Koreans deeply impressed by Kim Jong Il's foreign tour
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- All the Koreans are deeply moved by the news of Kim Jong Il's visit to the Far Eastern region of the Russian Federation.
The mass media in Pyongyang have given a wide coverage to voices of people full of great national pride and self-esteem.
Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, in an article dedicated to Rodong Sinmun said there is no shadow of doubt that Kim Jong Il's ongoing Russia visit will be another landmark event which would be specially recorded in the chronicle of global peace and security and DPRK-Russia friendship as was the case with his last visit.
Jo Chang Dok, vice-premier of the cabinet, said that the officials of the cabinet are wholeheartedly wishing Kim Jong Il wellbeing during his foreign tour, determined to uphold with loyalty the army-based revolutionary leadership of the WPK.
Kim Chol Man, an anti-Japanese war fighter, said that with a new history of DPRK-Russia friendship being made, anti-Japanese war veterans are recollecting the last request of President Kim Il Sung to uphold Kim Jong Il with loyalty.
Mun Jae Chol, acting chairman of the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, stressed that the Korean nation is demonstrating its dignity and glory under the leadership of Kim Jong Il, the great sun of the 21st century.
Prof. and dr. Jong Chi Gon, dean of the department of history at Kim Il Sung University, said he has been greatly inspired by the news of Kim Jong Il's foreign tour, adding that never in the 5,000-year-long history of Korea the nation enjoyed such great dignity and pride as today's.
Scientific and technological education improved
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- Great achievements have been made at Kim Chaek University of Technology, the highest seat of scientific and technological education of the DPRK, to improve the scientific and technological education.
In the past one year the university totally revised the overall curriculum, teaching programs and contents of education in hundreds of technological subjects. As a result, a definite guarantee has been provided to develop the scientific and technological education as required by the present era.
Researchers of the university have successfully carried out some 400 pieces of scientific research, which produced more than 200 holders of academic degrees including academicians, candidate academicians, professors and doctors.
Kim Jong Il visited the university in September last year and indicated ways of improving the scientific and technological education and scientific researches.
Jewel-studded handicraft
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- Handicraft Thongil Sword (reunification sword) studded with gold, silver and jewel is on display at the gift exhibition of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces.
Servicemen of the Korean People's Army, proud of holding Kim Jong Il in high esteem as Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, presented it to him, representing their loyalty to him.
The head of its handle is inscribed with pure-gold DPRK emblem and sleeve badge of marshal.
Gold colored, its sheath is decorated with 200 white jewels and 16 rubies and 90 cloud-shaped patterns of unique workmanship.
Also depicted on it is a blue dragon, one of the four guardians drawn on a large mural inside the huge tomb in Kangso belonging to the Koguryo dynasty.
The ring of the sheath is decorated with solid patterns reflecting the single-hearted unity of the DPRK.
The sword is 130cm long and its total weight is 4.9kg (its blade 2.16kg).
Anecdotes about Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- A heavy rain frequently fell on St. Petersburg from some days ago before Kim Jong Il arrived there during his Russian tour last year.
Officials who came out to receive him looked up to the sky with concern.
But it did not rain when he laid a wreath, reviewed a guard of honor and visited a museum after arriving there. There was a torrential rain only right after he got on a car.
A cloudy sky began to clear up when he arrived at Lenin Square.
A torrential rain fell again when he boarded a car and headed for the Kirov Factory after going round the statue of Lenin and a metro station.
A Russian official on hand, surprised at the wonders of nature, told him as follows: "Comrade Kim Jong Il, the sun is yours as people say. You seem to let the sun throw its rays, when necessary, while going with it kept in your pocket".
It happened when he visited the Omsk State Science Library named after Pushkin.
Officials of the library, showing him a record card of Jo Ki Chon, a revolutionary poet of Korea, who studied at Gorki Normal College in Omsk in the 1930s, said: Jo Ki Chon was Mayakovski of Korea.
Kim Jong Il said another thinking, saying that Jo Ki Chon was "Pushkin of Korea."
All of them admired him who was well aware not only of the famous writers and poets of Russia but its literature.
Perfect unity between leader and people
Ppyongyang, Aaugust 23 (KCNAkcna) -- Spectacular successes are being reported from different fields in the DPRK, evidence of the perfect unity between Kim Jong Il and the people at a time when he is on visit to Russia.
This time, too, he left the country on a visit to Russia even without a simple send-off ceremony before having relieved fatigue of many days, as he did last year.
Deeply moved by this, the Korean people are registering greater labor achievements with strong longing for him in order to glorify his feats performed in his external activities.
Noteworthy changes are taking place in the people's style of work and way of living. Signal successes are being reported from all fields of production and construction.
The Korean people ardently long to see the leader because their happiness is his preoccupation and they are always in his heart.
It was only ten days after he left the homeland for a visit to Russia last year that he said he longed to see the country and its people very much, saying the Korean people are very laudable.
By saying this, he meant that he was blessed with people.
Despite fatigue from a long journey by train he worked harder on the train to bring a happier life to them as early as possible.
