6th North-South Red Cross Talks

     Mt. Kumgang Resort, August 25 (KCNA) -- The 6th North-South Red Cross Talks were held at Mt. Kumgang resort from August 23 to 25. Present there were members of the delegation of the north side headed by Choe Song Ik, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Red Cross Society of the DPRK, and members of the delegation of the south side with Jang Sok Jun, secretary general of the south Korean Red Cross, as chief delegate.
    Both sides issued a joint press release at the talks.
    According to it, at the talks the north and the south were close to a consensus of views on a series of issues and agreed to pursue further discussion on some issues in the days ahead.

Seminar on Kim Jong Il's Work Held in India

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- A seminar on leader Kim Jong Il's famous work "Let Us Exalt the Brilliance of Comrade Kim Il Sung's Idea on the Youth Movement and the Achievements Made under His Leadership" was held by the Indian Youth Group for the Study of Works of Comrade Kim Il Sung on Aug. 20 on the occasion of the Day of Youth. Balzor Singh Chauhan, chairman of the group, said at the seminar that the idea of the youth movement and the politics of attaching importance to the youth clarified and maintained by President Kim Il Sung reflect the character of the era of independence and precious experience gained in the revolutionary education and training of young people at each stage of developing revolution.
    Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il regarded the issue of youth as an essential one related to the destiny of the country and the nation and the future of the revolution and set out the original idea and theory on the youth movement and worked heart and soul for its growth and development, he noted.
    Kim Jong Il comprehensively indicated tasks and ways for defending and carrying forward Kim Il Sung's idea of the youth movement and leadership exploits, he noted, expressing belief that the Korean youth led by Kim Jong Il would always stand in the van of the world progressive youth movement.

Anniversary of Korea's Liberation Celebrated in Different Countries

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- Lectures, photo exhibitions, film shows and meetings were held in Peru, Austria, India, Tanzania, Thailand, Belarus, Yemen and Nepal from August 3 to 15 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Korea. Luis Mateo Munoz, general secretary of the Socialist Party of Peru, in a lecture said that the world progressive people remember with deep emotion the undying feats performed by the three generals of Mt. Paektu on behalf of the Korean people and humankind. The 60th anniversary of Korea's liberation marks a significant occasion of demonstrating to the world that the DPRK is, indeed, a powerful country which remains shining along with the august names of the three great persons of Mt. Paektu, he added.
    Helmut Heidweger, chief of the Group for the Study of the Juche Idea of Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il in Vienna, in a lecture said that the Korean nation would surely accomplish the cause of reunification before long as it is led by Kim Jong Il. B. C. Gupta, chairman of the Juche Idea Study Society of Delhi, in a lecture said that the undying feats President Kim Il Sung performed by liberating Korea would shine long with the Songun era thanks to Kim Jong Il.
    Banou Keita, director general of the Kim Il Sung Institute of Agricultural Science in Guinea, addressing a meeting, praised Kim Il Sung as the benefactor of Korea's liberation and the great sun of new Korea.
    The participants of the film shows watched "The Fatherly Leader with Anti-Japanese Revolutionary Fighters", "The Respected Comrade Kim Jong Il Is the Great Thinker and Theoretician" and other Korean films.
    A congratulatory message to Kim Jong Il was adopted at the lecture in Austria. Meanwhile, seminars on the feats Kim Il Sung performed by liberating Korea were held in Syria, Romania and Uganda on August 1

Russian Beryozka Dancing Troupe Performs in Wonsan

     Wonsan, August 25 (KCNA) -- The visiting Russian Beryozka Dancing Troupe gave performances in Wonsan on August 24 and 25. It put on the stage colorful and peculiar numbers in Wonsan in the wake of its successful performances in Pyongyang and Hamhung.
    The performance began with a chorus "Song of General Kim Jong Il." The audience were deeply impressed when the Russian artistes truthfully represented with rich volumes Korean songs "Song Dedicated to Comrade Kim Jong Il," "The General of Korea" and "Recalling the Old Home," expressing profound reverence for the generals of Mt. Paektu.
    In their women's group dance "Beryozka," a typical number of the dancing troupe, women's group dances "River Volga" and "Girls", men's group dances "Carters" and "Song of Labor," a mixed group dance "Holiday Dance" and other numbers the artistes impressively represented the traditional customs and industrious work style and national sentiments of the Russians. In a trio dance "Witticism Dance" and a mixed group dance "Petrushka" they successfully dealt with the humorous theme of the works to the laughter of the audience.
    Their presentation deeply impressed the audience as it was a good combination of graceful dance pieces high in artistry dealing with Russians' sentiments and lifestyle.

