Preparatory Committee Formed by Association for Friendship with Korea

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- The Association for Friendship with Korea having its branches in at least 90 countries inaugurated its preparatory committee for celebrating Feb. 16 on Feb. 1. The association elected its Chairman Alejandro Cao de Benos chairman of the preparatory committee and the representative of its Norwegian Branch secretary general of the preparatory committee.
    The preparatory committee decided to open an Internet special homepage on the occasion of the February holiday.

Joint New Year Editorial of DPRK Supported in Guinea

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- Gouressiou Bari, head of the Guinea-Korea Friendship Parliamentary Group, in a statement on Jan. 25 supported the joint New Year editorial of the newspapers of the party, the army and the youth league in the DPRK. He said in the statement that laid down in the joint editorial are the important tasks for bringing about a turning phase in the movement for Korea's reunification, adding that the issue of Korea's reunification can be solved only through the patriotic movement for independent reunification, peace against war and great national unity. We are sure that if all the Koreans in the north and the south and overseas wage a dynamic struggle by placing the interests of the nation above all and considering the idea of "By our nation itself" guidelines for all movements for reunification, they can realize the cherished desire of the nation as early as possible, he noted. He reiterated the group's resolution to extend invariable wholehearted support to the Korean people's just cause.

Bulletin Issued in Syria to Mark February Holiday

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- An information bulletin titled "The Greatest National Holiday of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" was issued by Damascus University on Feb. 1 on the occasion of the February holiday. The bulletin said that Feb. 16, the birthday of leader Kim Jong Il, is the greatest national holiday of the Korean people, adding that the progressive mankind of the world including the Syrian people extend the greatest glory to him and recollect with deep emotion his revolutionary exploits on the occasion of the day. It continued:
    He provided the world progressives with a powerful ideological and theoretical weapon for carrying out the cause of independence against imperialism based on the scientific faith and the Songun idea. This occupies a particular place among his feats performed for the human cause of independence.
    No force on earth can break the single-minded unity of the army and the people of the DPRK around him.

Floral Basket to Kim Jong Il from Chief of Palestinian National Authority

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il was presented with a floral basket by Mahmoud Abbas, chief of the Palestinian National Authority, on the occasion of his birthday. It was conveyed to an official concerned by Palestinian Ambassador to the DPRK Mohammad Shahta Jarab on Wednesday.

International Figure Skating Festival to Be Held

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- The 15th International Figure Skating Festival for "Paektusan Prize" will be held in Pyongyang from Feb. 15 to 17 on the occasion of the auspicious February holiday. The festival will bring together ace figure skaters of the DPRK and other countries. It will be held in the form of demonstration presentations.
    This annual event will prove to be a more meaningful sports festival as it will reflect the unanimous desire of the Korean people and world progressives and sportspersons to celebrate the birthday of leader Kim Jong Il in grand style as a holiday common to mankind.

National Photo Exhibition for Celebrating Feb. 16 Opens

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- A National Photo Exhibition for Celebrating Feb. 16 opened at the People's Palace of Culture on Wednesday with due ceremony. On display there are at least 250 photos showing the undying Songun revolutionary exploits of leader Kim Jong Il under the titles of "Korea's Honor", "The Grand Festival of Victors", "The Immortal Footprints of the Songun Leadership", " Concentration and Mobilization of All Forces to Agricultural Front", "A New Aspect of Reconstruction and Modernization", "Let's Make New Leap Full of Confidence!", "Under the Banner of 'By Our Nation Itself'" and "DPRK-China Friendship Will Last Forever". Also attracting the visitors' eyes are photos dealing with the feats of Kim Jong Il who powerfully inspired the whole Party and army and all the people to the general march of the Songun revolution last year. They include photos titled "The Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il Waving back to the Participants in the Military Parade for Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea" and "The Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il Appreciating the Grand Gymnastic and Artistic Performance 'Arirang' Opened on the Occasion of the 60th Anniversaries of the Party Founding and Korea's Liberation".
    Also on display are photos dealing with Kim Jong Il's immortal feats for national reunification and his historic visit to China at the outset of the year. Secretary of the C.C., the WPK Choe Thae Bok made an opening address at the ceremony.

