Kim Jong Il's Exploits Praised

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Functions were held from Feb. 4 to 11 in Austria, Thailand, Uganda, Cambodia and India to celebrate the birthday of leader Kim Jong Il and the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of the programme for modeling the whole society on the Juche idea. Helmut Heidweger, chief of the Group for the Study of the Juche Idea of Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il in Vienna, in its meeting said that all the policies and lines of the Workers' Party of Korea for the building of a great prosperous powerful nation and the reunification of the country are based on the Juche idea.
    It is the greatest exploit of Kim Jong Il that he formulated the revolutionary idea of President Kim Il Sung into an integral system of idea, theory and method of Juche and proclaimed the programme for modeling the whole society on the Juche idea, he said.
    The chairman of the Thailand-Korea Friendship Association, in a lecture meeting said that the Songun politics has been exercised in the DPRK by Kim Jong Il and the politics is the most just and original mode of politics to defend the sovereignty of the nation and socialism and vigorously accelerate the building of a great prosperous powerful nation.
    V. K. Pandey vice-chairman of the All-India Veteran Federation who is director of the Manaba Barati International School of India, at a round-table conversation highly praised Kim Jong Il for his greatness and wished the Korean people and People's Army greater success in the struggle to build a great prosperous powerful nation and realize the independent reunification of the country, holding high the banner of the Juche idea founded by Kim Il Sung, under the Songun leadership of Kim Jong Il.
    Messages of greetings to Kim Jong Il were adopted at the functions held in Austria and Cambodia.

U.S. Must Approach Six-way Talks with Sincerity

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Public figures of different countries, regions and international organizations and media hope to see a peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue between the DPRK and the United States and the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula with the successful holding of the six-way talks. Growing louder are voices urging the Bush administration to approach the six-way talks beginning from Feb. 25 with sincerity.
    The Bush administration is delaying talks with Pyongyang, said a U.S. Democratic Senator on Jan. 28. He added that it is time a sincere attitude was taken toward negotiation and if the president fails to instruct his officials to honestly approach negotiation and leave no room for this, the U.S. will be unable to get the goal.
    Senator Kerry who is seeking presidential candidacy of the Democratic Party sharply criticized President Bush, saying it was an ill-considered act to deny direct dialogue with north Korea.
    McNamara, former U.S. defense secretary, in his interview with Yomiuri Shimbun on January 31 criticized the U.S. atom bombing in the Second World War and said if that had not happened, the era of a nuclear race would have been evaded and no nuclear issue would have cropped up between the DPRK and the U.S.
    Kay, former chief U.S. arms inspector in Iraq, on Feb. 1 told FOX TV that people would respond with doubt to Bush administration's statement that the DPRK poses a great threat to the United States.
    Baradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Feb. 1 contended that for a solution to the nuclear issue between the DPRK and the United States humanitarian aid and security should be provided to the DPRK.
    South Korean KBS reported on Feb. 3:
    North Korea sticks to its stand that at least the first-stage step must be agreed upon when the talks open.
    Entering this year, it showed the nuclear facilities in Nyongbyon to a U.S. delegation, making clear its willingness to freeze them.
    And it urged the United States to delete it from the list of "terrorism supporting states", lift political, economic and military sanctions and blockade on it and give it aid in energies such heavy oil and electric power as counter measures when it freezes nuclear facilities.
    The United States, however, demands it abandon the nuclear materials for all purposes including not only plutonium but highly enriched uranium, failing to put forward its detailed plan. And it persists in its stand that there will be no reward unless Pyongyang "scraps its nuclear program first."
    Now the United States should correctly read the intention of north Korea hoping to end the hostile relations with it and should seek a policy switchover. The radio on Feb. 17 said the U.S. tough stand made it hard to expect a dramatic progress from the second six-way talks.
    A spokesman for the Solidarity for Implementation of the South-North Joint Declaration in south Korea issued a statement entitled "The United States Must Drop Its Deceptive Double-dealing Tactics" on Feb. 12.
    Recalling that Bush on Feb. 11 again made hardline remarks urging the north to scrap its nuclear program first, branding it as "a rogue state", the statement noted: This made it plain that there was no change in the U.S. hostile policy toward the north and that the U.S. was not interested in the success of the six-way talks with them at hand and its real intention was to isolate and stifle the north.
    If the United States wants a successful progress of the talks, it should not hang on a deceptive ruse but drop its hostile policy towards the north first of all and set to creating an atmosphere for dialogue, the statement urged.

