DPRK-Japan Pyongyang declaration welcomed

    Pyongyang, September 28 (KCNA) -- First vice-president W. A. Duminduwardena and secretary general Upali Bandara of the Sri Lanka Society for Self-Reliance Studies on a visit to the DPRK were interviewed by mediapersons at Pyongyang Koryo Hotel on Thursday. Warmly welcoming the DPRK-Japan Pyongyang declaration, Duminduwardena said:
    Many countries of the world, especially those countries which were hostile to the DPRK in the past are developing friendly relations with it.
    It was against the backdrop of this development that Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan, visited the DPRK, met with Kim Jong Il and the historic declaration was published.
    The publication of the declaration marked a historic event of special mention in improving and developing the relations between the two countries and provided them with an opportunity of becoming near and close neighbours, not near yet distant countries.
    Bandara said it was fortunate that by visiting the DPRK Koizumi met with Kim Jong Il, honestly apologized to the Korean people and expressed his will to appropriately solve the issue of compensation in order to settle Japan's past. This is a welcome event as it meets the need of the era and the desire of the two peoples, he noted, and continued:
    The declaration signed by Kim Jong Il and Koizumi is greatly conducive to normalizing the DPRK-Japan relations and ensuring peace and security in Asia and the rest of the world.

Russian artistes interviewed

    Pyongyang, September 28 (KCNA) -- We had the privilege of being received by Kim Jong Il during our visit to the DPRK last year and will sing more songs of the peerlessly great man, said members of the visiting State Academy Ensemble of the Ministry of Interior of Russia, when interviewed by KCNA here Thursday. People's Artiste Viktor Eliseyev, head of the ensemble, said that they came to the DPRK with more polished colorful numbers including a paean of reverence for Kim Jong Il.
    We have sung on a number of occasions songs of praises of him during our performance tour of not only Russia but other countries, he said, adding that their reverence for the leaders of the DPRK prompted them to prepare such splendid pieces.
    People's Artiste Grigori Pinyasov, member of the ensemble, said that he would sing more loudly paeans of praise of the peerlessly great men in the future, too, cherishing the honor of leading the chorus of the immortal revolutionary paean "Song of General Kim Il Sung" in the presence of Kim Jong Il last year.
    Merited Artiste Natalia Kurganskaya, member of the ensemble, said that she would represent better the song "Dear general, where are you" loved by the Korean people to make its performance more successful.

Book "Problem of Korea's Peaceful Reunification" published

    Pyongyang, September 28 (KCNA) -- Book "Problem of Korea's Peaceful Reunification" was recently published in Sofia. It was written by Georgi Stoyanov, chairman of the Bulgaria-Korea Friendship Association and chairman of the Bulgarian Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification.
    It deals with the imperialists moves for aggression on the Korean nation who has created a history of 5,000 years as a homogeneous nation, the struggle of the Korean people against them, the illegality of the U.S. troops' presence in South Korea and the treatment of the Korean issue at the UN.
    It introduces in detail the three principles of national reunification, the 10-point programme of the great unity of the whole nation, the proposal for founding the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo and the Korean people's struggle for independent and peaceful reunification of the country.
    Referring to the adoption of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and its historic significance, the author says the Korean people will surely implement the joint declaration and achieve national reunification, the long-cherished desire of the nation.

Halt to U.S. military exercises demanded

Pyongyang, September 28 (KCNA) -- Members of the all-people measure committee for Sin Hyo Sun and Sim Mi Son, girl students killed by a U.S. armored car staged a demonstration in front of the Phaju police station on Sept. 23 in protest against the GIs' murder of Pak Sung Ju, according to Seoul-based Radio No. 1. They earnestly called for probing the truth behind the incident.
The headquarters of the movement for eradicating GIs' crimes in a statement said that the incident took place during the U.S. Forces' maneuvers like the killing of the two girl students, and demanded the U.S. Forces' side halt the military exercises.

DPRK-Japan Pyongyang declaration supported

Pyongyang, September 28 (KCNA) -- The Federation of South Koreans in Japan for Democracy and Unification issued a statement on September 18 welcoming the historic DPRK-Japan Pyongyang declaration. The statement said that it is an urgent task for peace and stability in Northeast Asia to normalize the DPRK-Japan relations and develop good neighborly ties between the two countries.
It expressed belief that the bilateral relations would be normalized at an early date in accordance with the basic spirit and principle of the declaration.

