Kim Jong Il Enjoys Performance Given by Art Groups of Servicemen's Families

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission, enjoyed together with KPA servicepersons a performance given by art groups of servicemen's families of KPA Unit 593 and KPA Unit 529 which participated in the 8th contest among art groups of servicemen's families. When Kim Jong Il appeared in the auditorium, the whole audience warmly welcomed him with stormy cheers.
    Also among the audience were Kim Yong Chun, chief of the General Staff of the KPA, KPA Generals Hyon Chol Hae and Pak Jae Gyong, general officers and Secretary Kim Ki Nam, First Vice-Department Director Ri Jae Il and Vice-Department Director Hwang Pyong So of the C. C., the WPK.
    The performers put on the stage colorful numbers of various genres including choruses "Nostalgia" and "My Country Is Very Good," a dialogic poem and drama "The Guardian of Our Life," a duet "Blue Sky over My Country," a short drama "Precious Wealth," a story and song "We Will Enshrine the Profound Loving Care," a poem and chorus "Let's Advance Faster for Higher Goal" and a chorus "You Are Our Mental Mainstay."
    In their repertoire they loudly sang of their high pride and honor of working hard as women revolutionaries reliably taking charge of posts of the revolution under the loving care of Kim Jong Il and their worthwhile life replete with optimism and joy. They, at the same time, powerfully demonstrated the fixed faith and will, revolutionary spirit and indomitable stamina of the servicemen's families to devotedly protect the headquarters of the revolution and remain loyal to the sacred cause of Songun alongside their husbands.
    At the end of the performance he waved to the enthusiastically cheering performers and audience. He congratulated the performers on their successful presentation.
    He expressed great satisfaction over their splendid performance high in its ideological value and artistry as they gave a unique and truthful representation of their life and feelings in each number.
    He set forth tasks which would serve as guidelines in developing popular and mass art activities, noting that brisk performances being given by art groups of servicemen's families at all units play the role of a powerful motive force vigorously arousing our army and people to the struggle to defend socialism because they constitute one more aspect of brilliant revolutionary soldier culture created in the era of Songun.

U.S. Operation Plan for Preemptive Attack on DPRK Disclosed

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- The U.S. has worked out a concrete operation plan for a preemptive attack on nuclear facilities of the DPRK, according to the south Korean MBC quoting a report of the May 16 issue of the Washington Post. This top secret plan the U.S. worked out last year by putting the Bush administration's strategy of preemptive attack into a concrete shape envisages seizing the DPRK's nuclear facilities through air strikes and the infiltration of a special unit and mounting even a nuclear assault.
    This fact goes to patently prove that the U.S. loudmouthed "peaceful solution to the north Korean nuclear issue" and its touted "recognition of a sovereign state" are nothing but hypocrisy and its warmongers are seized only by the ambition to stifle the DPRK.

Pro-Reunification Patriotic Organizations in North, South and Overseas Issue Joint Statement

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- More than 30 pro-reunification patriotic organizations in the north, the south and overseas including the National Reconciliation Council, the South Side's Headquarters and the Overseas Headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification opposing a war and calling for peace and the withdrawal of the U.S. forces Wednesday made public a joint statement urging the U.S. to stop posing a war threat and demanding the withdrawal of its forces on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Kwangju Popular Uprising. The U.S. forces have ruthlessly trampled down upon the Korean nation's sovereignty and vital rights, keeping south Korea under their occupation for 60 years, the statement noted, and continued:
    It is the requirement and wishes of the Koreans to build a reunified country independently and peacefully free from the U.S. forces.
    The achievements made in the efforts to achieve the national unity over the last five years since the publication of the June 15 joint declaration clearly indicate that the Koreans desire peace and reunification and if they pool their strength, they can surely build a rich and prosperous reunified country.
    It clarified the following stand:
    First. The United States should admit and publicly apologize for approving and orchestrating the bloody crackdown upon the Kwangju resistance fighters who rose up to put an end to the military fascist dictatorship and win democracy, independence and reunification and supporting the Chun Doo Hwan military dictatorial regime 25 years ago.
    Second. We demand the U.S. renounce all the war scenarios on the Korean Peninsula, drop its unilateral assertion that the DPRK scrap its nuclear program first before coming out for the six-party talks for achieving peace and improving the relations.
    Third. We demand the U.S. retract the bellicose remarks that a war might be launched without a prior consultation any moment and immediately come out for the negotiations for denuclearization and disarmament in order to achieve lasting peace.
    Fourth. The U.S. forces' presence in south Korea is a wanton violation of the Armistice Agreement and a source of war. The U.S. should come out at once for the political negotiations aimed at effectuating the pullout of its forces from south Korea and replacing the AA by a lasting peace agreement.
    National reconciliation, cooperation and unity are the shortest cut to bringing earlier peace, independence and reunification by the concerted efforts of the Koreans, the joint statement said, calling for abiding by the three principles of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity, remaining true to the idea of "By our nation itself," a landmark of the country's reunification, and glorifying the year 2005 as a year of bringing about a turning phase in the movement for the reunification through national cooperation against the U.S.