Hanchongryon Demands Stop to S. Korea-U.S. Negotiations

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- The south Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) reportedly made public a statement titled "Stop the negotiations for signing a humiliating and treacherous 'free trade agreement' (FTA) between south Korea and the U.S." on Feb. 3. The statement accused the "government" of going to hold the negotiations for signing the FTA despite apprehension and resistance from various circles. It charged that the signing of the FTA would not only bring the farms of south Korea to a ruin but turn even its financial market into a gambling site of the U.S. and place all aspects of the people's life at the mercy of Americans. This being a hard fact, the "government" intends to unilaterally sign the agreement, the statement deplored, adding that this is little short of offering the whole economy of south Korea to the U.S.
    Hanchongryon will join the people from all walks of life in the struggle against the conclusion of the FTA and the moves of the U.S. to put the economy of south Korea under its domination and control, the statement declared.

Hanchongryon Vows to Struggle for End to GNP

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- The 14th-term south Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) reportedly held a meeting in Maroni Park on the University Road in Seoul on Feb. 5 to vow to struggle for the disorganization of the Grand National Party (GNP), a traitorous party opposed to progressive education, democracy and reunification. Chairman of Hanchongryon Jang Song Hoe addressing the meeting said that the struggle for dissolving the GNP is for abolishing the "National Security Law" and this struggle is closely linked with the struggle for getting the Hanchongryon legalized. He declared that Hanchongryon would use the forthcoming local assembly election as an opportunity of heralding the end of the GNP come what may.
    Hwang Yu Sok, chairman for national reunification of Hanchongryon, called for throwing overboard the GNP going reckless against the June 15 era and building a society in which the people have become its master.

School Youth and Children Vow Loyalty to Kim Jong Il

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- A national meeting of school youth and children took place in front of the old home of leader Kim Jong Il in the secret camp in Mt. Paektu on Feb. 8 on the occasion of the auspicious February holiday. At the meeting its participants vowed to accomplish generation after generation the revolutionary cause of Juche, which started in Mt. Paektu, true to the leadership of Kim Jong Il. Its participants laid floral baskets and bouquets before the home. Led by Ri Myong Won, secretary of the Central Committee of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, they pledged themselves to share the destiny with Kim Jong Il, become human bullets and bombs ready to dedicate their youth to devotedly defending the headquarters of the revolution and the young vanguard giving steady continuity to the tradition of the revolution.
    They resolved to bring about a more signal Songun revolutionary surge in all difficult and arduous work places to build a great prosperous powerful nation, equip themselves with the transparent anti-U.S. class consciousness and resolutely smash the imperialists' ideological and cultural poisoning and their psychological warfare with a revolutionary ideological offensive.
    They also evinced their determination to eternally glorify President Kim Il Sung's idea of the youth movement and the exploits he performed in the movement and establish the unitary leadership system of Kim Jong Il throughout the youth league in order to develop the youth league organizations shining with the august name of the President into ones devotedly defending the leader, the revolutionary organizations strong in unity and militancy this significant year which greeted the 60th birthday of the youth league.
    Present at the meeting were officials concerned and school youth and children from across the country participating in the study tour of the old home.

