Greetings to Iranian President

     Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Seyed Mohammad Khatami, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on March 19 on the occasion of the New Year of the country. The message said:
    I take this opportunity to extend warm congratulations to you, the Iranian government and people friendly to the DPRK. I am convinced that the good friendly and cooperative relations between our two countries will further develop and wish you great success in your responsible work to defend the sovereignty and dignity of the country and build an independent and prosperous Islamic society.

U.S.-South Korea Joint Military Exercises Condemned

     Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- The British Group for the Study of the Juche Idea-Comrade Kim Jong Il's Works, the British Association for the Study of the Songun Politics and the British Friendship Society with Korea on March 14, issued a joint statement accusing the joint military exercises to be staged by the United States and south Korea. The statement noted that such military provocation would escalate the tension on the Korean peninsula, expressing deep concern about the "reception, staging, onward movement and integration" (RSOI) and "Foal Eagle" joint military exercises the U.S. and south Korea are going to stage at a time when a racket of "impeachment against the president" has been recently kicked up in south Korea.
    The projected war exercises show that the U.S. plan of the six-way talks is nothing but hypocrisy and there is no change in its intension to isolate and stifle the DPRK, it stressed, demanding the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean authorities stop at once the war maneuvers.
    The statement, extending full support to the DPRK, called on all the friends of Koreans, followers of the Juche idea and the progressives of the world to express support and solidarity with the Korean people in their just cause.

U.S. Dangerous Sabre-rattling against DPRK Condemned

     Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- As reported, the U.S. bellicose forces today launched large-scale war maneuvers against the DPRK, a combination of the "Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration" (RSOI) and "Foal Eagle" joint military exercise with the front area of south Korea as an operational theatre. Rodong Sinmun Monday says in a signed commentary in this regard: RSOI and "Foal Eagle" are an open challenge to the whole Korean nation and the world peace-loving people desirous of detente and peace on the Korean peninsula as they are one more dangerous military provocation to the DPRK.
    Disclosing the offensive nature and danger of these plays with fire against the north evidenced by their scale, contents and methods involved, the commentary terms these joint military exercises a test nuclear war and a preliminary war against the DPRK as they are designed to make a preemptive attack on it.
    It continues:
    No sooner had the second round of the six-way talks closed than the U.S. announced its plan to stage large-scale war maneuvers against the DPRK in the sky, land and waters of south Korea. This clearly indicates that though the U.S. is talking about "dialogue" and "peace," it is, in fact, working hard to swallow up the DPRK by force of arms.
    It is nobody's secret that the U.S. has already worked out a "New Operation Plan-5026", a new dangerous war scenario for invading the DPRK. A dialogue can never go with a war maneuver.
    The danger of a nuclear war cannot be removed from the Korean peninsula nor can peace be preserved there as long as the U.S. persists in its moves to start a nuclear war against the DPRK in a bid to stifle it by force of arms. The DPRK will not remain a mere on-looker to these developments. Strength is not a monopoly of the United States.

Actions against "Motion on Impeachment against President" Go On in S. Korea

     Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- Actions against the passage of "the motion on impeachment against the president" through the "National Assembly" are reportedly going on in south Korea. The Democratic Workers' Party, the south Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the National Federation of Peasants Associations, the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils and other democratic movement organizations held a meeting of representatives of people on the emergency situation in Seoul on March 16 to cope with the situation created in the wake of the passage of the motion, settle the problem of the deteriorated people's living, put an end to the corrupt politics and realize progressive politics.
    A resolution released at the meeting noted that an absolute majority of people are expressing irrepressible resentment at the "motion."
    The blame for this situation entirely rests with the corrupt political forces which drove south Korea to the state of bankruptcy, trampling down upon the political right of the people, it noted, calling for conducting an all-out campaign to liquidate the corrupt political forces, judge the neo-liberal conservative politics and realize progressive politics in order to fundamentally settle the situation created in the wake of the "passage of the motion" through the NA on March 12.
    The "National Students' Committee of Emergency Measures for the Annulment of the Motion on Impeachment, Dissolution of the 16th-term 'National Assembly' and a Judgment in the General Election in April" grouping the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils, the South Korean Federation of University Students in the twenty-first century, the All Together Association, the Students Solidarity for Political Reform and other organizations held a "meeting of representatives of student organizations to jointly counter the "motion on impeachment against the president" at Korea University on March 15.
    At the meeting the committee set it as a slogan for the immediate struggle to declare the "motion" invalid, get the Grand National Party and the Democratic Party dissolved and the "National Assembly" disorganized, champion democracy, put an end to the corrupt politics and restore the policy for people's living.
    It decided to organize a meeting on the emergency situation and a rally calling on all the students to rise up in a campaign for declaring the motion on impeachment invalid, getting the 16th-term "National Assembly" dissolved and protecting democracy.
    The Headquarters of the People's Movement for the Withdrawal of the U.S. Forces on March 16 issued a statement on the situation titled "Let us foil the political plot of the U.S. and the remnant forces of pro-American military dictatorship and punish them through the general election."
    The statement said that the people would never pardon the corrupt political camp including the GNP, a group of traitors who, clinging to the coattails of foreign forces, are working hard to scrap the June 15 joint declaration, incite confrontation and antipathy between fellow countrymen in the south and the north and thus desecrate the successes made in the inter-Korean exchange and cooperation.
    The statement called on all the people to unite as one in the actions against the row of "impeachment" kicked up by the U.S. keen to block independence, democracy and reunification and its henchmen.

