North-targeted war exercises condemned
Pyongyang, March 17 (KCNA) -- The struggle against the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises is going into high gear in Pusan, South Korea, according to a news report.
Members of civic and public organizations in Pusan met at wharf no. 8 for exclusive use of the U.S. Forces at Pusan port on March 14 to protest against the port call of carrier Carl Vinson, which is to participate in the joint military exercises.
So Sang Gwon, chairman of the Pusan and South Kyongsang Provincial Federation of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification, and four other representatives delivered a letter of protest over to the U.S. unit, breaking through the police cordon.
At least 120 reservists, members of the Pusan Regional Solidarity of Youth and Students for the Implementation of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration, held a ceremony for declaring a refusal to the war exercises in front of Tae Hwa Department Store in Pusan on the evening of March 13.
At the end of the ceremony they conducted information activity among citizens and a signature campaign for demanding the conclusion of a North Korea-U.S. non-aggression treaty.
Meanwhile, the Pusan Council on Situation for Revision of the Unequal South Korea-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement and the Pusan Reunification Solidarity announced that they would hold a Pusan rally on the international day of anti-war action and continue various forms of struggle against the war exercises.
U.S. hit for its ignorance of DPRK
Pyongyang, March 17 (KCNA) -- The U.S. conservative hard liners are claiming that the threat posed by North Korea is a misbehavior and it is impossible for North Korea to get security guarantee and economic aid as regards the measures taken by the DPRK to cope with the U.S. efforts to isolate and stifle the DPRK.
Rodong Sinmun today describes the claim as an expression of the ignorance of the DPRK.
The news analyst says:
Korean socialism is the best man-centred socialism that projects the popular masses as the true masters of society and under which everything of society serves the people. Koreans socialism is the life and soul and happiness.
The people is in the heart of the leader and the hearts of the people are filled with the worship and longing for him and intention to share their destiny with him. The monolithic unity of the leader and people is more powerful than any nuclear weapon.
The system of the DPRK has strong ideological, political, economic and military capability and the people live on their own. That is why the DPRK does not seek to get favor from anyone by threatening him. Particularly, it never feels the need to get the security of its system guaranteed. All its proposals and measures are for self-defensive and peaceful purposes.
They are aimed at settling the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and preventing a war in the peninsula, not getting anything.
For the U.S. keen to stifle the DPRK the greatest tragedy is that it knows too little about the DPRK.
The U.S. should have a good understanding of its rival, stop spreading wild rumors and give up its policy of isolating and stifling the DPRK.
Anti-war rallies and demonstrations in S. Korea
Pyongyang, March 17 (KCNA) -- Big rallies and demonstrations were held in main cities of South Korea such as Seoul, Pusan and Taejon on March 15 to denounce the United States for its war moves, according to South Korean radio reports.
An anti-war candle-light rally was held in Jongmyo park, Seoul with at least 5,000 attending under the co-sponsorship of the Joint Action for Peace against War and the All-People Measure Committee for Sin Hyo Sun and Sim Mi Son, Schoolgirls Killed by a U.S. Armored Car.
They repeatedly shouted such anti-U.S. and anti-war slogans as "No Unjust War" and "No Government Support to War."
They were joined by members of foreign anti-war organizations.
At the end of the rally the participants matched as far as Jongro Street 2 with candle-lights in their hands despite the police obstruction before gathering again in front of Kwanghwamun for a candle-light demonstration.
They unanimously denounced the United States for its war moves against Iraq and the South Korean Government for planning to support its Iraqi war.
Speakers bitterly condemned the United States for bringing dark clouds of a nuclear war to gather over the Korean Peninsula, calling on the people to ensure peace on the peninsula, avert a nuclear war by candle-lights of peace and work hard to reunify the country by the efforts of the Korean nation through national cooperation.
They declared that the candles would remain burning until Bush apologizes and SOFA is revised.
Meanwhile, a "Day of Pusan citizens' action against invasion of Iraq and threat of war to the Korean Peninsula and March 15 international peace against war" was held in Pusan under the sponsorship of the Pusan Reunification Solidarity.
Vehemently assailing the stand of the South Korean authorities to support the U.S. Iraqi war, the participants stressed that they would punish those members of the "National Assembly" supporting the stand on behalf of the people.