S. Korea's Troop Dispatch to Iraq Must Be Stopped

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- South Korea's additional troop dispatch to Iraq is a war crime joining the U.S. in the war of aggression against and occupation of Iraq without any justification and an anti-national crime damaging the dignity, interests and honor of the Korean nation, says Rodong Sinmun in a commentary today. The news analyst goes on:
    It is already publicly recognized that the U.S.-launched Iraqi war was a brigandish and aggressive crime going against international law.
    Nevertheless, the "National Assembly" of south Korea legalized the troop dispatch to Iraq. This is an insult to the south Korean people and the whole nation who value the dignity, honor and interests of the nation as life and soul and a challenge to humankind wishing justice and peace and an indelible crime against the Iraqi people.
    The south Korean authorities are loud-mouthed about the "peaceful settlement" of the nuclear issue, while taking a direct part in the outside forces' war of aggression against Iraq. This is the height of sarcasm and a mockery of the nation.
    Pro-U.S. means death to the Korean nation and anti-U.S. a way out for it.
    The aggression, interference and strong-arm and arbitrary practices of the U.S. which has brought only misfortunes and disasters to the Korean nation can never be tolerated.
    The commentary calls on the south Korean people to kindle fiercer flames of struggle to thwart and frustrate the pro-U.S. flunkeyist forces' treacherous troop dispatch to Iraq for driving young south Korean people to a death field in submission to the United States indulged in aggression.

Implementation of Line of Economic Construction Called for

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The Songun political mode firmly guarantees a sure victory in the ongoing general offensive to implement the line of economic construction in the Songun era. This is a unique revolutionary mode of leader Kim Jong Il and serves as an invincible weapon for the Korean revolution. Rodong Sinmun Monday says this in a signed article.
    Pushing forward the economic construction by the Songun political mode means putting forward the People's Army as a core and main force and carrying out economic construction by the concerted efforts of the army and people in the revolutionary soldier spirit and fighting trait, the article notes, and continues:
    The line of economic construction in the era of Songun calls for simultaneously developing light industry and agriculture while attaching priority to the development of national defence industry. This is a unique line of economic construction which makes it possible to significantly increase the state power with the military muscle as its core.
    It is the unshakable will of Kim Jong Il to carry out by the Songun political mode the line for economic construction of the Workers' Party of Korea which is based on the successes made in the efforts to implement the basic line of socialist economic construction set forth by President Kim Il Sung long ago and which has been carried forward and developed as required by the era of Songun. The WPK's Songun political mode and line of economic construction fully reflect the strongest anti-imperialist spirit for independence. Now the army and the people of the DPRK are firmly convinced that the Songun political mode serves as a powerful treasured sword to win victory in the revolution in the 21st century and a most effective mode to be fully applied by all fields of socialist construction including politics, military affairs, economy, culture and foreign affairs.
    The idea of carrying out the line of economic construction in this era by the Songun political mode is based on a correct viewpoint and stand on the main force of the revolution in the Songun era and precious experience gained in the course of the Songun revolution which has won one victory after another thanks to the might of the unity between the army and the people.
    The Korean revolution ushered in the 21st century, a century of creation and innovation, despite the stern test of history with the army playing the role of a pacesetter. This practical experience clearly proves that the Songun political mode is the most just and effective mode to implement to the letter the line of economic construction in our era.