The Korean revolution has proved victorious because its leader loved the people and they venerated him. This is its tradition.
During the Korean War the Korean people defeated enemies and achieved victory looking up to the seven stars of the big dipper with boundless longing for President Kim Il Sung.
They are turning out as one to materialize Kim Jong Il's grand plan for building a powerful nation, drawing inspiration from the song "dear general, where are you", as they did in the period of the "arduous march" and forced march.
This perfect unity between the leader and the people is a source of inexhaustible strength of Korea.
KCNA calls for constructive DPRK-Japan talks
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- As already reported, the director-level talks between the foreign ministries of the DPRK and Japan are due to open in Pyongyang soon.
It is a positive development reflecting the aspiration and wishes of the two peoples to see improved DPRK-Japan relations on the basis of reconciliation and good neighborliness and peace and cooperation.
The DPRK and Japan are geographically close countries and neighbors.
It has become an international trend that the neighboring countries promote reconciliation, cooperation, peace and friendship.
But, regretfully, the DPRK and Japan are in the hostile relationship. The two countries are, accordingly, near-yet-distant countries.
Warming the DPRK-Japan relations would turn the century-long hostile ties between the two countries into those of reconciliation and cooperation. This process is in the interests of the two peoples and in favour of the development of the international relations.
From this point of view, the DPRK has consistently paid attention to improving the relations with Japan and worked hard to settle the humanitarian issues raised by Japan, prompted by the intention to make Japan a close and friendly neighbor.
The two peoples and the fair world opinion deem it fortunate to see the resumption of the DPRK-Japan talks after many twists and turns and hope they will prove substantial and constructive.
The talks should make progress and yield fruits to meet the expectation of the two peoples and the international community.
Improving the DPRK-Japan relations means, in essence, developing new good-neighborly relations in the interests of the two peoples and in line with the need of the times on the basis of Japan's adequate settlement of its past.
The last decade saw various forms of talks held between the DPRK and Japan to establish diplomatic relations.
But these dialogues reached deadlock as they failed to focus on the issue of liquidation of past, the main issue.
The settlement of the past is a starting point and a master key to putting an end to the unhappy history of the relationship between the DPRK and Japan and warming the bilateral ties.
The solution of this issue would lead to a smooth settlement of other issues.
The DPRK values good faith and keeps the promise once made.
Greetings to Ukrainian prime minister
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- Hong Song Nam, premier of the DPRK cabinet, sent a message of greetings to Ukrainian prime minister Anatoly Kinakh on the occasion of its National Day.
In the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would develop on good terms in the future, too, the message wished him greater success in his work for the prosperity of the country.
Greetings to Ukrainian President
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, Wednesday sent a message of greetings to Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma on the occasion of its National Day.
The message extended warm congratulations to the president, government and people of Ukraine and wished him greater success in his responsible work for the prosperity of the country and the wellbeing of the people.
It expressed belief that the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the DPRK and Ukraine would grow stronger in the interests of the two peoples.
Greetings to S.C., General People's Congress of Yemen
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea yesterday sent a message of greetings to the Standing Committee of the General People's Congress of Yemen on its 20th anniversary.
The message said that the congress has realized national unity by strengthening itself and achieved great progress in the efforts to build a new democratic society over the last two decades since its foundation.
Expressing belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties would continue to develop in the idea of independence, peace and friendship, it wished the congress greater success in its activities for its growth and prosperity of the country.
Message of sympathy to Slovak President
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, today sent a message of sympathy to Rudolf Schuster, President of the Republic of Slovakia, in connection with an unprecedentedly disasterous torrential rain that hit its various parts, causing a huge material loss.
The message expressed deep sympathy and consolation to the president and, through him, to the government and the people of Slovakia in the afflicted areas.
It hoped that the president and the government would achieve success in their efforts to eradicate the aftereffect of the disaster and bring the living of the people in the areas to normal as early as possible.
Kim Jong Il meets with Putin
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Il, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, met with V.V. Putin, President of the Russian Federation, in Vladivostok on Friday.
They exchanged greetings with joy and had a conversation.
Putin warmly welcomed Kim Jong Il's visit to the Far Eastern region and said his visit marked an important occasion in further expanding and developing the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.
Kim Jong Il expressed thanks for the deep attention paid to make his visit successful.
The two leaders informed each other of their countries' situation and expressed satisfaction with the steady development of the bilateral relations on good terms.
They exchanged views on international matters of mutual concern. They also had sincere discussions of the issue of linking the Korean Peninsula's railroad with Russia's trans-Siberian railroad and other issues concerning the further development of the bilateral cooperation.
The conversation took place in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.
Gift to Kim Jong Il from Putin
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- Russian President V.V. Putin presented a gift to Kim Jong Il, Chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission, on a visit to the Far Eastern region of the Russian Federation.
The gift was conveyed by an official concerned.
Dinner in honor of Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- Russian President V.V. Putin gave a dinner in honor of Kim Jong Il, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, on a visit to the Far Eastern region at the state guest house in Vladivostok Friday evening.
The dinner proceeded in a cordial atmosphere overflowing with the feelings of friendship.