Indonesian President and His Wife Send Floral Basket to DPRK Embassy

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife sent a floral basket to the DPRK embassy in Jakarta on the occasion of the birthday of leader Kim Jong Il.

Pyongyangites Welcome S. Korean Defector

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Pyongyangites warmly welcomed Kim Ki Ho who came over to the north at a mass meeting held Tuesday. Kim, 60, came over to the north recently while serving as a civilian employee at a unit of the U.S. forces in south Korea.
    Kim Jong Sik, vice-chairman of the Pyongyang City People's Committee, in a welcome speech said that Kim Ki Ho's defection to the north was an expression of his longing for the north and his will to join the sacred Songun revolutionary ranks whose members are single-mindedly united around the headquarters of the revolution.
    Kim would have an opportunity to fully enjoy a worthwhile and rewarding life as a citizen of the DPRK which has made a dynamic advance, demonstrating its dignity thanks the unquestioned prestige of Kim Jong Il, Songun illustrious commander of Mt. Paektu, noted Kim Jong Sik.
    Kim Ki Ho in a reply speech said that in the south he came to know well about the aggressive and predatory nature of the U.S. which has lorded it over and committed all sorts of arbitrary practices, wantonly trampling down upon the dignity and sovereignty of the people, and keenly realized how miserable and disgraceful the lot of colonial slaves was.
    He continued:
    The people in the south regard the north winning victory after victory in the stand-off with the U.S. under the banner of Songun as a fortress of national dignity and independence. They are very pleased to learn that their brethren in the north are frustrating every move of the U.S. against the north. They are convinced that the north represents the future of the nation.
    The north which has built up strong national power thanks to the Songun policy under the leadership of Kim Jong Il is a very promising powerful state fully demonstrating the dignity and spirit of the nation.
    He renewed his strong will to devote himself to the drive to achieve the prosperity of the socialist country and the cause of reunification, the greatest desire of the nation, true to Kim Jong Il's Songun politics.
    At the meeting Kim Ki Ho was awarded an order of the DPRK and prize money.
    Present there were An Kyong Ho, director of the Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, and others.

S. Korea-U.S. Joint Anti-Sub Exercise Staged

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The U.S. and south Korean warmongers staged a joint anti-submarine exercise in the East Sea of Korea from February 12 to 18, according to south Korean KBS. The naval maneuver was participated in by the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine Los Angeles, anti-submarine patrol planes, a destroyer of the south Korean forces, etc. It was reportedly aimed to bolster the anti-submarine operation capacity in the East Sea of Korea.
    They are hell-bent on the war exercises to invade the north at a time when the situation on the Korean Peninsula is daily growing tenser due to the U.S. unchanged hostile policy toward the north and its threat of a preemptive nuclear attack on it.

Poem Praising Kim Jong Il Created by Russian Poet

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Sergei Romanovich Zandanov, official of the State Financial and Economic Inspection Committee of the Republic of Bryatia of the Russian Federation , made public a poem titled "Eternal Defender of Socialism" in praise of leader Kim Jong Il who has firmly defended socialism with his Songun politics. The Russian poet described Korean socialism as beautiful future of the world and Kim Jong Il who has defended it as an eternal defender and leader of socialism.
    When the flag of the October revolution, the banner of the proletariat who broke the chains of capital, was taken down from the top of Kremlin in Moscow of the Soviet Union, the flag of socialism more vigorously fluttered in the invincible DPRK in the East, the poet noted, and continued:
    Kim Jong Il, defender of socialism, declared that socialism is a science, holding aloft the red flag and instilled its truth into all people.
    No one can take away the flag of Korean style socialism which Kim Jong Il has defended with the arms of Songun and it will fly in every part of the world, destroying the imperialist fortress and indicating the road for humankind to follow.

Russian Military Attache Hosts Reception

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- Military attache of the Russian Embassy here Igor Pablov hosted a reception at the Taedonggang Club for the Diplomatic Corps Tuesday evening on the occasion of the "Day of Defenders of Motherland" in Russia. Present there on invitation were Vice-Minister of the People's Armed Forces Kim Sang Ik, general officers and officers of the Korean People's Army, diplomatic envoys of various countries and military attaches of foreign embassies here.
    Present there were Ambassador Andrei Karlov and staff members of his embassy. Speeches were made at the reception.