Japan's Passage of Anti-DPRK Law Assailed

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The Party for Peace and Unity of Russia issued a statement on February 13 denouncing the House of Representatives of Japan for passing the "amendment to the law on foreign exchange" through its Diet. The statement said:
    The House passed the "amendment to the law on foreign exchange" without any UN resolution in a bid to apply economic sanctions against the DPRK under the pretext of ensuring peace and security. This will result in seriously harassing peace and security in Asia as it is a wanton violation of international law. This also may scuttle the process of dialogue between the DPRK and Japan as it diametrically runs counter to the DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration.
    Japan will have to bear full responsibility for all the unpredictable serious consequences to be entailed by its persistent pursuance of hostile policy toward the DPRK as evidenced by the passage of the "amendment to the law on foreign exchange," the statement warned.
    The Central Committee of the Communist Workers' Party of Russia in a statement on February 12 said that the passage of the "amendment to the law on foreign exchange" through the House of Representatives of Japan indicates that Japan's moves for aggression of Korea have entered an undisguised phase.
    This is little short of driving the DPRK-Japan relations to a catastrophic phase as it is a product of Japan's self-contradictory policy of precipitating its self-destruction to serve the U.S., it added.
    The People's United Democracy-Unity Left Wing of Italy in a statement on February 13 strongly demanded the Japanese authorities immediately withdraw their reckless hostile policy toward the DPRK.

Passage of "Motion on Ratification of Agreement on Free Trade" under Fire

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Youth and student organizations of south Korea reportedly accused the "National Assembly" of railroading the "motion on ratification of agreement on free trade." "The National Students Solidarity Council to Make Workers and People a Political Force and Renovate the Students Movement" in a statement on Feb. 16 warned that the people would not pardon those "assemblymen" who trampled down upon the life of the peasants and sold agriculture of this land lock, stock and barrel.
    The statement noted that the people will fight at the risk of their lives to mete out a stern punishment to the "assemblymen" utterly indifferent to the life of the peasants and the future of agriculture of this land.
    The South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) in a statement on Feb. 17 dismissed the "NA's" approval of the "motion" as a traitorous act of selling the agriculture of the nation.
    Hanchongryon will prevent traitors from selling staple food of the nation and join the peasants in a powerful struggle to protect the agriculture of the nation, the statement stressed.

Kimjongilia Festival Goes on with Success

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The 8th Kimjongilia Festival is going on with great success. The Kimilsungia-Kimjongilia Exhibition, the venue of the festival, on the bank of the picturesque River Taedong in Pyongyang has been visited every day by an average of 80,000 Korean servicemen and people, overseas Koreans and foreigners.
    On display there are 16,000 odd Kimjongilia pots reflecting the ardent reverence of the Korean and world progressive people for Kim Jong Il.
    The flowers exhibited by the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces on the first floor are drawing deep attention of visitors.
    They, with a picture of Kim Jong Il in the center, are associated with the infinite loyalty of the officers and men of the three services to the leader.
    The flowers presented by the Korean Revolution Museum, the Ministry of Metal and Machine-Building Industries, Academy of Sciences and the Mansudae Art Studio are larger and more beautiful than others.
    Ri Sang Mi's family in Pothonggang District, Pyongyang, has participated in the festival from the first one. Its exhibits show well the unanimous will of all the families throughout the country to entrust their destiny and future to Kim Jong Il, holding him in high esteem as the father.
    Sixty-three foreign organizations including diplomatic missions in Pyongyang have sent hundreds of Kimjongilia pots to the exhibition.
    The Russian embassy here has displayed flowers it has prepared with utmost care against the background of a photograph of leader Kim Jong Il, who has made a distinguished contribution to the development of the DPRK-Russia relations, meeting with President Putin.
    The Indian Ambassador to the DPRK has sent several flower pots to the festival.
    Cuban Ambassador Esteban Lobaina Romero wrote in the visitors' book after visiting the festival: I am deeply impressed through the visit to the beautiful Kimjongilia Festival. We have also exhibited some flower pots as a token of our admiration and boundless respect for the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il. I sincerely hope that his great ideas will always shine in the mind of the peace and justice-loving people of the world.

Greetings to Sultan of Brunei Darussalam

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, on Monday sent a message of greetings to Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, on the occasion of its national day. Expressing the belief that the friendly relations between the two countries would continue to develop on good terms in the interests of the two peoples, the message sincerely wished the sultan and people of Brunei Darussalam greater success in their work for the progress and prosperity of the country.

Paek Nam Sun Meets Delegation of European Parliamentary Assembly

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Paek Nam Sun, foreign minister of the DPRK, met and had a conversation with a delegation of members of the European Parliamentary Assembly from different political parties led by Jacques Santer, who is former president of the European Commission,today.

Greetings to Foreign Minister of Brunei Darussalam

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun sent a message of greetings to Mohamad Bolkiah, foreign minister of Brunei Darussalam, on the occasion of its national day. Expressing the belief that the friendly relations between the two countries would develop on good terms, the message sincerely wished him success in his work.

