen to turn back the history while insisting on the preservation of the security law and the definition of "principal enemy", leftovers of the Cold War era, ever in this 21st century and, moreover, he is the kingpin of irregularities and corruption, noted the press release.
Greetings to Chadian President
Pyongyang, August 10 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, today sent a message of greetings to Idris Deby, President and head of state of the Republic of Chad, on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of its independence.
Expressing belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would continue to develop favorably, the message wished the president, the government and the people of Chad greater success in their work for stability and prosperity of the country.
NRC spokesman on Aug. 15 inter-Korean functions
Pyongyang, August 10 (KCNA) -- The August 15 joint functions for national reunification this year will fully demonstrate the Korean people's will to foil the vicious moves of the outside and anti-reunification forces and achieve national reunification by their concerted efforts, said a spokesman for the national reconciliation council when interviewed by KCNA on Saturday as regards the meeting for national reunification due in Seoul on the occasion of Aug. 15.
He went on:
The meeting for national reunification is of weighty significance in the development of the movement for reunification as it is the first of its kind to be jointly held by the north and the south in Seoul in the history of national division.
Many north Koreans are expected to go to Seoul to attend Aug. 15 functions. They are the envoys for national reunification to be sent by General Secretary Kim Jong Il in return for the visits paid so far by reunification movement organizations in south Korea to Pyongyang to attend functions held here, taking their repeated requests for the dispatch into consideration.
This will provide an opportunity of satisfactorily keeping the promise made by reunification movement organizations in the north and the south during the August 15 grand festival for national reunification held in Pyongyang last year to have the august 15 functions for reunification in Seoul this year.