At the end of the function they marched as far as a U.S. military base, shouting slogans protesting the joint military exercises.
KCNA refutes Powell's remarks on religious freedom
Pyongyang, March 17 (KCNA) -- U.S. Secretary of State Powell on March 5 listed six countries such as the DPRK, China, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar and Sudan as "countries arousing special concern" because of their suppression of religious freedom.
Recalling that those countries were also listed as such last year, he claimed that "religious freedom has not improved in the countries since then".
As an expression of the U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK his assertion is nothing but sophism intended to invent a pretext for impairing the image of its system and stifle and isolate it at any cost.
As stipulated in the DPRK's socialist constitution a citizen's religious freedom is fully guaranteed by law and even American religious leaders recognized it while witnessing the reality of the DPRK.
It is only the United States that made religion a plaything of politics and is suppressing true freedom of religious belief.
There are too many to cite as examples.
Before the liberation of Korea American missionaries made their way to Korea to engage themselves in espionage and plot-breeding and seek their own interests, while deceiving its people. During the Korean War the U.S. bombers indiscriminately destroyed even religious buildings.
The suppression of other nations and their religion got more serious in the United States.
It is widely known to the world that since the "September 11 Incident" not only foreigners but citizens of the United States have become targets of constant watch and suppression by fib and other intelligence and investigation institutions for the mere reason that they are Arabs and Muslims.
Self-styled scholars are openly spreading wrong assertions aimed at fanning up confrontation and conflicts between nations and religions under the signboard of "clash between diverse forms of civilization" and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are described as "crusade" and "holy wars".
This is the reality of the U.S. The United States has the poorest human rights record. It is, therefore, ridiculous and shameless for the U.S. to meddle in internal affairs of other countries over the religious issue.
The United States is well advised to mind its own business instead of pulling up other countries over "religious freedom" only to meet their rebuff.
U.S. urged to stop groundlessly accusing DPRK
Pyongyang, March 17 (KCNA) -- The U.S. recently warned Japan that the DPRK is preparing a ballistic missiles test fire to reach a certain part of the Japanese territory, but Japan informed that it has no data to confirm it, said a commentator of radio Voice of Russia on March 14.
The commentator continued:
The U.S. should not accuse the DPRK if it is not convinced of the DPRK "nuclear program".
The U.S. is now raising the DPRK's missile issue again to get on Japan's nerves as if the DPRK threatens Japan.
The U.S. has no evidence.
It is one of the U.S. groundless accusations to do harm to the DPRK.
Such a false information that the DPRK violated the agreements has been spread through other channels.
According to a news report from the U.S., rumors are spreading as if the DPRK obtained reprocessed nuclear waste to get plutonium for nuclear weapons, but the U.S. has no correct information to prove whether the DPRK has such "program" or has reprocessed nuclear waste.
The U.S. is groundlessly criticizing the DPRK for pushing ahead with "nuclear program".
The "nuclear issue" of the DPRK was to be discussed at a UN Security Council Session in February but the un security council, recognizing that there is no need to discuss, entrusted experts with study of it.
The commentator warned the U.S. against accusations with no conviction.
U.S. urged to respond to direct talks with DPRK
Pyongyang, March 17 (KCNA) -- If the U.S. continues pressurizing the DPRK over its "nuclear issue", it may create an explosive situation between the DPRK and the U.S. which are technically at war.
If the U.S. mounts a preemptive attack on the DPRK, the army and people of the DPRK will wipe out the aggressors to the last man.
Rodong Sinmun yesterday said this in a signed article.
It went on:
The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is an issue that can not be settled by any pressure or blackmail. Such methods will only make the situation more complicated.
The U.S. loudmouthed "development of nuclear weapons" by the DPRK is nothing but a subterfuge to internationalize its moves to pressure and isolate the DPRK and ignite a new war of aggression against it. It is quite senseless and unreasonable for the U.S. to insist that the DPRK poses a "nuclear threat" to the U.S.
For the DPRK to yield to the demand of the U.S. and opt to compromise with it is little short of giving in to the enemies after becoming a "real criminal" itself.
The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is a very crucial problem related to who beats whom.
It will decide whether the DPRK's sovereignty will be trampled down by the U.S. or protected. It is quite obvious that such issue can not be settled by someone's unilateral pressure or demand.