Idea of "Aim High!" Carried Forward through Centuries

     Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- March 23 is the 87th anniversary of the formation of the Korean National Association (KNA) by Kim Hyong Jik, an outstanding leader of the anti-Japanese national liberation movement of the Korea. With the approach of the day, the Korean people are recollecting the immortal feats performed by Kim Hyong Jik, who advanced the idea of "Aim High!" that one should seek the truly worthwhile life and happiness in the struggle for the fatherland and the nation and fight to liberate the country through generations, and dedicated himself to the struggle for the liberation of the country and the freedom and emancipation of the people.
    The Korean people persistently waged anti-Japanese struggle of various forms including volunteers' struggle in the 1910s when the nation was at the crossroad of life and death. But, they only experienced setbacks owing to the separatist and flunkeyist acts of the nationalists and the decentralized anti-Japanese movement.
    Basing himself on the analysis of this serious weak point of the Korean anti-Japanese movement, he conceived a far-reaching idea that in order to smash the fascist rule of Japanese imperialism and win the independence of the nation, it was imperative to rely on the internal force of the nation and have a revolutionary organization which would be strong in the anti-imperialist, independent stand and root deep among the popular masses, and energetically pushed ahead with the preparation for its formation.
    He proclaimed the formation of the KNA in Hakdanggol, Pyongyang on March 23, Juche 6 (1917 ).
    The KNA was a secret organization with the aim of achieving national independence and establishing a truly civilized state through concerted efforts of the Korean nation. It was one of the largest anti-Japanese underground revolutionary organizations of Korean patriots formed at home and abroad just before and after the March First Popular Uprising.
    He directed special attention to closely combining the struggle of the KNA with revolutionary armed activities and led the anti-Japanese national liberation struggle to a new upswing.
    His idea of "Aim High!" has been successfully realized in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea by President Kim Il Sung who achieved the liberation of the country and built Korean-style socialist society centered on the popular masses under the banner of the Juche idea and by leader Kim Jong Il who is defending socialism and carrying forward the revolutionary cause of Juche by force of arms.

