U.S. Human Rights Abuses Assailed

     Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun Friday carries a signed commentary denouncing the United States for persistently pulling up other countries over "human rights abuses". It is preposterous and ridiculous of the U.S. to talk about the "human rights issue" of other countries, styling itself a "judge of human rights", the commentary says, and goes on:
    The U.S. is the graveyard of human rights and the worst violator of human rights. It is, therefore, by no means fortuitous that Amnesty International claimed the U.S. has topped the list of the world's worst abusers of human rights in five aspects of their performance for the last 40 odd years.
    What is more serious is that it has violated human rights worldwide. The most hideous human rights abuses perpetrated by the U.S. in the new century are clearly evidenced by the fact that in recent years it waged Afghan and Iraqi wars, massacring peaceable civilians in cold blood.
    So, it is an insult to true human rights for the U.S. to vociferate about "human rights". Its "anti-terrorism war" and foreign policy have been driven into a tighter corner. Upset by this, it is employing a trite trick to divert worldwide criticism of it elsewhere by pulling up other countries over "human rights issues". But such a base and sinister method will get it to nowhere.
    The U.S. would be well advised not to talk about "human rights performance" of other countries but to admit its human rights abuses, apologize to the world community for them and face a deserved punishment for them. This is the most urgent thing to be done by the U.S. as regards the human rights issue.

Friendly Meeting Held in Nepal

     Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- A friendly meeting was held in Kathmandu March 2 on the occasion of the Day of the Sun. The attendants of the meeting first heard the recital of the poems titled "I'll always remain loyal to him," "Tribute to him" and "Highest tribute to the mother" written by P. C. Sharma, chairman of the International Study Centre for Juche-oriented Mass Media in Nepal.
    We will commemorate the birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung and greet the day the "Meeting Praising the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu" would be significantly held before long, Sharma said, adding that it is the great honor and a moral obligation of the progressive people to glorify the immortal exploits performed by the three generals of Mt. Paektu generation after generation.
    He continued:
    Today the DPRK is demonstrating its fame to the world as a political and military power strongest in the sense of independence and faith thanks to the brilliant idea, leadership and immortal feats of the three generals of Mt. Paektu. I wrote poems in the hope of conveying to posterity the immortal feats performed by them for the Korean people and progressive humankind.
    We are convinced that the DPRK would emerge a victor in the nuclear stand-off with the U.S. and become the strongest country in the world as long as the immortal idea and feats of the three generals remain shining and the Songun politics of leader Kim Jong Il remains in force, he stressed.

Japan's Ambition to Grab Tok Islet Blasted

     Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- Japanese Ambassador to south Korea Takano, addressing a recent meet-the press, made a brigandish assertion that Tok Islet belongs to Japan from a historical and legal point of view. Earlier, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, adopted a motion on instituting the "Day of Takeshima". In this regard, Rodong Sinmun Friday observes in a signed commentary:
    Takano's blatant claim that Tok Islet belongs to Japan though it is obviously part of the territory of Korea in all aspects is a wanton infringement upon the territorial sovereignty of the Korean nation and a serious provocation against it.
    The moves staged by the Japanese reactionaries at home and abroad to grab the islet are a revelation of the Japanese militarist forces' ambition for territorial expansion and comeback to Korea.
    The islet is situated in the waters of geopolitical importance for realizing Japan's ambition to invade Korea and these waters abound in marine resources. According to information available recently, natural gas of solid-state called "marine oil" are believed to have been massively deposited on the seabed of those waters. It is the calculation of the Japanese reactionaries that their seizure of the islet would make it possible for Japan to reinvade Korea with ease and get great economic profits. Precisely for this reason they are deliberately raising a hue and cry over this issue, insisting on their claim to the islet. This is nothing but an act of aggression as they seek to internationalize the "issue of dominium over Tok Islet" in a bid to create an atmosphere favorable for grabbing the islet and use it as an advance base for their reinvasion of Korea.
    The Japanese reactionaries would be well advised to behave with discretion and give up their ambition to seize the islet and stage comeback to Korea.