It is not the stand of settling the nuclear issue for the U.S. to insist on multilateral talks instead of responding to the direct talks with the DPRK.
The U.S. call for multilateral talks is aimed to internationalize the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula to evade its responsibility. This is, in fact, little short of refusing to solve the nuclear issue.
It is not multilateral talks but direct talks between the DPRK and the U.S. that serve as a key to settling the nuclear issue.
The U.S. will not lose its face while responding to the direct talks with the DPRK. on the contrary it will be welcomed by the world.
The U.S. is well advised to give up its stand to stifle the DPRK and properly approach dialogue and thus fulfil its responsibility as the direct party concerned with the settlement of the nuclear issue on the peninsula.
GNP's assertion blasted
Pyongyang, March 17 (KCNA) -- The Grand National Party and some conservative media of South Korea have recently heaped accusations on the north, claiming its assertion about the issue of "special inspection" is "interference in S. Korea's internal affair". In this regard, Rodong Sinmun yesterday in a signed commentary dismissed it as a folly of political imbeciles.
The commentary went on:
The issue of cooperation between the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee (KAPPC) and Hyundai of South Korea is not the issue confined to the south only. It is the one directly related to reconciliation and cooperation between the north and the south and unity and reunification of the whole Korean nation.
The cooperation between them is an issue directly related to the interests of the whole nation. Yet, the GNP and some conservative media of South Korea are insisting on "special inspection" over the issue of the whole nation, the issue of north-south relations, to stoke confrontation. This can never be an internal issue of South Korea. The above-said cooperation in particular is a very important issue of the whole nation as it is related to the implementation of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration supported and welcomed by the Korean nation.
Therefore, it can not be an affair confined to South Korea only.
The GNP demanded "special inspection" over this issue, prompted by its aim to serve its partisan interests and realize its strategy. This is intended to bring the inter-Korean relations back to those in the era of confrontation. Then how can the action taken to disclose such anti-national, anti-reunification behaviour of the party be interpreted as interference in the south's internal affair?
It has become more obvious that the north's assertion can never be interference in the south's internal affair now that the GNP linked the issue of "remittance to the north" to the historic Pyongyang meeting, which culminated in the publication of the June 15 Joint Declaration. On the contrary, it is interference in the north's internal affair to link the inter-Korean relations to the non-existent issue.
They should call a spade a spade.
The GNP and conservative media of South Korea are well advised to behave themselves, clearly aware what adverse impact their reckless diatribe will have on the inter-Korean relations and how seriously they will affect their fate.
Self-reliance, Korea's mode of struggle
Pyongyang, March 17 (KCNA) -- Self-reliance is the Korean people's traditional mode of struggle.
They have advanced victoriously, solving all problems with their own efforts and technology and under the motto of self-reliance in the whole course of the complicated and arduous revolutionary struggle.
Korean revolutionaries defeated the formidable Japanese imperialist aggressors and liberated the country, relying on the nation's revolutionary forces.
Inheriting the brilliant tradition established by them, Korean workers made tractors, lorries, bulldozers and excavators in the late 1950's though they lacked designs, technicians, materials and equipment.
In the early 1960's, they even made an electric locomotive with their own technology.
After the Korean War in the 1950s, the Korean people started the socialist industrialization from scratch and completed the historic cause in a mater of 14 years.
Even in the periods of the "arduous march" and the forced march, they built many gigantic edifices, smashing the imperialists' intensified efforts to isolate and stifle the country.
They launched satellite Kwangmyongsong No. 1 in Juche 87 (1998) with their own efforts and technology, rezoned more than 200,000 hectares of arable land to suit the features of the socialist country and built large and modern salterns, motorways, waterways and factories in recent years.
All these achievements are products of self-reliance displayed by the Korean people in the era of the army-based revolution.
The Korean people, deeply aware through their historical experience that self-reliance is their only choice, will as ever seek to build a powerful and prosperous nation with their own efforts.