Choe Thae Bok Meets Chinese Party Delegation

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, met and had a friendly conversation with the delegation of the Dandong City, Liaoning Province, Committee of the Communist Party of China headed by Secretary Zhu Shaoye on August 25. The head of the delegation said that China and Korea are neighbors linked with each other with mountains and rivers in between. The Sino-DPRK friendship was provided by Chairman Mao Zedong and President Kim Il Sung and the revolutionaries of the elder generation, he noted.
    Under the wise guidance of General Secretary Kim Jong Il the party, the army and the people of the DPRK are registering successes in building Korean-style socialism by fully displaying the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and fortitude, he said, expressing belief that the Korean people, rallied close around Kim Jong Il, will achieve greater successes in socialist construction.

Gift to Kim Jong Il from Chinese Party Delegation

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il was presented with a gift by the visiting delegation of the Dandong City, Liaoning Province, Committee of the Communist Party of China. The gift was handed to Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, by head of the delegation Zhu Shaoye, secretary of the Dandong City Committee, on August 25.

Stop to Military Exercises Urged in S. Korea

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- The Reunification Solidarity and the People's Solidarity in south Korea reportedly called a press conference around the U.S. embassy in Seoul on August 22 at which they declared they would stage a joint struggle in demand of a stop to "Ulji Focus Lens-05" joint military exercises. At the conference speakers recalled that the south Korea-U.S. "Combined Forces Command" announced its plan to stage the joint military exercises involving the U.S. forces and the south Korean army. They denounced the exercises as a war rehearsal for aggression aimed to acquire the concept of the U.S. operation for a preemptive attack on the north in case of "contingency" and complete combined arrangements for a total war. Then, an action program of the organizations was announced to jointly stage a vigorous struggle for a halt to the war exercises. According to it, the organizations will conduct a monthly event of joint action against the U.S. and war in front of the U.S. embassy on August 27.
    Meanwhile, civic and public organizations, including the People for Achieving Peace and Reunification, the South Headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification and the Solidarity for Social Progress, held a press conference in front of the building of the Defence Ministry on August 22 in demand of a stop to the U.S. forces' rehearsal for a war of aggression.
    A press release published at the conference said that the current joint military exercises, staged for the first time after the U.S. Second Division, a main pillar of the U.S. forces in south Korea, was reorganized into a future-oriented division, are aimed to increase the division's commanding and control capability and precision strike capacity. It strongly demanded an immediate stop to the exercises, saying that they will spoil the atmosphere of reconciliation and cooperation among Koreans grown up through the August 15 grand national festival and create military tensions and threaten peace in Northeast Asia.
    An open letter to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the south Korean army was read out at the conference.
    At the end of the conference the organizations handed over the letter to the Defence Ministry.

Joint Military Exercises Denounced

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- The South Headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country's Reunification reportedly published a statement titled "U.S. forces, stop at once 'Ulji Focus Lens-05' war exercises" on August 22. The U.S. forces, in league with the south Korean army, the statement said, have launched the "Ulji Focus Lens-05" joint military exercises in a bid to render the situation of the Korean Peninsula extremely strained and arrest reconciliation and cooperation between the north and the south at any cost.
    The people in the south have clearly known that the U.S. forces in south Korea are the root cause of aggravating the situation on the peninsula and threatening peace, it noted, demanding an immediate halt to the war exercises.
    Meanwhile, the south Korean Federation of University Student Councils on August 21 issued a statement titled "U.S. forces, stop 'Ulji Focus Lens-05' war exercises aimed at a preemptive attack on the north and get out of this land at once."

Rodong Sinmun on General March of Songun Revolution

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- The general march of Songun revolution now being staged by the Korean people is a dynamic onward movement in the present times to reach the high eminence of a great prosperous powerful socialist nation under the banner of the great Songun idea and a new mass movement at a higher stage which has successfully carried forward the proud history and tradition of the revolutionary grand march. Rodong Sinmun Friday says this in a signed article.
    The article goes on: The general march of Songun revolution is a dynamic onward movement making successful progress thanks to the concerted efforts of the army and the people of the DPRK united close around leader Kim Jong Il. The army and the people of the DPRK absolutely trust and follow their leader and uphold the idea and intention of the Workers' Party of Korea with loyalty all the time under the uplifted slogan "Once the Party determines, we will move!"
    The general march of Songun revolution is one based on confidence as it is making progress, guided by the revolutionary faith of the army and the people in socialism.
    They deeply grasped through their life experience the revolutionary truth that defending socialism means victory but abandoning it means death. The above-said march represents a sacred struggle to firmly defend man-centered Korean style socialism from the moves of the imperialists to isolate and stifle it and add shine to it. The Korean people's faith in socialism has become a scientific outlook on the world and they regard socialism as the most precious life and soul and a genuine life.
    The key to victory in the general march of Songun revolution lies in energetically pushing forward the revolution and construction with firm faith in socialism.
    This march means a powerful mass onward movement which makes progress on the basis of the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and by its force. It is the steadfast stand of the Party to build a rich and powerful country on its own, trusting its people and it is also the fixed will of the army and the people of the DPRK.