Revival of Spirit Displayed during Kwangju Popular Uprising Called for

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- The Kwangju popular resistance was a historic great deed as it brought a great rupture to the colonial rule of the U.S. imperialists and put the movement for reforming the south Korean society on a new orbit of the anti-U.S. struggle for independence. The deputy chief of the Japan Mission of the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front Wednesday said this in a statement issued on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Kwangju Popular Uprising, according to a news report. Our anti-U.S. struggle for independence and reunification has entered a higher stage of the actions to drive the U.S. forces out of south Korea through an all-people struggle, the statement noted, and continued:
    It is the historic national task whose fulfillment brooks no further delay to put an end to the U.S. domination and interference and build an independent and reunified, new country without GIs, a source of war and all evils. "Let us not allow the U.S. forces' presence in south Korea to go beyond 60 years!" This is the general goal of our actions.
    The reality urgently calls on all the people to turn out in the anti-outsider struggle for independence in order to terminate the U.S. colonial rule and frustrate Japan's wild ambition for reinvasion.
    The patriotic people from all walks of life should revive the spirit displayed during the May 18 Kwangju resistance and wage a courageous struggle for independent reunification and thus make this year marking the 60th anniversaries of the country's liberation and the U.S. forces' occupation of south Korea a year of their total withdrawal, the statement urged.

U.S., Mastermind of Kwangju Massacre, Denounced

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- The south Korean Council of Youth Organizations reportedly called a press conference near the U.S. embassy in Seoul Tuesday on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Kwangju Popular Uprising. Speakers there said the May 18 event was a wholesale bloodbath staged by the Chun Doo Hwan military fascist clique under the manipulation of the U.S. It is a lesson of history that the democratization of society and independent reunification of the country cannot be achieved as long as the persistent U.S. domination and interference in politics, economy and military affairs of south Korea continue, they stressed.
    A letter of protest to the U.S. embassy was published at the press conference.
    It said the new military strategy involving the establishment of a missile defense system, deployment of the latest war equipment and the drafting of "OPLAN" promoted by the United States is, down to the slightest detail, a war scenario targeted at the Korean Peninsula. It branded the U.S. as the wrecker of peace on the Korean Peninsula and a dangerous time bomb liable to bring a scourge of war.
    It further said:
    The U.S. should retract at once the war scenario against the north involving the deployment of Patriot missiles and stop the relocation of its forces and totally withdraw its troops from south Korea.
    At the end of the press conference the participants handed the letter of protest to the U.S. embassy.

Speaker of Czech Chamber of Deputies to Visit DPRK

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- Lubomir Zauralek, speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, will soon visit the DPRK upon the invitation of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly.

Iranian Embassy Officials Visit International Friendship Exhibition

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- Iranian Ambassador to the DPRK Jalaleddin Namini Mianji and officials of the embassy Wednesday visited the International Friendship Exhibition on the occasion of the week of Korea-Iran friendship. While going round exhibition halls with deep emotion, they were briefed on the gifts to President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il from party and state leaders, political and public figures and people from all walks of life of many countries.
    Before leaving, the ambassador made an entry in the visitor's book.
    They also visited the great Ryongmun Cavern.