White Paper on Recent Political Terrorism in S. Korea

     Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- The National Reunification Institute in a white paper issued on March 21 branded the recent political rebellion committed under the signboard of "impeachment against the president" at the "National Assembly" of south Korea as an outright challenge to history and the mindset of people, a crude violation of democracy and most barbarous and illegal political terrorism. World history knows no such a law-making body ridden with illegality, lawlessness and evils as the National Assembly in south Korea, the paper said, and went on:
    After the 15th presidential election in 1997 south Korea witnessed a dramatic regime change. The ruling political party that had dominated the NA was reduced to an opposition party. The Grand National Party bribed National Assemblymen from both ruling and opposition parties with "political funds" it illegally collected during its ruling period in a bid to make up for its defeat in the presidential election. As a result, it occupied majority seats in the NA. It postponed the organization of the NA for as many as 40 days in a bid to win such important seats as those of chairmen of standing committees including the "special committee for budget settlement," "the legislation and judicial committee" and the "committee for reunification, diplomacy and trade," to say nothing of that of the speaker of the NA.
    The GNP group's high-handed and self-justified practices backed by the NA had become all the more pronounced since the right-wing conservative forces were defeated in the 2002 presidential election, too.
    Last year alone, the GNP ilk put in motion the voting machine of the NA and railroaded "four bills on special inspection," thus attacking " the government for people" and driving the political situation into a chaos. During the entire term of the 16th NA the GNP unilaterally convened 8 extraordinary sessions of the NA, put more than ten NA sessions to a stalemate, railroaded seven bills through it and called seven bullet-proof NA sessions in a bid to help its riff-raffs flee from the prosecution's investigation.
    The NA is a den of irregularities and corruption. Such hideous financial scandals as "the National Security Planning Board budget embezzlement case," " national tax scandal" and "illegal presidential election fund scam" have been disclosed in south Korea in recent years.
    A particular mention should be made of the fact that the GNP forced business tycoons to provide it with truck loads of money amounting to hundreds of billions of won as an election fund in the last presidential election. Scores of National Assemblymen have so far been interrogated by the prosecution for their involvement in presidential election fund scams and the majority of them are from the GNP.
    The recent political rebellion committed by the conservative forces including the GNP under the back-stage manipulation of the U.S. was a product of their mean plot to divert elsewhere the people's attention focused on their irregularities and corruption and turn the situation before the general election in their favour.
    The Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK fully approved and officially consented to the inter-Korean agreement adopted at the north-south high-level talks in 1991. But the south Korean National Assembly turned it down and answered it by joining the U.S. in kicking up an anti-DPRK nuclear racket and resuming the temporarily-suspended Team Spirit military exercises next year.
    As for laws adopted by the NA of south Korea, none of them pursues reconciliation, unity and reunification but seeks division and confrontation. The NA has hamstrung every effort for dialogue, contacts and cooperation between the north and the south, taking issue with them.
    It is due to its obstructive moves that north-south economic cooperation failed to make desired progress and not a shovelful of earth has been removed in the construction site of the Kaesong Industrial Zone though it started 4 years ago.
    Looking back on history, the NA has traversed a road of treachery as it has sold off the national dignity and interests to the outsiders, pursuing a sycophantic and traitorous policy.
    It is now making desperate efforts to calm down the anti-U.S. spirit for independence that has rapidly mounted in south Korea since the publication of the historic June 15 North-South Joint Declaration.
    It is none other than the GNP and other pro-U.S. conservative forces in the NA that are making desperate efforts to keep the U.S. imperialist aggressor troops in south Korea for an indefinite period.
    It fully disclosed its true colors as a pro-U.S. NA and a war NA by zealously supporting the U.S. in its hard-line policy concerning the nuclear issue.
    All facts go to prove that the south Korean NA is a traitorous NA which lets the nation fall victim to the outsiders, utterly indifferent to its dignity, sovereignty and security, and a pro-U.S. law-making body and a war NA pursuant to the U.S. war policy.
    The U.S. was behind the recent NA passage of the "motion on impeachment" in south Korea. The U.S. should stop interfering in the internal affairs of south Korea and remove its dark tentacles from south Korea.
    South Koreans from all walks of life should never tolerate the conservative forces' plot to usurp the initial achievement made in the struggle for democracy but turn out as one to dismantle the cursed NA and bring about new politics, new system and new life.

Greetings to Pakistani President

     Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, today sent a message of greetings to Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan, on the occasion of the day of Pakistan, the national holiday of its people. Expressing belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would grow stronger, the message wished the president and the people of Pakistan greater success in their work for the democratic development and economic progress of the country.

Greetings to Pakistani Prime Minister

     Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- Pak Pong Ju, premier of the DPRK Cabinet, sent a message of greetings to Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, prime minister of Pakistan, on the occasion of the Day of Pakistan, the auspicious holiday of its people. Expressing belief that the friendly relations between the two countries would continue to grow stronger, the message wished the prime minister and the government of Pakistan greater success in their work for the development and prosperity of the country.

Kim Jong Il Sends Wreath before Bier of Nam Sang Rak

     Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il today sent a wreath before the bier of Nam Sang Rak, member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and deputy to the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, to express deep condolences over his death.