Building of Independent World Called for

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun Friday in a signed article says that the joint slogans of the Central Committee and the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea clarify the appearance of the new world that should be built in the 21st century and the target, orientation and ways of struggle of the world progressive people. What the humankind should build in the new century is an independent, new world, the article says, and goes on: The independent world means a world where the intrinsic demand of humankind is completely met and desire of each country and nation for independence and peace is realized.
    Independence is the basic of social attributes of a human being, the intrinsic character of humankind. It is the original nature of a human being and a characteristic common to humankind to reject the exploitation and oppression, domination and subjugation and interference and pressure by others and strive to emerge and develop as a master of his own destiny, the times and the world. The independent world represents the world where such independence serves as a starting point of establishing all the international relations and all the members of the world community steadily consolidate and develop their relations on this basis. Each country and nation can fully exercise its sovereignty in the independent world.
    One should never allow the old world structure of the 20th century full of contradictions to remain in the 21st century, especially the unipolar world structure dominated by the U.S. imperialists to be established. Tolerance of such structures will mean retrogression in building an independent new world and, furthermore, abandonment of the efforts to do so. Close unity of peoples of all the countries advocating independence is the best way and a fundamental guarantee for building an independent, new world. It is an important way of building this world to defend and advance the socialist cause while protecting peace and security from the imperialists' moves for aggression and war.

Gift to Kim Jong Il

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il was presented with a gift by the Zambian vice-president on a visit to the DPRK. It was conveyed to Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, by Vice-President Lupando Mwape on Friday.

Kim Yong Nam Meets Zambian Delegation

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, met and had a friendly conversation with the government delegation of Zambia led by Vice-President Lupando Mwape at the Mansudae Assembly Hall Friday. On hand were Kim Hyong Jun, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, Ri Myong San, vice-minister of Foreign Trade, Kim Yong Suk, vice-minister of Agriculture, and others. The vice-president said that President Kim Il Sung performed great feats by strengthening and developing the non-aligned movement and they would be immortal.
    The Korean people are striving to achieve national reunification and the reunification of Korea should be achieved from an independent stand, he stressed.

Performance of "Arirang" Goes On

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- The grand mass gymnastic and artistic performance "Arirang", prepared to celebrate the 60th anniversaries of the Workers' Party of Korea and the liberation of Korea, has been given before full audience at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang. "Arirang", created in Juche 91 (2002), has been re-depicted on a higher ideological and artistic level. It shows that the Korean people, who once sang the song "Arirang" in tears, are now fully demonstrating their dignity, singing the song "Arirang for Prosperity".
    The creators, basing themselves on the original work, have embossed the first scene of the second act "Ye, Bright Moon over My Country" and various other acts and scenes with eight scenic views in the Songun era and thus enriched its theme.
    They have portrayed well the fantastic sunrise over Mt. Paektu in a way of formative arts in the prelude and newly created the first scene of the third act "Ullim Falls", which shows fairies flying down to settle in this land, fascinated by the eight scenic views in the Songun era.
    The high sports technique including a movement of turning round tassels with long strings on the top of three storied human pyramids in the fourth scene of the second act " Our Thriving Country", elegant and refined dancing rhythm and ever-changing formations further raise the artistic level of the performance. The background has been supplemented with more than 30 pictures and letters including "May Kim Il Sung's Korea shine for all ages!" and "Long live General Kim Jong Il, a peerless patriot!"
    Each scene has been further beautified by the harmony between the background and performers, backed by electric and illumination devices, and large slide projectors and combination of flags with folding screens. The presentation of "Arirang", a Kim Il Sung Prize laureate and treasure of the nation, fully shows the firm will of the Korean people, who constructed a strong country, independent, self-supporting and self-reliant in national defence under the leadership of President Kim Il Sung, to build a great prosperous powerful nation without fail under the Songun leadership of the WPK.

