DPRK Holidays to be Commemorated in Nepal

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- The Nepalese preparatory committee was inaugurated with due ceremony in Katmandu on Jan. 16 to commemorate the Day of the Sun and Feb. 16. It discussed the issue of commemorating the birthdays of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il as the most significant holidays of the people of Nepal and the world progressives and holding brisk colorful functions on those occasions.
    Lam Prid Paswan, vice-president of the Nepalese Senate, was elected chairman of the preparatory committee and Keser J. Rayemaji, ex-chairman of the Royal Consultative Council, chief advisor of the preparatory committee, and chiefs of the bodies for friendship and solidarity with the Korean people members of the preparatory committee.
    The declaration adopted at the inaugural ceremony said that it is a significant event to grandly celebrate the birthday of Kim Jong Il and pay highest tribute to the President who made an immortal contribution to the cause of human emancipation on the occasion of the Day of the Sun. The Nepalese people are looking up to the peerlessly great persons of Korea as the greatest friends, the declaration noted, and continued: We are proud to announce the inauguration of the above-said preparatory committee and its plan to grandly commemorate the holidays through multifarious functions in Nepal.
    It earnestly called upon the close friends of the Korean people around the world to commemorate the birthdays as the most auspicious international holidays.

Kim Jong Il's Birthday to be Celebrated in Sweden

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- The Swedish preparatory committee to celebrate February 16 was formed with due ceremony in Stockholm on Jan. 20. Christer Lundgren, chairman of the Sweden-Korea Friendship Association, was elected chairman of the preparatory committee at the inaugural ceremony. The committee decided to hold colorful events including a meeting and a film show on the occasion of the February holiday and issue and distribute the magazine of the association "Information from Korea".

Joint New Year Editorial Supported in Sri Lanka

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- The Sri Lanka-People's Korea Friendship Association, the Sri Lanka Society for Self-Reliance Studies and the Sri Lanka Committee for the Reunification of Korea released a joint statement on Jan. 17 in support of the joint New Year editorial issued by the newspapers of the party, the army and the youth league in the DPRK. The statement highly praised the Korean people for celebrating the 60th anniversaries of the Workers' Party of Korea and the liberation of Korea in grand style and registering proud achievements in economic construction and waging a dynamic struggle for national reunification last year. It expressed full support to the Korean people waging a vigorous movement for the reunification of the country as called for by the joint editorial.

Russian Ambassador Hosts Reception for Media Officials

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- Russian Ambassador to the DPRK Andrei Karlov hosted a reception at his embassy on Wednesday evening in honor of media officials on the occasion of the New Year Juche 95 (2006). Present on invitation were media officials here.
    On hand were staff members of the embassy.
    Speeches were made there.

Day of Republic of India Observed

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- The Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and the DPRK-India Friendship Association arranged a friendly meeting and a film show for the staff members of the Indian embassy here at the Taedonggang Club for the Diplomatic Corps on Jan. 25 on the occasion of the 56th Day of the Republic of India. Present on invitation were Ambassador N. T. Khankhup and staff members of the Indian embassy.
    Jon Yong Jin, vice-chairman of the committee who is also vice- chairman of the association, and other members of the association were present there. The participants talked to one another about the need to boost the friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and India, deepening the feelings of friendship. They saw an Indian feature film.

Agreement on U.S. Forces' "Strategic Flexibility" Rejected

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- The 98th Friday meeting was reportedly held in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul on Jan. 20 under the sponsorship of the Association for Solidarity with Actions against the U.S. and War and for the Withdrawal of the U.S. Forces. Speakers at the meeting accused the U.S. and the south Korean authorities of having agreed to permit the "strategic flexibility" of the U.S. forces present in south Korea, terming this an act of plunging the Korean Peninsula into a whirlpool of war to be launched by the U.S.
    The call for "cooperation" from the south Korean forces made in the recent agreement only brought into bolder relief the aggressive nature of the south Korea-U.S. "alliance" veiled with the word of "defence," they said.
    Its participants handed to the U.S. embassy a written protest addressed to the U.S. ambassador to south Korea.