U.S. Moves to Stifle DPRK Assailed in S. Korea

     Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- The South Headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification reportedly issued a statement on March 4 in denunciation of the ever more malicious moves of the United States to suffocate the DPRK under the slogan of "democracy". Recalling that the U.S. administration tendered the so-called "ADVANCE Democracy Act" to both Houses of Congress on March 3, the statement said the bill was brought forward against the background of the "North Korean Human Rights Act", the remarks of the second-term Bush administration about the "outpost of tyranny," the "annual report on human rights" and the forthcoming large-scale joint military drills.
    The bill, in a nutshell, is an evil one to step up the U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK under the cloak of "democracy" and "freedom", the statement noted. It bitterly denounced the makers of the act for pointing at the north as the chief target in all the points of the bill.

Old Music and Dance Pieces Discovered

     Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- The Korean National Music and Dance Institute of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has discovered some 120 old music and dance pieces. They include traditional music and dance pieces reflecting the people's feelings and dance pieces created in the early period of the socialist construction.
    The newly discovered 100-odd pieces of music are songs people had created and loved to sing in their labor and life.
    Among them are folk songs "Weeding," "Lullaby" and "Nilriri" people had sung at work-sites, houses and dancing parties.
    Researchers of the institute have found out the original words of the songs "Girl and Boy" and "Ulsan Ballad" (created in the 1930s) and "Moran Hill" (in 1957) representing the ideological sentiment and emotion of the people in the period of their creation.
    They have also developed to suit the modern aesthetics traditional folk dance pieces and those the people danced in the early period of the socialist construction.
    More than 20 pieces of dance and classic dance have been renewed. Among them are group dances "Wolgum Dance", "Women Divers Dance ", "Ryudu Dance " and "Complaint". They show women yearning for a happy life with elegant, soft and emotional rhythmic movements.
    Associate Professor and Master Yun Su Dong, director of the institute, told KCNA that the institute would continue discovering and studying old music and dance pieces, while consolidating the already-made achievements, so as to make a big contribution to developing the superiority of the nation and add lustre to the time-honored history and culture of Korea.

ICM National Demonstration Project in DPRK

     Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- A national demonstration project is going on in Nampho City, South Phyongan Province, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea under the Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) program. The national demonstration area of over 210 square kilometers covers Nampho city and the banks of the West Sea Barrage reservoir and coastal area near the city. The project is aimed at establishing a scientific and integrated management system of coastal areas such as development and sustainable use of coastal resources, economic development and environmental management in the coastal areas.
    It is being undertaken in the way of preparation, start, development, adoption, improvement, financial settlement and consultation under the ICM program.
    At the end of Juche 87 (1998), the preparation was finished and modern facilities for scientific research needed for the project were fully secured.
    Now the Management Office for the ICM National Demonstration Project organized in Nampho is pushing ahead with the project in real earnest.
    The goal and scale of coastal strategy (perspective) for the present and the future of the demonstration area have been drawn out and the ways for their implementation clarified with the initial stage of the project progressing. The office has analyzed the environmental condition of the project area and listed the results in database by making use of modern instruments for scientific research and, at the same time, established a comprehensive coastal environmental surveying system.
    The law on fishery, law on preventing sea pollution, law on water resources, law on protection and control of territory and environment and other popular laws and regulations for their implementation have been adopted and observed strictly. As a result, the looks of the territory have been changed. When the national demonstration area for the integrated coastal management is built, a great progress will be made in developing and using the coasts of the nation in a scientific and comprehensive way.

Greetings to President of Mauritius

     Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Anerood Jugnauth, president of Mauritius, on Mar. 8 on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of its independence and the 13th anniversary of the proclamation of the republic. The message sincerely wished the president, government and people of the country greater success in their efforts for the prosperity of the country and peace and security in the Indian Ocean and expressed the belief that the good ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries would grow stronger on the basis of the idea of independence, peace and friendship in the future, too.