Famous Korean Horseradish

     Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- Horseradish has widely been cultivated in different parts of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea where natural spring water wells out. It grows absorbing more than 90 kinds of microelements contained in spring water welling out in thickly wooded valleys, Kumgang medicinal stone and actinolite good for sexual function.
    Scientists, after many years of research into horseradish growing in a spring in a valley on Ullung Island of Korea, have succeeded in breeding a new species of horseradish growing with the help of natural spring water and established a method of manuring and cultivating it without use of any chemicals. Korean horseradish is now cultivated in different areas of the country including Mts. Kumgang, Myohyang and Sindok and Pass Hwangchi where quality spring water gushes out free from any pollution or harmful elements. According to the data available, Korean horseradish contains much alyl mustard oil the anti-cancer capacity of which is 10 times that of the broad-spectrum anticancer agents such as Mito mysinum C and 5-Flu contained in Japanese wasabi. It, therefore, is good for the treatment and prevention of various cancers and cures cancer at the initial stage without any medical treatment.
    Also it, a germicidal general spice, prevents food poisoning and kills colitis, dysentery, tuberculosis and paratyphoid and other germs and parasites in blood vessels. It is potent for hypertrophy, myocardial infraction, neuralgia, eczema and various other diseases.
    It, with Peroxidase killing radical in cells, purifies blood, makes the skin soft and removes wrinkles. In particular, it helps the aged maintain strong sexual desire as it contains much saponin and ikaliin.
    Dr. Pak Kyong Jong of the Korea Pugang Natural Green Foodstuff Corporation told KCNA that 90 people out of the 100 who have taken Korean horseradish from their 40s neither wear spectacles even in their 80s nor feel tired even after walking more than 10 kilometers a day.
    Korean horseradish, which guarantees longevity of people, won the top prize at the wasabi show held in Tokyo, Japan, in April Juche 83 (1994) for its taste, quality and medicinal effect.

For Spanish-speaking people

VI ronda de conversaciones de la Cruz Roja Norte-Sur de Corea

    @ Monte Kumgang, 25 de agosto (ATCC) -- Tuvo lugar del 23 al 25 del mes en curso en el monte Kumgang la sexta Ronda de Conversaciones de la Cruz Roja Norte-Sur de Corea. Participaron por la parte Norte los miembros de la delegacion presidida por Choe Song Ik, vicepresidente del Comite Central de la?Asociacion de la Cruz Roja de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea y, por la parte Sur, los miembros de la delegacion con Jang Sok Jun, secretario general de la Sociedad de la Cruz Roja del Sur de Corea, como delegado jefe.
    En la ocasion ambas partes hicieron publico un comunicado conjunto. Segun el documento, ambas partes lograron acercamiento de opiniones sobre no pocos problemas y acordaron seguir discutiendo algunos problemas.

Actos festivos por efemerides de Corea

    @ Pyongyang, 26 de agosto (ATCC) -- Con motivo del 60 aniversario de la liberacion de Corea, tuvieron lugar del 3 al 15 del mes en curso conferencias, exhibiciones de fotos, proyecciones filmicas y mitines en Peru, Austria, India, Tanzania, Tailandia, Belarus, Yemen y Nepal. Luis Mateo Munoz, secretario general del Partido Socialista del Peru, en una conferencia, senalo que los pueblos progresistas del mundo guardan en el fondo del corazon las inmortales hazanas que los 3 generales del monte Paektu: el Presidente Kim Il Sung, el Dirigente Kim Jong Il y la Heroina de lucha antijaponesa Kim Jong Suk acumularon ante el pueblo coreano y la humanidad, y apunto que el 60 aniversario de la liberacion de Corea sirve de significativo motivo de exaltar a todo el mundo que Corea es una gran potencia que brilla con los nombres de ellos.
    El jefe del Grupo de Estudio de la Idea Juche Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il en Viena, Austria, Helmut Haidweger, en su conferencia, dijo que bajo la guia del Dirigente Kim Jong Il la nacion coreana lograra sin falta la causa de la reunificacion en un tiempo no lejano.
    El presidente de la Sociedad de Estudio de la Idea Juche de Delhi, India, B. C. Gupta, en una conferencia, subrayo que gracias al Dirigente las inmortales hazanas de liberacion de la patria del Presidente brillaran eternamente junto con la epoca del Songun (priorizacion militar).
    El presidente del Instituto de Ciencias Agricolas Kim Il Sung de Guinea, Banou Keita, al pronunciar un discurso en un mitin, elogio que el Presidente Kim Il Sung es el benefactor de liberacion de Corea y gran Sol de nueva Corea. En las proyecciones filmicas se estrenaron los filmes coreanos "El Lider padre se halla junto con los combatientes revolucionarios antijaponeses", "El estimado camarada Kim Jong Il es gran ideologo y teologo", etc. En una conferencia efectuada en Austria fue aprobado un mensaje de felicitacion dirigido al Dirigente.
    Por otra parte, simposios sobre las hazanas de liberacion de corea del Presidente tuvieron lugar el dia 10 en Siria, Rumania y Uganda, respectivamente.