Postponement of Inter-Korean Meetings Proposed

     Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- The north side proposed the south side to hold the fourth meeting of the Panel for the Reconnection of Rail and Road Links between the North and the South and the third meeting of the Panel for Flood Control in the River Rimjin in early April in Kaesong after the south side's reckless war exercises came to an end. Choe Yong Gon, the north side's chairman of the North-South Committee for the Promotion of Economic Cooperation, clarified this in a telephone message sent to the south side's chairman today as regards large-scale joint military exercises that started in south Korea.
    He in the message stressed the need for all the Koreans to pool efforts to contribute to achieving prosperity common to the nation and ensuring peace and security on the Korean peninsula through economic cooperation underway according to the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration.
    The message continued:
    The south side launched together with outsiders "Foal Eagle" and "reception, staging, onward movement and integration (RSOI)" joint military exercises against the north despite its repeated warnings at a time when those panel meetings are scheduled to be held.
    The south side has lost the face to sit face to face with the north side as the former is staging large-scale military exercises with the U.S. against its dialogue partner. Even the public at home and abroad term the south side's attitude as one bereft of common sense as it is contrary to the idea of the joint declaration.
    The south side should bear due responsibility for making it impossible to hold those meetings as scheduled though both sides agreed to have them from March 24, the message noted.

For Spanish-speaking people

Tendra lugar en Pyongyang XXII festival de amistad abril en primavera

     Pyongyang, 22 de marzo (ATCC) -- Con motivo del Dia del Sol (cumpleanos del Presidente Kim Il Sung) tendra lugar en Pyongyang el XXII Festival Artistico de Amistad Abril en Primavera. Este certamen sera un festival artistico internacional que celebrara con gran significacion esa efemeride en reflejo de la unanime aspiracion y el anhelo de los pueblos progresistas y los artistas del mundo a elogiar y hacer brillar de siglo en siglo las inmortales hazanas revolucionarias del Presidente Kim Il Sung y el Dirigente Kim Jong Il realizadas en el cumplimiento de la causa de la independencia de la humanidad.
    Participaran mas de 80 conjuntos artisticos y acrobaticos compuestos por los premiados en concursos nacionales e internacionales y celebres actores de mas de 40 paises de los 5 Continentes del mundo, los conjuntos artisticos de coreanos residentes en ultramar y los artistas coreanos, que pondran en la escena musicas vocales e instrumentales, bailes, acrobacias y otras piezas.
    El festival contribuira a estrechar y ampliar la amistad, la solidaridad, la cooperacion e intercambio culturales entre los pueblos y los artistas de varios paises del mundo bajo el ideal de la independencia, la paz y la amistad y estimulara activamente al pueblo coreano que despliega la ofensiva revolucionaria en todos los frentes de la construccion de una gran potencia prospera en pleno acato a la direccion del Dirigente Kim Jong Il sobre la revolucion mediante el Songun (priorizacion militar).