Flames of Kwangju Resistance Must Be Kept Raging: Rodong Sinmun

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- The flames of the Kwangju resistance in south Korea must be kept raging. The desire of the resistance fighters can be realized only by bringing earlier the reunification of the country through three forms of cooperation: cooperation for national independence, peace against war and reunification and patriotism. Rodong Sinmun Thursday says this in an article dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the heroic Kwangju Popular Uprising. The author of the article continues:
    The Kwangju resistants shed blood of patriotism while waging the anti-U.S., anti-fascist struggle with arms in their hands to bring a new society free from outside forces and fascism, but their desire remains unrealized.
    They, urged by earnest desire for a reunified new land, independent and democratic, shed their blood to put the seal of finality on the anti-popular, anti-national state of affairs, but the reality is still grim.
    The U.S. put down the Kwangju resistance of justice by force of arms in a bid to turn south Korea into its "quiet backyard" without resistance. And it has maintained its colonial rule over south Korea until now, lording it over there as the dominator, and, furthermore, desperately challenged the reunification cause of the Korean nation.
    The reality clearly proves that the U.S. is the heinous aggressor and the sworn enemy of the Korean nation, which is seeking its own interests at the cost of the sacrifice of the Korean nation and, unless an end is put to the U.S. policy of military occupation of south Korea, unthinkable are peace on the Korean Peninsula, security of the Korean nation and the reunification of the country.
    The progress of the south Korean society, peace of the country and national reunification must be moved up by struggle. With the U.S. imperialist aggressors left alone in this land, it is utterly impossible for the south Korean people to settle the bitter grudges of Kwangju or remove the danger of war from the Korean Peninsula or achieve national reunification.
    To fight the U.S. is the only way out. This is the bitter lesson drawn from the Kwangju Popular Uprising.

Rodong Sinmun on Single-Minded Unity

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- The single-minded unity serves as a weapon for the Korean revolution more powerful than any nuclear weapon and the whole party and army and all the people are sure to triumph in the general march of the Songun revolution as they are single-mindedly united around the headquarters of the revolution. Rodong Sinmun Thursday observes this in a signed article. It says:
    The single-minded unity is a mainstay of the revolution and serves as a powerful weapon for accomplishing the socialist cause. Unity has always served as a source of strength to win victory at every stage of the revolutionary development.
    It has served as powerful weapon to thoroughly implement the line and policies of the Workers' Party of Korea despite any ordeal and adversity and bring about a great surge in building a great prosperous powerful nation. It also serves as an engine for working fresh miracles and innovations by displaying popular heroism and the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance.
    The single-minded unity is an ideological and moral source encouraging all the people to energetically turn out in the drive to build a rich and powerful country full of conviction of victory of socialism and optimism.
    The article calls on the officials and other party members and working people to dynamically accelerate the general march of the Songun revolution by dint of the single-minded unity under the Songun leadership of Kim Jong Il and thus glorify the 60th anniversaries of the WPK and the liberation of Korea as grand festivals of victors.

Greetings to Cameroonian President

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Paul Biya, president of the Republic of Cameroon, on May 18 on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of its foundation.
    The message wished the president and people of Cameroon greater success in their work for national unity and the prosperity of the country, expressing@the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would grow stronger.

Inter-Korean Working-level Talks Close

     Kaesong, May 19 (KCNA) -- The working-level talks between the north and south authorities, which opened in Kaesong on May 16, closed today. At the talks our side pointed to the principled issues of fundamental significance in tiding over the abnormal situation beclouding the prospect of inter-Korean relations and developing them in the spirit of the June 15 joint declaration.
    Our side underlined the need for the south side to have the stand of developing the inter-Korean relations in the idea of by our nation itself and on the principle of national cooperation, free from the outdated viewpoint of negating our bedrock, pursuing the showdown between the systems and attaching importance to cooperation with outside forces as evidenced by its action to prevent a civilian memorial delegation from visiting Pyongyang in July last year. At the talks both sides adopted a joint press release after agreeing on it.
    According to the joint press release, the north and the south agreed to have a working-level consultation for actively cooperating in the efforts to dispatch delegations of the authorities of the two sides each headed by a minister-level official to a great festival for national reunification to be held in Pyongyang on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the June 15 joint declaration so that the event may proceed in an atmosphere of reconciliation and cooperation. Both sides also decided to have the 15th north-south ministerial talks in Seoul from June 21 to 24 and push ahead with cooperation from a humanitarian@and compatriotic stand.

KCNA Delegation Leaves for China

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the Korean Central News Agency headed by its Deputy Director General Kim Pyong Ho flew here today to visit China. It was seen off at the airport by Kim Chang Gwang, deputy director general of the KCNA, and Guan Huabing, minister-councilor of the Chinese embassy@here.