National Agricultural Meeting Held

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- A national agricultural meeting was held at the April 25 House of Culture on Wednesday. Present there were Kim Yong Nam, Pak Pong Ju, Ri Yong Mu, Choe Thae Bok, Kim Jung Rin and other senior officials, chief secretaries of provincial committees of the Workers' Party of Korea, Cabinet members, and chairmen of the management boards of farms, secretaries of ri-committees of the WPK, workteam leaders, sub-workteam leaders and members of the farms who distinguished themselves in farming, scientists and technicians in the agricultural field, leading officials of provincial, city and county committees of the WPK and people's committees and agricultural guidance bodies, and officials of ministries, national institutions and factories and enterprises of the relevant field.
    Kwak Pom Gi, vice-premier of the Cabinet, in a report at the meeting said that last year leader Kim Jong Il energetically led the agricultural field after singling out it as a key front in the socialist economic construction and setting forth a revolutionary policy of concentrating and mobilizing all forces on farming.
    Last year the whole country made fresh progress in the agricultural production through energetic endeavors to do farming well true to Kim Jong Il's noble intention, he said, adding that the servicepersons and people of the DPRK came to have stronger confidence in practice that they can successfully carry out the Party's intention and resolution to satisfactorily solve the food problem when they hold fast to its policy of agricultural revolution. Today we are faced with a heavy yet honorable task to make a great leap forward in agriculture so as to attain at any cost the target of grain production set forth by the party and thus drastically increase the overall agricultural production this year, he said.
    He called on everybody to turn out in the agricultural front this year regarding President Kim Il Sung's last instructions "Rice precisely means socialism" as guidelines.
    He underscored the need to bring about a drastic turn in agricultural production this year by concentrating and mobilizing all forces for farming once again in response to the joint New Year editorial.
    He called for waging a vigorous drive to implement the Party's policy to bring about a signal turn in seed improvement, potato farming, double-cropping and soya bean cultivation just as the People's Army did.
    He continued: The agricultural field should establish Juche in seed production, produce a variety of good species suited to the climatic conditions of the country, allocate crops well on the principle of right crop on the right soil and right crop in the right time and manure and cultivate crops on a scientific and technological basis.
    It is necessary to channel sustained big efforts into rice cultivation, sow high-yielding seeds and improve the manuring and cultivation as required by the Party policies. It is also important to expand the area under high-yielding potato, take thorough-going measures to prevent epidemics, select right soil for double-cropping and provide meticulous technological guidance and ensure a high yield of before and after crops.
    It is required to implement the Party's policy to develop agriculture in combination with stock-breeding so as to solve both the food and meat problems. Greater quantity of compost should be applied to paddy and non-paddy fields to decisively increase the soil fertility. Waterway projects and land realignment should be pushed forward without let-up in different areas including the Miru Plain, land management be improved, mechanization and the use of chemicals be stepped up and various types of more efficient farm machines and greater quantities of fertilizers be produced and supplied to the countryside.
    More rapes should be cultivated as the first crop so as to consistently push forward the work to solve the problem of cooking oil and efforts be made to boost the agricultural production as a whole including vegetable, cash crops, stock-breeding, fruit-growing and sericulture. It is necessary for the field of agricultural scientific research to successfully solve scientific and technological problems arising in implementing the Party's policy of agricultural revolution.
    The reporter underlined the need for the agricultural field to direct to the grain production as many rural labor forces as possible and concentrate all machines, equipment and materials on farming.
    Speeches were made at the meeting.

Intensified Struggle for Peace against War Called for

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- It is an unavoidable urgent task of the era to protect peace from war as it is a crucial issue related to the world peace and security and the destiny of humankind. Rodong Sinmun today observes this in a signed article.
    It says:
    The struggle to protect peace from war has become an international commitment common to every country. This struggle, therefore, requires a dynamic struggle against the imperialists.
    The imperialist forces are the main target of this struggle and the U.S. imperialists its principal target.
    The U.S. imperialist warmongers are openly advocating the doctrine of preemptive nuclear attack. They made not only the DPRK but big powers targets of their preemptive nuclear assault. The struggle for protecting peace from war would be unthinkable without an anti-U.S. struggle. What is important in the anti-U.S. struggle is to discard fear of the U.S. imperialists.
    It is necessary to heighten vigilance against the moves of the U.S. allies for aggression.
    Japan has emerged a dangerous force of aggression in Asia, backed by the United States. Israel is now contemplating an attack on nuclear facilities in Iran.
    Now that the imperialist allied forces are seeking tightened alliance and working hard to divide and alienate other countries, all the peace-loving countries and people are called upon to unite as one under the banner of peace against war in order to avert a war and defend peace.
    It is also important to build up one's own force in the struggle for peace against war.
    The experience gained by the DPRK in practice goes to prove that only when a country bolsters its self-reliant defence force on a priority basis by attaching importance to military affairs and tightening the belt can it avert a war and defend its sovereignty and peace.
    The Korean people will hold the banner of Songun high this year, too, and thus frustrate the moves of the U.S. imperialists for a new war and defend peace on the Korean Peninsula. They will closely unite with the world anti-imperialist independent forces and steadily wage the movement for peace against war.

