North-South General-level Military Talks Held

     Mt. Kumgang, May 26 (KCNA) -- The first round of the north-south general-level military talks took place at Mt. Kumgang resort Wednesday to militarily guarantee the implementation of the historic June 15 North-South Joint Declaration. Present there were the north side's delegation led by Major-General of the Korean People's Army An Ik San and the south side's delegation with Commodore Pak Jong Hwa from the Ministry of National Defence of south Korea as chief delegate.
    At the talks the heads of the two sides made keynote addresses.
    The head of the north side said: One round of the ministerial talks of the armed forces of the two sides and more than 20 rounds of military working talks and contacts have taken place for the last four years since the adoption of the joint declaration. As a result, several agreements on military guarantee were adopted and effectuated to set up districts under the north-south control in the east and west coastal areas and push forward the railway and road projects for relinking the north and the south and thereby pulling down the barrier of division that has lasted for more than half a century. The day of opening them to traffic is at hand.
    There are several issues to be negotiated and settled between the two militaries at present, but we should settle, first of all, the issues which may spark a grave military conflict any moment.
    To begin with, propaganda in the frontline areas should be completely stopped as it is the leftover of the Cold War era which breeds seeds of confrontation and distrust and practical measures be taken as early as possible to eliminate all its means.
    It is also necessary to negotiate and settle the issue of preventing the skirmish on the West Sea at an early date. The two sides should not repeat the inglorious past in which the armed skirmish in the waters of the West Sea left painful wounds on the nation and put the favorably developing inter-Korean relations in the danger of going back to those of confrontation.
    Both sides shared the view that the issues of stopping the above-mentioned propaganda and eliminating its means and preventing skirmishes on the West Sea are urgent issues to be settled to ease the military tensions on the Korean peninsula and agreed to continue the discussion at the next talks.
    Both sides agreed to hold the second round of the inter-Korean general-level military talks at Mt. Solak resort in the area of the south side on June 3.

NDFSK Calls for Withdrawal of U.S. Forces

     Pyongyang, May 27 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) in a statement issued on May 24 called upon all the people to wage a more dynamic struggle to get the U.S. forces totally withdrawn from south Korea, not being deceived by the U.S. talk about "transfer" and "cutback." Recalling that the pro-U.S. ultra-right conservative forces are resorting to all sorts of anti-national actions to keep the U.S. forces in south Korea, working hard to create the impression that a war may break out any moment due to the "security gap" in south Korea to be caused by the transfer of some of the U.S. forces, the statement said:
    The U.S. planned transfer of some of its troops in south Korea to Iraq was not simply prompted by the "urgency of the situation in Iraq" where the U.S. forces are tight-cornered and its plan to "redeploy the U.S. forces stationed overseas". Through this the U.S. pursues a crafty aim to reuse its old "security" theory for stamping out the rapidly mounting movement for independence against the U.S. and giving a shot in the arm of the moribund ultra-right conservative forces. It also seeks to step up the arms build-up under the pretext of filling the "security gap" and round off its plan for a war of aggression on the north at an early date.
    Peace and stability on the Korean peninsula can never be guaranteed by the U.S. It is the common task of the 70 million Koreans to preserve them through effective national cooperation by themselves.
    What the U.S. has done for nearly 60 years after occupying this land is nothing but its colonial domination over the people, subjugation, murder and plunder and other crimes. It has only persisted in its moves for a war against the north in a bid to swallow up the Korean peninsula.
    The only way of ensuring the stability of the nation and peace on the Korean peninsula and protecting the existence of the people is to get the U.S. forces in south Korea, the biggest source of war and the root cause of all misfortunes and sufferings, withdrawn from this land to the last man.