National Seminar on Undying Feats of Kim Jong Il Held

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- A national seminar on the immortal feats performed by leader Kim Jong Il in the building of a great prosperous powerful nation with his Songun revolutionary leadership took place at the People's Palace of Culture on Feb. 8. Speakers at the seminar profoundly explained and proved the immortal feats Kim Jong Il performed in the building of a great prosperous powerful socialist nation with his energetic Songun revolutionary leadership. Song Ja Rip, president of Kim Il Sung University, said that what is important in the ideological and theoretical exploits of Kim Jong Il is that he comprehensively systematized President Kim Il Sung's idea of attaching importance to arms, military affairs and provided a powerful ideological and theoretical weapon to glorify the new century as a century of victory and glory in which independence and prosperity will be achieved. And he has put the President's Songun idea overall into the present revolutionary practice, thus demonstrating the dignity of the country and the nation to the world over and opening a new turning point in socialist construction and the development of the revolution, the speaker added.
    Hong Chang Mo, secretary of the Rodong Sinmun Primary Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, noted that it is the historical feats of Kim Jong Il that he has achieved the single-minded unity of the Party and revolutionary ranks on the highest level under the uplifted banner of Songun.
    Cha Kyong Il, president of Kim Il Sung Political University, stated that the greatness of Kim Jong Il finds its expression in the fact that he indicated the unique way of building a military power by closely combining ideology and politics with military affairs and successfully accomplished the cause of building a military power with his outstanding ability and matchless devotion.
    Pak Son Ho, president of the University of National Economies, said: Kim Jong Il carried forward and developed the basic line of socialist economic construction, set forth by Kim Il Sung, in conformity with the present realistic conditions to elucidate the line of economic construction in the era of Songun. This is the distinguished feats he performed in providing the most scientific and revolutionary theoretical and practical weapon in the building of a great prosperous powerful nation. Pak Yong Chol, vice-director of the National Reunification Institute, said that Kim Jong Il is the peerless patriot who ushered in the era of "By our nation itself", the June 15 era of reunification by providing the June 15 joint declaration and opened a turning phase of national reunification by mobilizing all the Koreans to a vigorous struggle for the implementation of the joint declaration.
    Attending the seminar were Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the C.C., the WPK, Kim Yong Jin, minister of Education, and officials concerned, party and administration officials of national institutions and in Pyongyang city, officials of working people's organizations, officials of educational, scientific and party cadre training institutions and officials in the fields of literature and art and the press and preservation of the revolutionary historical relics.

60th Birthday of KCCP Observed

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- A meeting was held on Wednesday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korean Chondoist Chongu Party (KCCP). Present there were Chairwoman Ryu Mi Yong and members of the C.C., the KCCP, Adviser to the Korean Chondoist Church Central Guidance Committee O Ik Je, officials of the C.C., the KCCP, and office-bearers and members of the KCCP in Pyongyang. Present on invitation were Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Jung Rin, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party Kim Yong Dae and Presidium Member of the Central Committee of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland Kang Ryon Hak. Kang Chol Won, vice-chairman of the C.C., the KCCP, said in a report that the KCCP has successfully carried out its noble patriotic duty and mission for the country and the nation, times and history under the wise guidance of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il for 60 years after its foundation.
    The KCCP, a party friendly to the WPK, accepted as just the Juche-oriented and national ideas and lines set forth by Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and aroused its party members and Chondoist believers to the building of a new country, the victorious Fatherland Liberation War, the post-war rehabilitation and construction and the building of a prosperous powerful socialist nation and has conducted the dynamic activities to speed up the independent and peaceful reunification of the country by the united efforts of the nation.
    In particular, the Party has made all its efforts to realize the three principles of national reunification, the ten-point programme of great national unity and the proposal for founding the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo put forward by Kim Il Sung and formulated by Kim Jong Il as the three charters for national reunification, and the five-point policy of great national unity put forward by Kim Jong Il and positively striven to implement the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration. The reporter stressed the need for the KCCP to step up the building of a great prosperous powerful socialist nation under the Songun leadership of Kim Jong Il and dynamically conduct the patriotic movement for independent reunification, peace against war and great national unity under the banner of "By our nation itself" to achieve the cause of national reunification without fail.