Minerals Conducive to Health Improvement

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is making good use of Jinju and Kumgang medicinal stones, natural minerals for the improvement of health. Jinju medicinal stone, whose medicinal effect has been found out recently, properly contains inorganic ingredients including Ca, Mg, Fe, Si, Ge and Se and more than 20 organic substances including alanine, glycine, linolic acid and oleic acid.
    Especially, it has many kinds of organic substances that are not found in other minerals.
    Its Ge content is 100,000 times that of Koryo insam with 0.1-1.4~1016 mg.
    Kumgang medicinal stone, called active natural mineral complex, also contains over 60 kinds of mineral matters and some 10 kinds of rare earth elements which are necessary for the promotion of enzyme activity, nucleic acid metabolism and physiological function.
    The Paeksung Trade Technology Exchange Company pulverizes the Jinju and Kumgang medicinal stones until 3? for medical use. They are efficacious for sedation, spasmolysis, defervescence, detoxication, diuresis, hemostasis, diabetes, skin disorders, digestive diseases, epilepsy, tuberculosis, various cancers and arteriosclerosis.
    In particular, the active natural mineral complex helps children grow fast. The growth rate is double for boys and quadruple for girls. And it improves their physical strength and vigor.
    The natural medicinal minerals, the clinical test of which proves no after-effects, are popular among people.
    They also are available for health food, purification of drinking water, animals' feed and cosmetics.

Year's First Triplets Born in DPRK

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- The first triplets for the year were born at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital on Jan. 23. This is the 361st one since the opening of the hospital. The newly born triplets are girls and their body-weight is normal. Mother Jong Myong Ae is in Sariwon City, North Hwanghae Province of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. She was fortunate in confinement with the help of a medical team.
    Father Paek Yong Ju is a worker of the Sariwon General Casting Factory.
    The mother and triplets are all healthy and under the care of three doctors and nine nurses.
    The triplets are supplied with various kinds of tonics free of charge thanks to the free medical service.
    The last year witnessed the birth of 14 groups of triplets since Ri Myong Hwa, a resident in Sariwon City, was the first to deliver the first group of boy triplets on January 5.

Paek Nam Sun Meets Malaysian Ambassador

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun today met and conversed with outgoing Malaysian Ambassador MD.Yusoff Bin MD.Zain.

Joint Meeting Calls for Intensified Patriotic Movement for National Reunification

     Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- A joint meeting of the government, political parties and organizations of the DPRK was held at the People's Palace of Culture on Jan. 26. Present there were Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Ki Nam, secretary of the C.C., the Workers' Party of Korea, Ro Tu Chol, vice-premier of the Cabinet, Kim Yong Dae, chairman of the Central Committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party, Ryu Mi Yong, chairperson of the Central Committee of the Chondoist Chongu Party, and other senior officials of the government, political parties and organizations of the DPRK and officials concerned.
    The meeting discussed its agenda item "On conducting dynamic patriotic movement for independent reunification, peace against war and the great national unity under the uplifted banner of 'By our nation itself'".
    Yang Hyong Sop in a report called on the Koreans to demonstrate the might of the Korean nation rallied as one under the banner of the June 15 joint declaration once again and give a fresh momentum to the cause of national reunification this year.
    It is necessary to put an end to the U.S. policy of aggression against the DPRK in order to remove the danger of a war growing as the days go by and defend peace on the Korean Peninsula, he said, adding:
    If the U.S. truly wants to improve relations with the DPRK, stop antagonizing it and co-exist with it in peace, it should make a fundamental switchover in its policy towards the DPRK and show it in practice as an assailant that has done harm to the Koreans for a historically long period. The authorities and politicians in the north and the south, as parties directly responsible for the implementation of the joint declaration, should cooperate with each other, putting the interests of the nation above all, actively encourage and back organizations and people from all walks of life in their patriotic movement for reunification and discharge their responsibility and duty before the nation.
    He proposed to hold a grand festival for national reunification with representatives of people from all walks of life from the north and the south and abroad attending on the occasion of the 6th anniversary of the joint declaration with a view to more significantly celebrating the "Day of By Our Nation Itself'' as a holiday common to the nation this year.
    He also proposed to adopt an appeal reflecting the above-said patriotic proposal to all the fellow countrymen in the name of the joint meeting. The floor was taken by Choe Yong Gon, north side's chairman to the North-South Committee for the Promotion of Economic Cooperation, Kim Kyong Ho, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, and Jang Jae On, chairman of the Korean Religious Council. An appeal to the fellow countrymen was adopted at the meeting.
    The appeal called for waging a vigorous nationwide movement for independent reunification, noting that what is essential for this movement is to hold high the banner of "By our nation itself."
    It underscored the need to grandly celebrate June 15, the day the north-south joint declaration was adopted, as the "Day of By Our Nation Itself'" by bringing together Koreans in the north and the south and abroad and demonstrate the will and stamina of the nation for reunification. Calling for a dynamic movement for peace against war to make the sky over Korea clear and blue forever, the appeal continued; There is no internal factor of sparking a war within the nation. The danger of a war of aggression in Korea is always posed by outsiders. As far as the issue of war and peace is concerned, the north and the south are a community linked with the same destiny. They should go united to foil the U.S. imperialists' moves to ignite a new war on the Korean Peninsula.
    Holding that the arms buildup and exercises for a war of aggression against the north that threaten the fellow countrymen should be halted unconditionally, the appeal called for waging a more dynamic struggle to force the U.S. troops, a harasser of peace and the root cause of war, to quit the Korean Peninsula.
    The pro-U.S. conservative forces' seizure of power in south Korea is little short of igniting a train of a nuclear war, the appeal said, calling on the south Koreans from all walks of life that love peace to resolutely frustrate this group's plot to usurp power.
    It also underscored the need to strengthen the June 15 Joint National Committee, a nationwide solidarity organization for reunification, so that it may increase its function and role as a central body for national unity.
    The "National Security Law" in south Korea is a stumbling block lying in the way of great national unity, the appeal pointed out, calling for pulling down the last barriers in the era of the confrontation including the NSL.
    It earnestly called on all the Koreans to set this year as a year of the three-point patriotic movement and come out as one in the struggle to attain its goal.