Rebelion politica de "denuncia al presidente" es terrorismo politico

     Pyongyang, 22 de marzo (ATCC) -- La reciente rebelion politica perpetrada bajo el rotulo de la "denuncia al presidente" en la "Asamblea Nacional" del Sur de Corea es un desafio frontal a la historia y el sentimiento de la poblacion surcoreana, la gran masacre a la democracia y el mas barbaro terrorismo politico. Asi senalo el Instituto de Reunificacion de la Patria en una carta blanca publicada el dia 21 y continuo:
    En el mundo no hubo tal parlamento en que reinaran actos ilegales y corruptos como la "asamblea nacional" del Sur de Corea de hoy.
    En el periodo posterior a las XV "elecciones presidenciales" realizadas en 1997 en el Sur de Corea, se produjo un cambio dramatico de que por la sustitucion del "poder" el partido gobernante que manejaba a su antojo la "Asamblea Nacional" se convirtio en el partido de oposicion.
    A fin de remediar su aplastante derrota sufrida en las "elecciones presidenciales", el "Partido Hannara" soborno con los "fondos politicos" creados ilegalmente en el periodo del partido en el poder a los "parlamentarios" de los partidos en poder y de oposicion para ocupar la mayoria de escanos de la "Asamblea Nacional" y, al postergar mas de 40 dias la composicion de esta ocupo por fuerza el cargo de "presidente de la asamblea nacional" y otros cargos de presidente de los comites permanentes principales como el "comite especial de liquidacion del presupuesto", el "comite de legislacion y justicia" y el "comite de reunificacion, relaciones exteriores y comercio".
    Los actos arbitrarios y egoistas de la banda del "Partido Hannara" en la "asamblea nacional" se hicieron mas freneticos cuando las fuerzas conservadoras derechistas volvieron a perder las "elecciones presidenciales" de 2002.
    En el ano pasado esta banda aprobo 4 veces "proyectos de inspeccion especial" de toda indole a traves de la maquinaria de votacion de la "asamblea nacional" para atacar el "gobierno popular" y perturbar la situacion politica. En todo el periodo de la XVI "asamblea nacional" esa banda celebro a solas 8 veces la sesion provisional de esta, la interrumpio mas de 10 veces, e hizo convocatoria de ella 7 veces para aprobar furtivamente los "proyectos de ley" y liberar a sus compinches de la indagacion de la fiscalia.
    La "asamblea nacional" del Sur de Corea es la madriguera de los actos injustos y corruptos. En los ultimos anos fueron revelados los casos de ilicitud de ultragran tamano como el "caso de usurpacion del presupuesto del Departamento de Planificacion para la Seguridad" (el de Anphung), "el de Administracion de Impuesto Nacional" (el de Sephung) y "el de fondos ilicitos de elecciones presidenciales".
    En particular, en las pasadas elecciones presidenciales el "Partido Hannara" acumulo cientos de miles de millones de wones como "fondos para las elecciones" amenazando a los grandes consorcios. Hasta la fecha, decenas de "parlamentarios" fueron procesados por la fiscalia por los casos de "fondos ilicitos para las elecciones presidenciales" y la mayoria de ellos son miembros del "Partido Hannara".
    La reciente rebelion politica cometida por esta agrupacion corrupta y otras fuerzas conservadoras bajo la manipulacion de EE.UU. no pasa de ser una vil artimana para atenuar el rencor llegado al extremo de la poblacion por sus actos ilicitos y corruptos y virar la situacion para las "elecciones generales" a su favor.
    Cuando se aprobo el acuerdo Norte-Sur en las conversaciones de alto nivel Norte-Sur en 1991 la Asamblea Popular Suprema de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea lo apoyo enteramente y ratifico oficialmente. Pero, la "asamblea nacional" del Sur de Corea lo eludio hasta el fin y en el ano siguiente se le junto en armar alboroto nuclear contra la RPDC y reanudar el simulacro "Team Spirit".
    Esa "asamblea Nacional" aprobo las leyes que no contribuyen a la reconciliacion, la unidad y la reunificacion, sino persiguen la division y el enfrentamiento entre el Norte y el Sur. Censuro y estorbo a cada paso el dialogo, contacto y la cooperacion entre ambas partes. Debido a sus maniobras obstruccionistas la labor de cooperacion economica Norte-Sur de Corea no marcha debidamente y la construccion de la Zona Industrial de Kaesong no dio ni una palada de suelo hasta hoy a 4 anos de comenzada. Historicamente, la "asamblea nacional" del Sur de Corea, al perseguir el servilismo a las grandes potencias y la traicion a la nacion, recorrio por el camino de la criminalidad de someter la dignidad y los intereses de la nacion a favor de las fuerzas foraneas. En particular, actua desesperadamente para detener la tendencia de independencia antiyanqui que cobra auge repentino en el Sur de Corea con motivo de la publicacion de la Declaracion Conjunta Norte-Sur del 15 de Junio. El "Partido Hannara" y otras fuerzas conservadoras proyanquis dentro de la "asamblea nacional" se esfuerzan desesperadamente para mantener a las tropas agresoras norteamericanas en el Sur de Corea. Tambien, este "parlamento" se adhiere docilmente a la politica coercitiva de EE.UU. en el problema nuclear" revelando asi claramente su naturaleza proyanqui y belica. Todos los hechos demuestran que la "asamblea nacional" del Sur de Corea es un "parlamento de traicion a la nacion, patria y el pueblo" y una "agrupacion proyanqui y belica" porque en fin sirve a la politica de guerra de EE.UU. EE.UU. es el manipulador trasero del incidente de la "denuncia al presidente" en el Sur de corea. Ese pais americano debe dejar de intervenir en los asuntos internos del Sur de Corea y quitar su tentaculo de este. Los habitantes surcoreanos de distintos sectores no deben perdonar jamas las intrigas de las fuerzas conservadoras destinadas a arrebatar hasta las conquistas elementales de la democracia y levantarse como un solo hombre en la lucha por eliminar esa odiosa "asamblea nacional" y construir la nueva politica, nuevo regimen y nueva vida.