Aggressive and Predatory Nature of Japanese Militarists Remains Unchanged

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- It is 60 years since the Japanese imperialists suffered a defeat while going wild with aggression and war but there is no change in their aggressive and predatory nature. On the contrary, their deep-rooted militarist ambition is growing wilder, increasing its danger. Rodong Sinmun Wednesday says this in a signed article. Noting that aggression and plunder are invariable nature of the Japanese militarists and means for their existence, the article goes on:
    The Japanese militarists regard overseas aggression and pillage as the only way out for Japan to exist and calculate that by doing so they can realize their old dream of the "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere" to emerge a political and military giant. It is their strategic goal and ambition to translate the dream for world domination in the 21st century into reality at any cost.
    Japan's annual military spending exceeds 50 billion US dollars and most of it is being spent for the modernization of the "Self-Defense Forces" (SDF).
    The Japanese government formally decided on seven bills related to the "emergency" including the "bill on the protection of the people" at a Cabinet meeting. It is set to adopt them and finalize the readjustment of the "emergency legislation."
    The visit to the "Yasukuni Shrine" has been placed on an official and popular basis.
    The dispatch of SDF to Iraq and its military activities under the pretext of "support to the anti-terrorist war", "logistic support to the U.S." and "assistance to reconstruction of Iraq" diametrically run counter to Japan's "pacifist constitution" prohibiting any war. It is an intention of the Japanese militarists to realize their ambition for overseas aggression and world domination at any cost.
    The DPRK is made the primary target of their attack. Japan's moves to perfect the "emergency legislation," the reorganization of SDF's combat units and their deployment to implement the "strategy of attaching importance to the western part of the country" to cope with the "emergency on the Korean Peninsula" and intensified war exercises of the SDF in the regions near the peninsula, etc. are designed to mount armed attacks on the DPRK.
    The predatory nature of the Japanese militarists also remains unchanged.
    Because of this aggressive and predatory nature they are utterly indifferent to the interests of the international community, those of other countries.
    They try to retain their grip on other countries as their markets, suppliers of raw and other materials and places for their investment by intensifying their economic infiltration into those countries.
    By doing so, Japan seeks to intensify its economic exploitation and plunder of other countries and, furthermore, establish its political and military domination over them, using them as springboards.
    The aggressive and predatory nature of the Japanese militarists will never change. If there is any change, their methods of aggression and plunder will get more crafty and vicious.

National Food for Folk Holiday, Lunar January 15

     Pyongyang, February 23 (KCNA) -- The catering network in Pyongyang, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is crowded with citizens on the folk holiday, lunar January 15. More than 20 restaurants under the Pyongyang General Public Service Bureau serve holiday dishes including tray noodle with pheasant meat and sparrow meat kebab to customers.
    Among the holiday food are boiled rice mixed with four other cereals, sweet rice dish, taffy and noodle.
    The Okryu and Chongryu Restaurants renowned for their folk dishes serve over 100 kinds of holiday dishes including boiled rice mixed with four other cereals, sweet rice dish, Pyongyang cold noodle, sinsollo (food cooked in brazier), beef with vegetables cooked in casserole and kebab.
    The restaurants under the Public Catering Management Department of the Pyongyang City People's Committee are also crowded with holiday-makers.
    More than 10 folk food restaurants and 80 other restaurants in the Central, Pothonggang and other districts of the city delight the customers with boiled rice wrapped with cabbage leaves and lavers, dried edible herb dishes and various kinds of cakes.
    It is the traditional food custom to make 9 kinds of dried edible herb dishes on lunar January 15. It has been told that these dishes prevent heatstroke in summer.
    Stalls in streets serve citizens with roasted chestnut and sweet potatoes, stirring up the festive mood.
    The catering networks in Pyongyang and other parts of the country are also busy serving holiday-makers with national food.