Meeting in Seoul Demands Withdrawal of US Troops

     Pyongyang, May 27 (KCNA) -- A meeting demanding the withdrawal of the U.S. troops, a group of criminals and a source of war on the Korean peninsula, from south Korea was reportedly held in front of Kwanghwamun in Seoul on May 22 under the sponsorship of the Reunification Solidarity. Addressing the meeting, Ra Chang Sun, chairman of the South Headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification, called on all the people, young and old and men and women, to firmly unite as one irrespective of ideology, political view, class and social standings and turn out in a nationwide struggle against the U.S. to force the U.S. troops out of south Korea and build a new country independent and reunified.
    Speeches were made there by Kwon O Chang, permanent co-representative of the Solidarity for the Implementation of the South-North Joint Declaration, and others. In their speeches they called on the 70 million Koreans to wage a vigorous struggle to force the U.S. imperialists out of south Korea and achieve independent reunification by their concerted efforts till the day they will be able to live as one nation.
    They underscored the need to check the government's plan to send troops to Iraq without fail and drive the mean U.S. forces out of south Korea by their own efforts.
    A resolution read out at the meeting noted that what the U.S. troops have done in south Korea for nearly 60 years since their occupation of it were nothing but the division of the Korean nation, a war provoked by them against it and an unbroken chain of crimes. The U.S. is chiefly to blame for having chilled the desire of the Koreans in the north and the south for reconciliation, cooperation and reunification and increased the danger of war on the Korean peninsula, noted the resolution.
    It stressed that all the people would wage a vigorous struggle for the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from south Korea.
    At the end of the meeting its participants burned the Stars and Stripes.

Joint Action Program Published

     Pyongyang, May 27 (KCNA) -- The pan-European preparatory committee for the implementation of the June 15 joint declaration reportedly made public its action program to hold functions on the 4th anniversary of the publication of the declaration. The wide range of events planned by it include a photo and art show on Korea's reunification and a joint performance of students from north and south of Korea studying abroad which will be held in Berlin on June 12.

Reception at Iranian Embassy

     Pyongyang, May 27 (KCNA) -- Iranian Ambassador to the DPRK Jalaleddin Namini Mianji hosted a reception at the embassy on May 26 on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Seyed Ali Khamenei's visit to the DPRK, the leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, and the Week of DPRK-Iran Friendship. Present there were Ri Won Il, minister of Labour who is chairman of the DPRK-Iran Friendship Association, Kim Yong Il, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, and Jon Yong Jin, vice-chairman of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and other officials concerned.

Korea Ulrim Transportation Company Starts Operation

     Pyongyang, May 27 (KCNA) -- The Korea Ulrim Transportation Joint Venture Company has started operation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The company, located in Raknang District, Pyongyang, has a lot of buses, trucks and other vehicles for long-distance transportation at home and abroad.
    It, which has branch offices in Hamhung, Haeju, Chongjin, Sinuiju and other cities, ensures transportation of passengers and freight between Pyongyang and provincial capitals and between counties.
    It will shortly begin passenger-bus service between Pyongyang and Dandong, China.
    Manager of the company Kim Ki Dok told KCNA that the number of people visiting famous historical sites, the Hyangsan area, the West Sea Barrage, Mt. Jongbang and other scenic spots and demand for freight transportation are on a steady increase in the country. The company is taking practical measures to meet the demand, he said. It will further develop joint venture and cooperation with other countries for increased transportation.

"Answers to Questions on Common Health Knowledge" off Press

     Pyongyang, May 27 (KCNA) -- The Science and Encyclopedia Press of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has published a book "Answers to Questions on Common Health Knowledge". The book, which mainly deals with issues arising in essential regimen, gives common knowledge about metabolism, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, eye, dental, skin, ear, nose and throat and surgical diseases.
    It also contains 148 snippets of medical knowledge. Among them are what bad effect sleeping in sitting has on human body, correlation between medicine and smoking, to what one should pay attention in taking a bath and in drinking milk, dishes one should not eat simultaneously, garlic's anti-cancer effect and foodstuffs containing poisonous matters.