For Spanish-speaking people

Terminada Conferencia Nacional de Agricultura

    @Pyongyang, 26 de enero (ATCC) -- La Conferencia Nacional de Agricultura tuvo lugar el dia 25 en la capitalina Casa Cultural 25 de Abril. Participaron en el evento Kim Yong Nam, Pak Pong Ju, Ri Yong Mu, Choe Thae Bok, Kim Jung Rin y otros cuadros, secretarios responsables del Comite del Partido del Trabajo de Corea en las provincias, miembros del Consejo de Ministros, asi como presidentes de comite de administracion de granjas, secretarios del Comite del PTC en las comunas, jefes de brigadas y cuadrillas y granjeros, quienes se destacaron en la produccion agricola, cientificos y tecnicos del sector agricola, funcionarios directivos de los comites del partido y los populares y de organos de direccion sobre la rama de las provincias, ciudades y distritos y los directivos de ministerios, organos centrales, de fabricas y empresas vinculadas con el sector.
    Al presentar el informe de la ocasion, Kwak Pom Gi, vicepremier del Consejo de Ministros, recordo que el Dirigente Kim Jong Il dirigio incansablemente el sector agricola tras fijar el ano pasado la agricultura como el frente de prioridad en la construccion de la economia socialista y presentar la orientacion revolucionaria de concentrar y movilizar a todas las fuerzas a esta rama.
    En pleno acato al gran proposito del Dirigente, el ano expirado todo el pais lucho energicamente por cultivar bien las cosechas y por consiguiente, registro nuevos avances en la produccion agricola, subrayo el orador y prosiguio:
    A traves de sus experiencias adquiridas en la practica, el ejercito y el pueblo de Corea quedaron mas convencidos de que podran materializar mas satisfactoriamente la intencion y la determinacion del PTC de solucionar a plenitud el problema de alimentos cuando acaten con mayor fidelidad los lineamientos del partido en materia de la revolucion agricola.
    Hoy dia, nosotros tenemos la dificil pero orgullosa tarea de dar este ano un gran salto en la produccion agricola para alcanzar la meta de produccion cerealista, fijada por el partido, e incrementar trascendentalmente la produccion agricola en general.
    Este ano, todos nosotros debemos movilizarnos como un solo hombre al frente agricola teniendo como nuestra guia el legado del Presidente Kim Il Sung: "El cereal es precisamente el socialismo".
    Es decir, debemos producir un viraje decisivo en la produccion agricola de este ano al movilizar y concentrar otra vez a todas las fuerzas a esta rama como nos demanda el editorial conjunto publicado en ocasion del ano nuevo.
    Hay que imitar al Ejercito Popular de Corea en desplegar vigorosamente la lucha por materializar las orientaciones del PTC de mejorar las variedades agricolas, producir una revolucion en el cultivo de papas y promover dos cosechas anuales y la produccion de soya.
    El sector de la gestion agricola debe mantener el caracter jucheano en el mejoramiento de variedades para conseguir optimos ejemplares que se adapten facilmente a las condiciones climaticas y terrestres de nuestro pais, ubicar bien las plantas en el principio de "cultivo adecuado en el terreno apropiado y en tiempo apropiado" y abonarlas y cuidarlas de manera cientifico-tecnica.
    En particular, es preciso seguir las orientaciones del PTC, entre otros, canalizar de continuo mayores fuerzas al cultivo de arroz en campos acuiferos, plantar variedades de alto rendimiento, abonarlas y cuidarlas bien, aumentar el area de produccion de patatas de alto rendimiento, tomar medidas contra epidemias, fijar correctamente los terrenos para dos cosechas al ano y mejorar la direccion tecnica para obtener resultados integros en las cosechas anterior y despues de la produccion principal.
    Se debe materializar la orientacion del partido de desarrollar combinadamente la produccion agricola y la ganaderia para resolver el problema de alimentos y carnes y aumentar decisivamente la fertilidad de arrozales y campos de secano al echar mayor cantidad de fertilizantes de produccion casera. Es preciso dar buen impulso a la construccion de canales y al ordenamiento de la tierra en la llanura Miru y las demas partes del pais, cuidar bien los terrenos, acelerar la mecanizacion y quimizacion y suministrar al campo mayor cantidad de maquinas agricolas y fertilizantes mas eficientes. Hay que desplegar coherentemente la plantacion de colza, como cosecha anterior a la produccion principal, en arrozales y campos de secano para resolver el problema de aceite y tiene que encauzar mayores fuerzas al incremento de la produccion agricola en su conjunto, inclusive la de vegetales y plantas de uso industrial, ganaderia, fruticultura y sericultura.
    El sector de investigacion cientifica de agricultura ha de resolver satisfactoriamente todos los problemas cientifico-tecnicos que se presentan en la materializacion del lineamiento del partido sobre la revolucion agricola.
    El sector de la gestion rural debe ubicar la abrumadora mayoria de la mano de obra en la produccion cerealista y movilizar todos los equipos, maquinas y materiales solo a las faenas agricolas. Acto seguido, hubo otras intervenciones.

