Suppression of labour movement denounced
Pyongyang, August 28 (KCNA) -- The South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions reportedly called for conducting a signature campaign for a solution to the issue of irregular workers and achieving political power of workers.
More than 1,000 unionists held a rally in Seoul on august 23 in denunciation of the suppression of the labour movement. They called upon workers to wage another solidarity struggle, saying that the authorities turned down the release of the arrested workers.
They in a resolution said that the suppression of workers is being continued. They raised a three-point demand including the release of the arrested workers and cut of working hours.
After the rally they marched along the Jongro Street with workers in prison uniforms and a model prison ahead and held a ceremony of smashing the model prison.
Hong Chang Su retains his championship
Tokyo, August 27 (KNS-KCNA) -- Hong Chang Su, a Korean pro-boxer in Japan, retained his championship in the super-flyweight of the WBC.
He defeated Mexican challenger Eric Ropez in the competition in Saitama, Japan, on Monday.
He has retained his championship five times since he gained the first in August 2000. This is the 30th competition since he became a pro-boxer in 1994.
By retaining his world championship he fully demonstrated the dignity and honour of Juche Korea and the heroic stamina of the Korean youth and gave national pride and happiness to the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan and Koreans in Japan.
Feats of young Koreans
Pyongyang, August 28 (KCNA) --The Day of Youth is being significantly marked in Korea.
President Kim Il Sung inaugurated the Young Communist League of Korea on August 28, Juche 16 (1927), starting the Korean youth movement.
The state instituted this historic day as the Day of Youth in Juche 80 (1991).
On this day all the people are looking back on the brilliant feats performed by the young people in the annals of the Korean revolution.
They displayed their indomitable will and heroic spirit in defeating the brigandish Japanese imperialists and accomplishing the historic cause of national liberation under the leadership of Kim Il Sung at the dawn of the Korean revolution and during the arduous anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle.
They greatly contributed to the sacred struggle to defend the country and achieve national prosperity during the past fatherland liberation war and in the period of the post-war rehabilitation and construction and socialist construction. In this course many of them had the honour of becoming young heroes and heroines.
More brilliant feats were performed by them during the "arduous march" and the forced march which the DPRK had to carry out due to the imperialists' moves to stifle the DPRK.
Under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Il the young people waged a heroic struggle, holding high the slogan "Let us glorify youth".
Young shock brigades built the 100-odd-km-long railways between Wonsan and Mt. Kumgang, breaking through difficulties and hardships, before switching them over to electric traction.
Young people built the youth hero motorway, a large-scale express highway, in a matter of less than two years, displaying the heroic spirit of the Korean youth.
The Anbyon Youth Power Station, the Jangsongang Youth Power Station, the Kwangmyongsong Saltern, the Unsong Youth Reservoir, the Hamhung City Youth Goat Farm and other monumental edifices of the army-based era are all associated with the wisdom and stamina of the youth.
Over 860 of the edifices built in different parts of the country over the last six years after the Socialist Working Youth League of Korea was renamed the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League bear the name of "youth" to be brilliantly recorded in the history of the struggle to build a powerful nation.
DPRK girl swimmers prove successful
Beijing, August 27 (KCNA) -- DPRK synchronized swimmers proved successful at the second Asian youth swimming championships held in Zhu Hai, China, from August 22 to 26.
Jang Ok Sun came first in synchronized swimming solo in class A (16-18 years old) and Tokko Bom also placed first in synchronized swimming solo in class B (13-15 years old.) Tokko Bom and Yun Hui came first in synchronized swimming duet in class B.
Meanwhile, Jang Ok Sun and Kang Myong Hui came second in synchronized swimming duet in class A.
Youth urged to continue to remain loyal to Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, August 28 (KCNA) -- All the young people should become vanguard fighters in the army-based era to glorify the history of the Korean youth movement in which the young people took the lead in upholding the ideas and leadership of President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and advancing the revolution and construction, says an editorial of Rodong Sinmun Wednesday dedicated to the Day of Youth.
The youth should arouse all other people to innovation and make a breakthrough in the fields requiring difficult and hard labor through their dedicated struggle if they are to glorify the army-based era, a new era of the Juche revolution, the editorial says, and goes on:
The present era which attaches great importance to the army provides the youth with a theatre of a worthwhile struggle in which they can display their indomitable mettle and heroic spirit to the full.
Youth should become a death-defying corps in the army-based era by taking the lead in upholding Kim Jong Il's idea and leadership with absolute worship of him.
What is important in upholding his army-based leadership with loyalty is to increase the combat capacity of the Korean People's Army.
All the young people should display heroism, devotion and perseverance and continue to work miracles and innovations in the revolutionary advance in the new century as their forerunners did in the 1950s and 1960s to bring about a great Chollima surge in the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance.
Rodong Sinmun on independent foreign policy of WPK
Pyongyang, August 28 (KCNA) -- It is our invariable foreign policy to develop friendly relations with all the countries of the world on the basis of mutual respect for independence, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
It goes on:
The DPRK's opening of diplomatic relations with many countries in recent years is a result of its independent politics and independent foreign policy.
The DPRK has established and developed relations with other countries on the basis of mutual respect for independence.
It will seek to improve relations even with long-standing hostile countries if they respect its sovereignty and abandon the hostile policy toward it.
The hostile relations between the DPRK and the U.S. have remained unchanged even after the end of the cold war. The U.S. groundlessly brands the DPRK as part of an "axis of evil" and a "sponsor of terrorism".