Program development institute, training school open

    Pyongyang, September 28 (KCNA) -- The program development institute and training school of the Pyongyang Information Center (PIC) were opened with due ceremony on Sept. 27. Thanks to the creative labor of builders, patriotic devotion of overseas compatriots and assistance of the UNDP, the institute and the school were excellently built as a center for developing and disseminating software on the basis of the computer technology of the Korean style.
    Present at the ceremony were Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, and officials concerned.
    Also present were Masood Hyder, resident coordinator of the UN and resident representative of the UNDP to the DPRK, a member of the UNDP mission, Chong Hock Yen, managing director of the Singapore Sindok Trading Pte. Ltd., and compatriots from abroad.
    A report was made at the ceremony.
    In the evening, a reception was given at the Mansudae Art Theatre on the occasion.

Performance given by Russian artistes

    Pyongyang, September 28 (KCNA) -- The State Academy Ensemble of the Ministry of Interior of Russia gave a performance at the April 25 House of Culture on Friday. It was enjoyed by artistes and working people in the city, the Russian Ambassador and other foreign diplomatic envoys and officials of foreign embassies here.
    The performance began with Russian artistes dancing a beautiful dance and displaying letters "Moscow-Pyongyang".
    Put on stage were the immortal revolutionary paean "Song of General Kim Il Sung", "General of Korea" and other Korean songs and colorful numbers reflecting the Russian people's love for the motherland and optimistic life.
    The "Dance of Victory" vividly represented soldiers happy with their victory in a battle with the enemy. In chorus "Katyusha", male vocal solo and chorus "Along the River Volga" and other numbers the Russians delighted the audience for their good performance.
    The performance ended with a chorus of the immortal revolutionary paean "Song of General Kim Jong Il."

KCNA assails Ri Hoe Chang's anti-north remarks

    Pyongyang, September 28 (KCNA) -- Ri Hoe Chang of the South Korean Grand National Party once again laid bare his treacherous nature as an anti-reunification element, when interviewed by the newspaper Choongang Ilbo. Putting up a bold front as if he had already become president, he talked rubbish that he would do this or that when he becomes president and talked about "policy toward the north" while faulting it.
    Saying that the drain on resources for the north should be reconsidered, he went the length of talking about "a return visit."
    This is nothing but sheer rubbish which can be let loose only by a wicked anti-reunification element. Through this crafty artifice he seeks to woo the people who have already turned their back on him and improve his public image.
    Ri has been opposed to the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration ever since its publication, describing inter-Korean dialogue, cooperation and exchange as a "drain on resources."
    That is why he has long been branded as the boss of anti-reunification ultra-right conservatives in South Korea and censured and rejected by all the Koreans desirous of national reunification.
    It is, therefore, preposterous for such a guy to say this or that about the issue of implementing the joint declaration and poke his nose into it.
    Ri's bumbling only goes to prove that he is a political charlatan who, hungry for power, does not know where he stands and is unable to distinguish between reality and a wild dream.
    If he has an iota of national conscience and awareness as a human being, he should honestly apologize for all the crimes he has committed so far against the nation and reunification and quit the political arena as early as possible.

Organization for probe into GIs' crimes formed

    Pyongyang, September 28 (KCNA) -- The council of social organizations under the all-people committee for probe into the truth behind the killings of civilians committed before and after the Korean War and reinstatement was inaugurated on august 29, according to the South Korean newspaper Hangyore. The council consists of 26 organs and civic and social organizations, including the joint measure committee for probe into the truth behind the killing of civilians in Kumjong Tunnel in Koyang and reinstatement, the Koje Museum, the historical affairs research institute, the Jeju April 3 Institute and the Phaju Citizens' Society.
    Over 1,100,000 people were killed by U.S. troops in Rogun-ri and other places before and after June 25, the day when the Korean War broke out, the council said, urging that a law on probe into the truth behind the killing of civilians and reinstatement should be instituted.
    The council in a resolution complained that the U.S. and the government have not yet made any answer to the killings of civilians, the most hideous tragedy in modern history. It declared that it would make positive activities to focus social attention on the issue.
    It announced its plan to conduct a signature campaign for enactment of the law on Thursdays till the end of October while paying visits to the places of the killings and holding a meeting of the bereaved families for testimony.

Gift to Kim Jong Il

Pyongyang, September 28 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Il was presented with a gift by the first vice-president and the secretary general of the Sri Lanka Society for Self-Reliance Studies. It was handed to an official concerned by first vice-president W. A. Duminduwardena and secretary general Upali Bandara on a visit to the DPRK.