For Spanish-speaking people

Kim Jong Il se reune con Wang Jiarui

     Pyongyang, 22 de febrero (ATCC) -- El Dirigente Kim Jong Il, Secretario General del Partido del Trabajo de Corea y Presidente del Comite de Defensa Nacional de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea, se reunio el dia 21 con el jefe del Departamento de Enlace Internacional del Comite Central del Partido Comunista de China (PCCh), Wang Jiarui, de visita en Corea. Estuvo presente el primer viceministro de Relaciones Exteriores de la RPDC Kang Sok Ju.
    En la ocasion Wang transmitio al Dirigente un mensaje oral de Hu Jintao, Secretario General del CC del PCCh y Presidente de la Republica Popular China, y el saludo cordial de otros cuadros del partido y el Estado de China.
    El secretario general Hu Jintao, en su mensaje oral, senalo que conviene a los intereses fundamentales de China y Corea el que ambas partes mantengan la posicion de realizar la desnuclearizacion de la Peninsula Coreana y defender la paz y la estabilidad de esta region y solucionen mediante las conversaciones a 6 bandas el problema nuclear y la preocupacion razonable de la parte coreana.
    Y subrayo que en los ultimos anos siguen desarrollandose favorablemente las relaciones de amistad entre los dos partidos y dos paises por los esfuerzos comunes de ambas partes y expreso su esperanza de que tambien en el ano nuevo se logre un mayor progreso en estos vinculos.
    El Dirigente manifesto su agradecimiento por el mensaje oral de su homologo chino, y le rogo a Wang Jiarui que transmitiera su saludo a Hu Jintao y otros cuadros del partido y el Estado de China. Y compartio una charla cordial y amistosa con el huesped chino. El Dirigente evaluo de altos los esfuerzos del partido y el gobierno de China por preservar la paz y la estabilidad de la Peninsula Coreana.
    Dijo que la parte coreana mantendra el principio de la desnuclearizacion de la Peninsula Coreana y la invariable posicion de solucionar el problema por via pacifica y negociada.
    No nos opusimos ni una vez a las conversaciones a 6 bandas sino hicimos todos los esfuerzos por la marcha exitosa de esta cita, apunto.
    Cuando se den las condiciones propicias para la cita a 6 bandas por los esfuerzos comunes de las partes interesadas, saldremos a la mesa de conversaciones, subrayo y anadio que la parte coreana espera que los Estados Unidos actuen con sinceridad confiable.
    Al recordar el hecho de que durante su visita del ano expirado a China fue objeto de sincera hospitalidad por parte del nuevo Colectivo de Direccion Central de este pais vecino, el Dirigente se mostro satisfecho por el desarrollo de las relaciones de ambos partidos y paises. Con los esfuerzos comunes con China, impulsaremos activamente las relaciones Corea-China a una nueva etapa de desarrollo conforme a la demanda del nuevo siglo, subrayo.
    Por su parte, Wang Jiarui refirio que por los esfuerzos comunes de los maximos dirigentes de ambas partes, los dos paises logran exitos al desarrollar intercambio en varias esferas y sectores, se incrementa establemente el intercambio economico y comercial y aparecen nuevas tendencias en la cooperacion de beneficio mutuo.
    China se esfuerza junto con Corea por desarrollar multilateralmente la buena vecindad, la amistad y la cooperacion China-Corea y seguira dando nuevos contenidos y brios a las relaciones de amistad y cooperacion bilaterales para llevarlas adelante de generacion en generacion, dijo el.
    En cuanto al problema nuclear de Corea, Wang dijo que China se mantiene invariablemente en la preservacion de la paz y la estabilidad de la Peninsula Coreana y apoya la desnuclearizacion de esta y anadio que las partes interesadas deben solucionar por via negociada el problema nuclear de Corea tomando en seria consideracion la preocupacion razonable de esta.
    Partiendo de la actual situacion internacional, China considera que la desnuclearizacion de la Peninsula Coreana conviene no solo a los intereses del pueblo coreano, sino tambien a la seguridad y los intereses de China, y desea que la cita a 6 bandas se reanude pronto por los esfuerzos comunes de las partes interesadas, apunto Wang.
    En la ocasion ambas partes intercambiaron con profundidad opiniones sobre los problemas de interes mutuo.
    Acto seguido, el Dirigente ofrecio una cena en honor de Wang Jiarui y su comitiva. La recepcion transcurrio en un ambiente amistoso.