Old Book "Korean Code of Laws"

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- The old book "Korean Code of Laws" is conspicuous among many classical documents of the nation. It takes an important place in studying laws of various states which once existed in Korean. The book was the first statute of the Ri Dynasty authored by Jong To Son ,a Confucian scholar who was active in the period from the end of Koryo to@the beginning of the Ri Dynasty.
    It codifies the rules of the political, economic, cultural, military and other fields of the Dynasty. The book had influence on statutes written thereafter.

Paek Nam Sun Meets New Egyptian Ambassador

     Pyongyang, May 19 (KCNA) -- DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun Thursday met and conversed with Moustafa Mohamed Ahmed Al Hatter, new Egyptian ambassador to the DPRK who paid a courtesy call on him.

For Spanish-speaking people

Visitara a Corea el presidente de camara de representantes de Checo

     Pyongyang, 19 de mayo (ATCC) -- Por lainvitacion de la Asamblea Popular Suprema de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea, el presidente de la camara de representantes del parlamento de la Republica de Checo, Lubomir Zauralek, visitara pronto a la RPDC.

Entidades pro-reunificacion emiten declaracion conjunta

     Pyongyang, 19 de mayo (ATCC) -- Con motivo del 25 aniversario del levantamiento popular de Kwangju, mas de 30 entidades patrioticas pro-reunificacion del Norte, el Sur de Corea y en ultramar, entre otras, el Consejo Nacional por la Reconciliacion (CNR) y las direcciones del Sur y ultramar de la Alianza Pannacional por la Reunificacion de la Patria (APRP) publicaron el dia 18 una declaracion conjunta en demanda del cese de la amenaza de guerra de EE.UU. y la retirada de las tropas norteamericanas del suelo surcoreano. Las citadas entidades, que se oponen a la guerra y quieren la preservacion de la paz y la retirada de las tropas yanquis, en el documento, senalaron que durante los 60 anos de la ocupacion del territorio surcoreano las tropas norteamericanas han venido violando flagrantemente la soberania y el derecho a la existencia de la nacion coreana y prosiguieron:
    Construir una patria reunificada de manera independiente y por via pacifica sin las tropas norteamericanas deviene la demanda y el deseo de la nacion coreana.
    Los exitos logrados en la labor para la unidad nacional durante el lustro posterior a la publicacion de la Declaracion Conjunta del 15 de Junio evidencian que la nacion coreana desea la paz y la reunificacion y es posible construir una patria reintegrada prospera con las fuerzas unidas de la nacion. En tal sentido exponemos la posicion nuestra:
    Primero, Que EE.UU. reconozca y se disculpe en publico de su crimen de haber apoyado al poder de dictadura militar de Jon Tu Hwan, consentido y manipulado la represion sangrienta contra los insurgentes de Kwangju que se habian sublevado hace ahora 25 anos en la lucha contra la dictadura fascista militar y por el logro de la democracia, la independencia y la reunificacion.
    Segundo, Que EE.UU. cancele todos sus planes de provocar la guerra en la Peninsula Coreana, renuncie su insistencia en el "desmantelamiento nuclear, primero" de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea y acuda a la mesa de conversaciones a 6 bandas para la preservacion de la paz y la mejora de relaciones con la RPDC.
    Tercero, Que EE.UU. se retracte de sus palabras provocativas de "hacer la guerra a todo momento sin previo aviso" y proceda a las negociaciones sobre la desnuclearizacion y el desarme para lograr la paz duradera.
    Cuarto, La presencia de los efectivos estadounidenses en el Sur de Corea es una evidente violacion del Acuerdo de Armisticio y la fuente de la guerra. Que EE.UU. saque a sus tropas del suelo surcoreano y comparezca en las negociaciones politicas para convertir el Acuerdo de Armisticio en un convenio de paz duradera.
    La reconciliacion, la cooperacion y la unidad de la nacion son el atajo para lograr la paz, la independencia y la reunificacion con las fuerzas propias de la nacion.
    Por lo tanto, debemos materializar los 3 principios de la independencia, la reunificacion pacifica y la gran unidad pannacional, defender consecuentemente el ideal de "Con las fuerzas propias de la nacion coreana", jalon de reunificacion de la patria, y dignificar el 2005 con la lucha antiyanqui y pro-cooperacion nacional como un ano de viraje para la reunificacion de la patria.