Planned U.S.-S. Korean Military Drills Slashed

     Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- The United States and the south Korean authorities should not act rashly but promptly cancel the planned reckless military exercises against the DPRK, pondering over the grave consequences to be entailed by such war maneuvers, demanded a spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland in a statement Friday. He strongly urged the south Korean authorities to behave themselves, mindful that if they blindly join the U.S. in its dangerous saber rattling, it will only bedevil the north-south relations.
    The statement said:
    The U.S. and the south Korean forces plan to stage large-scale war exercises codenamed RSOI and Foal Eagle targeted against the DPRK from March 19 to 25. This evidently proves once again that the U.S. has neither intention nor will to negotiate and coexist with the DPRK but only seeks confrontation and war.
    The army and the people in the DPRK will resolutely counter their anti-north war moves, closely watching them. They will deal a merciless telling blow at the aggressors and root out the source of war, if they finally ignite a war in this land.

For Spanish-speaking people

Arregladas mas de 120 obras musicales y coreograficas

     Pyongyang, 11 de marzo (ATCC) -- En los ultimos dias, el Instituto de Musica y Baile Nacionales de Corea hallo y arreglo de nuevo mas 120 obras musicales y coreograficas. Entre ellas se hallan las obras tradicionales que reflejan bien el sentimiento ideologico del pueblo y otras del periodo de la construccion basica del socialismo.
    Mas de cien obras musicales reaparecidas en distintas localidades del pais las crearon y coplearon los coreanos en el proceso de su trabajo y vida.
    Figuran canciones folcloricas como "Ruidos de desyerba", "Cancion de cuna", "Niliri", etc., que reflejan la vida laboral y familiar y otras acompanantes de baile.
    Los investigadores hallaron las letras originales de las canciones "Una pareja de jovenes" y "Ulsan tharyong", creadas en la decada de 1930, "Morambong", en 1957, y otras.
    Descubrieron de nuevo mas de 20 obras coreograficas clasicas que reflejan el sentimiento y la vida de las mujeres que anoran el porvenir feliz, entre otras, el "Baile de wolgum (una especie de laud)", "Baile de buceadoras", "Juegos en el dia quince de junio lunar" y "Quejas".
    El candidato al profesor titular y al doctor Yun Su Dong, director del Instituto, dijo que en esta epoca del Songun, al consolidar los exitos ya logrados, su entidad seguira hallando y arreglando todas las herencias musicales y coreograficas y las estudiaria profundamente contribuyendo asi a exaltar la superioridad de la nacion coreana.

Rodong Sinmun denuncia a reaccion japonesa antojada de isla Tok

     Pyongyang, 11 de marzo (ATCC) -- Hace algunos dias, en una rueda de prensa, el embajador de Japon en el Sur de Corea, Takano, insistio impudicamente en el "derecho de posesion de la isla Tok" alegando que esta "pertenecia a Japon tanto en lo historico como en lo juridico". Con antelacion, en el departamento de Shimane, Japon fue sometido a la consideracion de la asamblea local un "proyecto de regulaciones" con el objetivo de fijar el "Dia de Takeshima (isla Tok en japones)". Con respecto a esto, el periodico Rodong Sinmun inserto en su edicion del dia 11 un comentario individual que senala como sigue:
    Si se toma en cuenta que quien abogo en publico por la pertenencia de la Tok a Japon en el mismo territorio coreano fue nada menos el embajador de este pais, que no es una persona cualquiera, resulta evidente que esto deviene una flagrante violacion de la soberania territorial de la nacion coreana y grave provocacion contra esta.
    Esta campana que lanzaron los reaccionarios japoneses dentro y fuera del pais para arrebatar la Tok tiene su genesis en la ambicion de expansion territorial y el intento de retomar el camino de agresion a Corea de los militaristas del pais isleno.
    La Tok se halla en un punto geograficamente importante y en las aguas perifericas de esta abundan muchos recursos maritimos. Ademas, recientemente fue descubierto alli un gran yacimiento del gas natural solidificado, conocido como "petroleo maritimo".
    Por lo tanto, los reaccionarios japoneses calculan que de apoderarse de la Tok, sera facil invadir de nuevo a Corea y se ganaran fabulosos intereses economicos.
    En este sentido, internacionalizan el "problema de la posesion de la Tok" para propiciar un clima favorable a tomar en sus manos esta base avanzada para la segunda agresion a Corea.
    Pero, los reaccionarios japoneses deben actuar con prudencia y abandonar su intento de arrebatar la Tok y de retomar el camino de agresion a Corea.