Joint Plenary Meeting of Chondoist Organizations Held

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- A joint plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Korean Chondoist Chongu Party (KCCP) and the Korean Chondoist Church Central Guidance Committee (KCCCGC) was held in Pyongyang on Wednesday. Present there were members of the C.C., the KCCP and members of the KCCCGC. The meeting discussed the tasks of the party members and Chondoist believers to vigorously conduct the patriotic movement for independent reunification, peace against war and great national unity under the banner of "By our nation itself". Ryu Mi Yong, chairwoman of the C.C., the KCCP, made a report, which was followed by speeches.
    The reporter and speakers said that when they dynamically conduct the above-said three-point patriotic movement under the banner of "By our nation itself" this year, a more signal advance will be made in developing the inter-Korean relations and accomplishing the cause of national reunification. They underscored the tasks of the party members and Chondoist believers to conduct the three-point patriotic movement more dynamically in solidarity with nationalist movement organizations of south Korea including Chondoist religion and Taejonggyo.
    A relevant resolution was adopted at the meeting.

S. Korean Military Authorities Urged to Clarify Its Stand

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- The defence minister of south Korea talked about "a strong army," revealing the intention to go ahead with south Korea-U.S. joint military exercises aimed at attacking the north though the nation lives in the June 15 era of reunification. Minju Joson Thursday in a signed commentary terms it sophism, urging the south Korean military authorities to clarify whether they stand for reconciliation and cooperation or for confrontation and war.
    The commentary goes on:
    The south Korean military authorities announced that they would stage the joint military exercises with the U.S. as scheduled at a time when the talks between the military authorities of the north and the south are on the doorstep. This is an indication that they are still regarding the north as "the principal enemy" and they are not interested in the above-said military talks.
    Dialogue and war exercises can never go together.
    It is an unpardonable crime that a person responsible for those talks made such remarks spoiling the atmosphere of dialogue, agitating confrontation and war. It is as clear as noonday that if they stage such joint military exercises with the U.S. at any cost, this will only result in stoking distrust between the north and the south and escalating the tension and, furthermore, playing havoc with the results of the hard work jointly done by the north and the south.

Japan Urged to Apologize and Compensate for Its Past Crimes

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- The Japanese reactionaries are totally negating and distorting the Japanese imperialists' forcible drafting and abduction of Koreans and sexual slavery for the imperial Japanese army, an intolerable insult to the victims and all other Koreans and a blatant artifice to fool the public opinion and a mockery of it, says Rodong Sinmun Thursday in a signed article. Recalling that the Japanese reactionaries drastically downplayed, distorted, deleted and whitewashed in the history textbooks the aggressive and barbarous criminal acts committed by the Japanese imperialists and their harsh exploitation and plunder during their colonial rule, the article goes on:
    The forcible drafting and abduction of Koreans were the most hideous crimes the Japanese imperialists committed against humanity in the past. During their occupation of Korea the Japanese imperialists forcibly drafted or abducted more than 8.4 million Koreans to use them as cannon fodder or forced them to do slave labor. They cruelly killed more than one million of them. One of the most horrendous crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists in the past was the crimes related to the "comfort women" for the Japanese army. They forcibly drafted or abducted 200,000 Korean women. They took them to battlefields, ruthlessly violating their pure conscience and chastity and ruining them physically. Japan is the only country in the world that committed group sexual slavery directly organized and enforced by the government and the military.
    The Japanese authorities have worked hard to evade their state and legal obligation though it is an issue to be settled by them in a responsible manner. With no crafty and shameless methods can Japan flee from its state responsibility to apologize and compensate for its invasion of Korea and the most hideous crimes it committed against its people. Its crafty behavior intended to distort and whitewash its past crimes so that they may be kept into oblivion is little short of adding to the crimes it has already committed as it goes against the trend of the times.