For Spanish-speaking people
movimiento de solidaridad con la reunificacion de corea
pyongyang, 17 de marzo (atcc) -- la sesion del comite ejecutivo del comite internacional de enlace por la reunificacion y la paz en corea (ciereco) tuvo lugar el dia 8 en paris, francia.
la sesion hizo balance de las labores del ano pasado del ciereco y discutio las tareas para el ano en curso.
los oradores senalaron que la situacion general se torna cada dia mas tirante en la peninsula coreana debido a la temeraria campana nuclear de la administracion bush contra la republica popular democratica de corea y subrayaron que tal fenomeno exige que las fuerzas del mundo amantes de la paz se unan para detener las maniobras de agresion de los estados unidos.
se refirieron al proceso de la reconciliacion y la cooperacion entre el norte y el sur de la peninsula coreana y destacaron que esto se debe enteramente a la idea y la orientacion del gran dirigente, camarada kim jong il en materia de reunificacion de la patria y a su original direccion de priorizacion militar.
en la reunion fueron aprobados el programa de accion de 2003 del ciereco y el llamamiento dirigido a los gobiernos, partidos politicos y organizaciones sociales de todos los paises del mundo y a las organizaciones internacionales.
el programa de accion senala que desarrollaran con mas vigor una campana destinada a agrupar a amplias fuerzas progresistas a la accion comun para frustrar las conjuras de ee.uu. que estorba la paz y la reunificacion de la peninsula coreana y arma un temerario alboroto nuclear y demandaran energicamente a ee.uu. aceptar sin demora la propuesta de la rpdc de concertar un tratado de no agresion y continua:
para ese efecto, el ciereco continuara desplegando con vigor la labor de dar a conocer ampliamente las mas justas y reales tres cartas para la reunificacion de la patria y la orientacion de cinco puntos de la gran unidad nacional presentadas por el gran presidente kim il sung y el respetado dirigente kim jong il.
propagara ampliamente que la politica de priorizacion militar del dirigente preserva con firmeza la paz y la seguridad de la peninsula coreana y garantiza el proceso de reconciliacion de la nacion coreana y la victoria de la causa de la reunificacion.
desarrollara dinamicas actividades para estimular la ejecucion de la declaracion conjunta norte-sur del 15 de junio.
actuara con teson para esclarecer la verdad del problema nuclear de la peninsula coreana y condenar las temerarias maniobras de alboroto nuclear y aplastamiento de la administracion bush.
la sesion aprobo una carta dirigida al dirigente kim jong il.
ciereco exhorta a desplegar movimiento de solidaridad con corea
pyongyang, 17 de marzo (atcc) -- los participantes en la sesion del comite ejecutivo del comite internacional de enlace por la reunificacion y la paz en corea (ciereco) celebrada el dia 8 en paris decidieron definir el presente como "ano de solidaridad internacional por la reunificacion independiente de corea" para fortalecer mas el movimiento de apoyo y solidaridad internacionales con la causa de la reunificacion independiente del pueblo coreano y desarrollar de manera concentrada de junio a septiembre tales actividades y exhortaron a desarrollar activamente el movimiento de solidaridad a los gobiernos, partidos politicos y entidades sociales de todos los paises del mundo y las organizaciones internacionales.
el llamamiento aprobado en la sesion continua:
los participantes fueron unanimes en expresar gran satisfaccion por los exitos logrados en el proceso de la reconciliacion, cooperacion y reunificacion entre el norte y el sur de corea y evaluaron que esto demuestra el historico significado, la justedad y la inagotable vitalidad de la declaracion conjunta norte-sur del 15 de junio y que la nacion coreana puede realizar por su cuenta propia la reintegracion del pais sin intervencion de las fuerzas foraneas.
manifestaron la esperanza de que los gobiernos, los partidos politicos y las entidades sociales de todos los paises del mundo y las organizaciones internacionales presten la debida atencion a la situacion de la peninsula coreana que se torna extremadamente tensa por la politica intransigente y la hostilidad de ee.uu. a corea, apoyen activamente la ejecucion de la declaracion arriba mencionada y se esfuercen activamente por hacer retirarse las tropas norteamericanas de sudcorea y poner fin a la intervencion de ee.uu. en los asuntos internos de corea.
los participantes exhortan fervorosamente a todas las fuerzas del mundo amantes de la independencia y la paz a tomar las medidas para estimular activamente la causa del pueblo coreano encaminada a defender la soberania y la dignidad del pais y lograr la reunificacion independiente de su patria.