For Spanish-speaking people

Hazana mas grande de su Excelencia Kim Jong Il

     Pyongyang, 23 de febrero (ATCC) -- Del 4 al 11 del mes en curso tuvieron lugar en Austria, Tailandia, Uganda, Camboya y la India los actos en conmemoracion del cumpleanos (16 de febrero) del Dirigente Kim Jong Il y el 30 aniversario de la proclamacion del programa de transformacion de toda la sociedad segun la idea Juche. Helmut Heidweger, jefe del Grupo para el Estudio de la Idea Juche de Kim Il Sung - Kim Jong Il en Viena, en una reunion de su grupo, dijo que todas las politicas y lineas del Partido del Trabajo de Corea para la construccion de una gran potencia prospera y la reunificacion de la patria estan basadas en la idea Juche.
    Su Excelencia Kim Jong Il -subrayo- definio la idea revolucionaria del Presidente Kim Il Sung como un sistema integral de la ideologia, la teoria y el metodo del Juche y proclamo el programa de transformacion de toda la sociedad segun la idea Juche, lo cual es la hazana mas grande del Dirigente.
    Tavee Viriyatoon, presidente de la Asociacion de Amistad Tailandia-Corea, en una conferencia, senalo que hoy, en Corea Su Excelencia Kim Jong Il practica la politica de Songun (priorizacion militar) y destaco que esta es el modo de politica mas justa y original que permite defender la soberania de la nacion y el socialismo y acelerar energicamente la construccion de una gran potencia prospera.
    V. K. Pandey, vicepresidente de la Federacion de Veteranos de Toda la India y director de la Escuela Internacional Manaba Barati de la India, en una charla, elogio altamente los grandes rasgos del Dirigente y expreso esperanza de que el pueblo y el Ejercito Popular de Corea, bajo la direccion de Su Excelencia Kim Jong Il mediante el Songun y con la bandera de la idea Juche creada por el Presidente Kim Il Sung en alto, logren mayores exitos en la lucha por construir una gran potencia prospera y realizar la reunificacion independiente del pais.
    Los actos efectuados en Austria y Camboya aprobaron mensajes de felicitacion dirigidos al Dirigente.

Premier coreano se reune con delegacion parlamentaria europea

     Pyongyang, 23 de febrero (ATCC) -- Pak Pong Ju, primer ministro del Consejo de Ministros de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea departio el dia 22 en el Palacio de los Congresos Mansudae con la delegacion de los miembros de la Asamblea Parlamentaria Europea procedentes de varios partidos politicos encabezada por Jacques Santer, miembro de esta asamblea y ex presidente de la Comision Europea. Estuvieron presentes los funcionarios coreanos correspondientes.

Jovenes del Sur de Corea condenan a "parlamentarios"

     Pyongyang, 23 de febrero (ATCC) -- Segun trascendidos, las entidades juveniles y estudiantiles del Sur de Corea denunciaron la "asamblea nacional" que aprobo el "proyecto de consentimiento de ratificacion de un convenio de libre comercio". La "conferencia nacional de solidaridad de estudiantes para convertir a las masas obreras en las fuerzas politicas y renovar el movimiento estudiantil" publico el dia 16 una declaracion, en la cual senala que la poblacion no perdonara a los "parlamentarios" quienes pisotearon la existencia de los campesinos y vendieron toda la agricultura de esta tierra y subraya:
    La poblacion del Sur de Corea luchara hasta el fin a riesgo de la vida por dar, cueste lo que cueste, una severa sentencia de las masas populares a los "parlamentarios" que no tienen ningun interes en la existencia de los campesinos y el porvenir de la agricultura surcoreana.
    La Federacion de Consejos Generales de Estudiantes Universitarios del Sur de Corea (FCGEUSC), en su declaracion fechada 17, subrayo que la "asamblea nacional", al aprobar el proyecto arriba mencionado, perpetro un acto traidor de vender la agricultura de la nacion.
    Agrego que detendra sin falta tal acto de los traidores quienes tratan de vender hasta el alimento principal de la nacion coreana y destaco que, para ese efecto, la FCGEUSC, junto con los campesinos, desplegara una energica lucha por defender la agricultura nacional.