Sulfuric Mud Widely Used in DPRK

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- The Pyongyang Sulfuric Mud Research Center of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has made successes in the research work for extending the application range of the sulfuric mud. The research team, which had kept the research within medical treatment, has succeeded in developing seed treatment agent and fodder additive to make an effective use of them in agriculture and other fields.
    It has also solved the scientific and technical issues arising in industrializing the process of sulfuric mud.
    Successes have been made in manufacturing various health goods and cosmetics with sulfuric mud as raw materials. Among them are mud steam bath agent, mud poultice agent, nutritive beauty agent and health drinking water additive. Many countries are expressing interest in and demanding sulfuric mud protyle goods, powder and the solution produced by the center.

Korean Folklore Museum 50 Years Old

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- Fifty years have passed since the Korean Folklore Museum was founded on February 10, Juche 45 (1956). The museum preserves more than 30,000 historical relics and data of national treasure value belonging to the period from the Neolithic era to the end of the 19th century. They comprehensively show the folk tradition and the good manners and customs of the Korean nation such as production customs, food, clothing and housing customs, family etiquette, salutation courtesy and folk games.
    The exhibits are on display, divided into seven halls in a systematic way according to times.
    Among them are farming tools including 8,000 years-old horn-hoe, wooden plough, iron sickle and ax, shovel (with a rope attached to each side of the blade) and iron plough. And they include rice, foxtail millet, kaoliang, bean, millet and other grains produced 6,000 years ago, primitive earthenware and ceramics, wooden, straw, bamboo and metal handicrafts and various kinds of paper representing various eras. There are traditional kitchen utensils, data of famous dishes indigenous to local areas, sets of seven and twelve dishes for a table, clothes, hats and shoes according to sexes and occupations, ornaments including hairpins and finger rings and data showing the origination of floor heating system and its changes. On display there are data showing the house furnishing, education of children, wedding ceremony, first birthday party and memorial service, and a grand folding screen, models and visual aids reflecting folk amusement and games.
    All the materials indicate excellent living customs and traditions of the Korean people. The museum, located in the central part of Pyongyang, is a center for the education in folklore tradition and for preserving and studying cultural remains. The Korean folk relics show and similar ones have been held at the museum, demonstrating the fine culture and folk tradition of the nation within and without. An Sun Chol, curator of the museum, told KCNA it has been visited by over 4 million working people, youth students and schoolchildren and some 50,000 overseas Koreans and foreigners.

DPRK-Japan Inter-governmental Talks Held

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- The DPRK-Japan inter-governmental talks for the normalization of their relations took place in Beijing from Feb. 4 to 8, 2006. The talks discussed the issue of Japan's redemption of its past and security and abduction issues to implement the DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration adopted on September 17, 2002 and other issues of mutual concern.
    On the issue of Japan's redemption of its past, the DPRK side clarified its stand that Japan should conduct economic cooperation with the DPRK as stipulated in the declaration, to begin with, and that it should pay for the hideous crimes perpetrated against humanity such as forcible drafting of more than 8.4 million Koreans, massacre of more than one million of them and its taking away 200,000 Korean women as "comfort women" for the Imperial Japanese Army as a separate issue from the economic cooperation.
    As regards the status of the Koreans in Japan, one of the issues to be settled for Japan's redemption of its past, the DPRK side recalled the background against which the Koreans were forced to settle in Japan and their present conditions and requested the Japanese side to stop the suppression of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan and the discrimination against the Koreans in Japan, guarantee them national education and promote it, enforce socio-economic policies for them and protect their economic activities.
    Turning to the issue of cultural treasures, the DPRK side reiterated its stand that Japan should unconditionally return all the cultural treasures it looted in Korea during its occupation of Korea on the principle of returning treasures to the places of their origin, restore the devastated cultural treasures to their former glory and compensate for those treasures which were so severely vandalized that it is hard to return and restore.
    Concerning the security issue, the DPRK side pointed out that its missile launch is an issue pertaining to its sovereignty from a to z and urged Japan to refrain from conducting such acts that may spark off serious concern about regional peace and stability as the enactment of a war law, the retrogressive revision of the constitution, nuclear weaponization and space militarization through the launch of spy satellites. As regards the abduction issue, the DPRK side reiterated the sincere efforts it has exerted for the settlement of this issue so far and its stand toward the issue and pointed to the injustice of the Japanese side's new assertions about the "repatriation of survivors", "probe into the truth" and "extradition of criminals," etc. It also strongly demanded Japan extradite the Japanese criminals who had lured and abducted DPRK citizens in recent years.