Preservar la paz contra la guerra es tarea urgente de la epoca

    @Pyongyang, 26 de enero (ATCC) -- Oponerse a la guerra y preservar la paz se presenta como un problema importante de la epoca relacionado con la paz y la seguridad del mundo y el destino de la humanidad, por eso nadie debe volver espaldas. Senala asi el periodico Rodong Sinmun en un articulo individual del dia 26 y continua:
    Hoy dia la lucha de cada pais por la paz antibelica se presenta como un deber internacional para todos los paises del orbe. Para frenar la guerra y preservar la paz es preciso librar una energica lucha contra los imperialistas.
    El blanco principal de la lucha por la paz antibelica es las fuerzas imperialistas, en particular el imperialismo yanqui.
    Los belicistas estadounidenses esgrimen abiertamente la teoria de ataque preventivo nuclear. En la lista de los objetos de este ataque se ven no solo la RPDC sino tambien unos paises potentes. Al margen de la lucha antiyanqui no se puede hablar de la lucha por la preservacion de la paz contra la guerra. Lo importante en la lucha antiyanqui es no tener el miedo a los imperialistas yanquis.
    Se debe guardar la alta vigilancia sobre las maquinaciones agresivas de las fuerzas satelites de EE.UU.
    Japon aparecio como una peligrosa fuerza agresora en Asia llevando a cuestas EE.UU. Israel acecha una oportunidad para atacar las instalaciones nucleares de Iran.
    Dado que las fuerzas imperialistas intentan aliarse y perseguir la division y la discordia de otros paises, todos los paises y pueblos amantes de la paz deben unirse bajo la bandera de la defensa de la paz antibelica para detenr la guerra y preservar la paz.
    Es importante forjar la fuerza en la lucha por la defensa de la paz contra la guerra.
    La experiencia practica de nuestro pais demuestra que se podra frenar la guerra y defender la soberania y la paz del pais solo cuando se de importancia a los asuntos militares y se fortalezca con prioridad la capacidad de autodefensa nacional aun en las condiciones escasas de todo.
    El pueblo coreano frustrara las maniobras de los imperialistas norteamericanos para desencadenar una nueva guerra, preservara la paz de la Peninsula Coreana enarbolando tambien este ano la bandera del Songun y desplegara energicamente el movimiento por la preservacion de la paz contra la guerra, unido firmemente con las fuerzas independientes antiimperialistas del mundo.