For Spanish-speaking people

Ronda de conversaciones castrenses Norte-Sur a nivel de general

     Kumgangsan, 26 de mayo (ATCC) -- La primera ronda de Conversaciones Castrenses a Nivel de General Norte-Sur de Corea para asegurar militarmente la ejecucion de la historica Declaracion Conjunta del 15 de Junio tuvo lugar el dia 26 en el monte Kumgang. Participaron la delegacion del Norte presidida por An Ik San, mayor general del Ejercito Popular de Corea y la delegacion del Sur encabezada por el delegado jefe Pak Jong Hwa, comodoro del Ministerio de Defensa Nacional.
    En la ocasion An Ik San y Pak Jong Hwa hicieron uso de la palabra.
    An dijo que durante estos 4 anos que datan de la publicacion de la historica Declaracion Conjunta Norte-Sur del 15 de Junio se realizaron las conversaciones a nivel de ministro de fuerzas armadas populares de una ocasion y las conversaciones y contactos de expertos militares de mas de 20 ocasiones, a traves de los cuales se logro aprobar y poner en vigor varios Acuerdos de Aseguracion Militar para establecer los sectores de administracion Norte-Sur en las zonas Oriental y Occidental y acelerar el trabajo de union de ferrocarril y carretera del Norte y el Sur poniendo fin a la barrera de division que duro mas de medio siglo, y apunto que se aproxima el dia de su inauguracion.
    Quedan varios problemas a ser consultados y solucionados por ambas autoridades militares, pero se debe dar prioridad a la solucion de los problemas que puedan ocasionar graves conflictos militares a toda hora, senalo y subrayo:
    Ante todo, se deben tomar de inmediato las medidas practicas para poner fin a todas las actividades propagandisticas en la zona del frente que son remanencia de la epoca de guerra fria y fuente de la confrontacion y desconfianza y para eliminar todos sus medios.
    Tambien se debe consultar y resolver sin mas tardar el problema de prevenir el choque en el Mar Oeste, senalo y prosiguio que no se debe repetir el pasado desagradable, es decir el choque armado ocurrido en las aguas del Mar Oeste que dejo dolorosa herida al corazon de la nacion y que pudo retornar las favorables relaciones Norte-Sur a las de confrontacion.
    En la primera ronda de conversaciones, ambas partes llegaron a la unanimidad de criterios de que el problema de poner fin a la propaganda y eliminar sus medios en la zona del frente y prevenir el choque en el Mar Oeste se presenta como un problema urgente para aliviar la tension militar de la Peninsula Coreana y acordaron continuar la discusion de este problema en la proxima ronda.
    Ambas partes acordaron efectuar el 3 de junio proximo en el monte Sol-ak de la parte Sur la segunda ronda de Conversaciones Militares Norte-Sur a Nivel de General.

Centro de Confeccion de Vestidos Nacionales

     Pyongyang, 27 de mayo (ATCC) -- El Centro de Confeccion de Vestidos Nacionales de la Union de Empresas de Objetos de Artes Nacionales de Corea confecciona vestimentas nacionales desarrolladas conforme a la estetica moderna, las que acaparan la reputacion por la elegancia y hermosura en sus formas, colores y apariencias. Sobre todo, chima (falda) y jogori (blusa) con magnolias en relieve, que tiene forma nueva y comoda para las actividades al matenener bien la peculiaridad de vestimenta nacional, recibieron la evaluacion superior en la Exposicion de Vestuarios Nacionales Coreanos del 90 (2001) de la Era Juche. Los trajes de gala que se ajustan bien al paisaje hermoso y las figuras de las mujeres fueron evaluados altamente en la Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes Industriales de septiembre de 2003 y el nuevo vestuario de boda se clasifico de categoria especial en la Exposicion Nacional de Vestidos Coreanos de octubre de 2003.
    Chima y jogori de diversos colores y formas y los vestidos de rayas multicolores para los ninos atraen atencion especial entre los coreanos residentes en ultramar.
    El Centro hace grandes esfuerzos por mantener y llevar adelante las excelentes tradiciones culturales de la nacion coreana diversificando y mejorando los modelos y formas de los vestidos nacionales conforme a la creciente demanda y gusto de los usuarios.