As long as the U.S. does not respect the sovereignty of the DPRK, the improvement of the bilateral relations is unthinkable.
Japan is near to the DPRK geographically, but far in view of the bilateral relations.
It is the DPRK's legitimate sovereign right to force Japan to make an apology and compensation for its past crimes.
Japan should demonstrate its willingness to respect the DPRK's sovereignty by redressing its past crimes.
The DPRK will positively contribute to the global peace and the human cause of independence by developing relations with all the countries around the world under the banner of independence.
Delayed pullout of troops unfavorable for U.S.
Pyongyang, August 28 (KCNA) -- If the United States truly hopes for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and Korean reunification, it should withdraw its troops from south Korea without delay. Delayed withdrawal would be unfavorable for the United States, either.
Minju Joson Wednesday says this in a signed commentary.
Commenting on the fact that since south Korean schoolgirls were killed by a U.S. armored vehicle, the south Korean people's struggle for the punishment of the murderers and the U.S. pullout has continued for more than 70 days, the paper says:
Steadfast is the Korean nation's will to put an end to the U.S. military presence in south Korea and achieve the independent reunification of the nation.
If the U.S. wants to keep its troops in south Korea, it will face the south Korean people's strong anti-U.S. resistance and its troops will be shamefully driven out of south Korea. It would be favorable and wise for the U.S. to withdraw its troops from south Korea before it suffers disgrace under the very eyes, of the world.
The U.S. most be capable of distinguishing between the favorable and the unfavorable. So it had better take steps to get its troops out of south Korea at once.
Inter-Korean economy meeting opens
Seoul, august 28 (KCNA correspondent) -- The second meeting of the north-south committee for the promotion of economic cooperation opened in Seoul on Wednesday under an agreement reached at the 7th north-south ministerial talks.
Present at the meeting from the north's side were the members of its delegation led by Pak Chang Ryon, first vice-chairman of the state planning commission who is also the north side's chairman of the committee, and its suite members.
Present at the meeting from the south side were the members of its delegation headed by Yun Jin Sik, vice-minister of finance and economy who is also the south side's chairman of the committee, and its suite members.
Pak Chang Ryon made a keynote speech there.
The recent 7th inter-Korean ministerial talks marked an important occasion in improving the north-south relations, he said, adding that the current meeting, the first one to implement the agreed points of the talks would take it possible for the north and the south to take another great stride towards national reconciliation and cooperation.
He continued:
The history of the inter-Korean relations proves that it is the true path of achieving common prosperity of the Korean nation to preserve and thoroughly implement the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and this alone guarantees its brighter future.
If undertakings for economic cooperation are to be smoothly promoted, the north and the south should maintain a firm stand to solve all the problems by the concerted efforts of the nation in its common interests, guided by the basic spirit of the joint declaration, he stressed, and set out the north side's proposal to be discussed by the meeting.
Then Yun Jin Sik made a keynote speech.
Both sides separately proposed draft agreements to be adopted by the second meeting of the committee.
The meeting continues.
DPRK Ambassador to South Africa appointed
Pyongyang, August 28 (KCNA) -- Pak Kun Gwang was appointed as DPRK Ambassador to South Africa according to a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK.
Agreement reached on issues related to north's participation in Pusan Asiad
Pyongyang, August 28 (KCNA) -- It was agreed that the north side would send a 305-strong players' group including players, representatives of its Olympic committee and referees and a 355-strong cheering group made up of mainly a brass band and artistes to the 14th Pusan Asian Games.
The agreement was reached at the working contact made between the north side's Olympic committee and the south side's organizing committee of the Pusan Asiad in Mt. Kumgang from August 26 to 28.
At the contact both sides agreed on a series of issues after a wide-range discussion on all technical issues related to the participation of the north side's players' group and cheering group in the games.
The agreement was adopted Wednesday after being signed by Jo Sang Nam, secretary of the DPRK Olympic Committee, representing the north side and by Paek Ki Mun, secretary general of the organizing committee of the 14th Pusan Asiad, representing the south side.
According to the 14-point agreement, the north side's players' group will directly fly by its airliner to the south in two batches, the first one on Sept. 23 and the second one on Sept. 27 and the north side's cheering group will leave Wonsan by the ship "Mangyongbong-92" and arrive at Pusan port on Sept. 28.
The cheering group will have board and lodging aboard the ship during its stay to attend events and cheer players.
The north and the south sides' teams will jointly enter the stadium with the unified flag in their van for opening and closing functions.
The teams will have their signboard reading "Korea" in both Korean and English and their uniforms follow the precedent of 2000 Sidney Olympics.
Both teams will compete in the games separately. Their flags will be hoisted and their anthems played at the prize-awarding ceremonies.
The north and the south will let their delegates or delegations participate in the meetings to be held during the games.
The north side will light a torch of the Pusan Asiad on Mt. Paektu on Sept. 5 and convey it to an official concerned of the organizing committee of the Asiad in Mt. Kumgang on Sept. 6.
All the expenses for the stay of the north side's players in the south should be borne by the south side while those for the stay of the cheering group be covered in principle by the visitor's side and the south side will provide fullest possible conveniences to it.
As for the issue of hoisting the north side's national flag during the games the south side will follow the charter of the Asian Olympic Council and international practice.
It was also stipulated in the agreement that any problems that may crop up during the northerners' stay in the south side will be solved through friendly consultations on the basis of mutual confidence.