DPRK Foreign Ministry Spokesman Urges U.S. to Make Policy Switchover

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry gave the following answer to a question raised by KCNA today in connection with the fact that the United States is attempting to shift the responsibility for the stalled six-party talks on to the DPRK while persistently misleading the public opinion over the issue of financial sanctions against it: 　Officials of the U.S. State Department were reported to have recently repeated their absurd assertions that the financial sanctions are a separate issue from the six-party talks and it is a measure to defend the interests and currency of the U.S. We do not care about their efforts to protect their own state interests and currency. What merits our serious attention is that they abuse it for defaming the political system in the DPRK.
    The results of the past several months' investigation clearly proved that there is no evidence proving the DPRK's issue of counterfeit notes or money laundering. Nevertheless, the U.S. is applying unreasonable financial sanctions against it on the basis of sheer fabrications.
    For the U.S. to respect the state sovereignty of the DPRK and opt for peaceful co-existence is the key to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The DPRK, which has long survived the U.S. sanctions, attaches so much importance to the lift of the financial sanctions because it is a touchstone showing whether Washington is willing to make a switchover in its policy or not. A peaceful negotiated settlement of the nuclear issue can never be possible without the U.S. switchover in its policy.
    Clear is the U.S. aim. That is to label the DPRK an "illegal state," tarnish its prestige and image, isolate and blockade it internationally and thus force it to abandon its nuclear program first.
    This diametrically runs counter to the September 19, 2005 joint statement adopted at the six-party talks and lays a stumbling block in the way of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.
    It is self-evident that no matter how frequently we sit at the negotiating table with such partner it is hard to expect any substantial results.
    It is the consistent policy of the DPRK government to oppose all sorts of illegal acts in the financial field.
    The DPRK has perfect legal and institutional mechanisms to combat such illegal acts as counterfeiting notes and money laundering and any illegal acts are liable to severe punishment.
    The DPRK will as ever actively join the international actions against money laundering.
    Invariable is its basic stand to attain the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, implement the joint statement adopted at the six-party talks and seek a negotiated peaceful settlement of the issue.
    The point at issue is the U.S. attitude.
    The U.S. must be fully aware of what it should do.

Choe Thae Bok Meets Palestinian Ambassador

     Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, met and had a talk with Mohammad Shahta Jarab, Palestinian ambassador to the DPRK, today when the latter paid a courtesy call on him.

For Spanish-speaking people

Minju Joson denuncia a autoridades castrenses del Sur de Corea

    　Pyongyang, 9 de febrero (ATCC) -- El "ministro de Defensa Nacional" del Sur de Corea insistio en desarrollar hasta en la epoca del 15 de Junio para la reunificacion los ejercicios militares conjuntos con Estados Unidos, que puedan hacer danos a sus coterraneos, abogando por un "ejercito poderoso". Las autoridades castrenses surcoreanas deben patentizar su posicion ante la disyuntiva: ?o la reconciliacion y cooperacion o la confrontacion y guerra? Senala asi el rotativo Minju Joson en un comentario individual insertado en su edicion del dia 9 y prosigue:
    El que la cupula militar surcoreana manifesto su decision de desarrollar como lo programado el simulacro conjunto con EE.UU. en visperas de las conversaciones de autoridades castrenses Norte-Sur demuestra que ella sigue considerando a sus coterraneos como "enemigos principales" y no tiene interes en esta cita. El dialogo y las maniobras militares nunca seran compatibles. Nunca se puede tolerar que el "ministro surcoreano de Defensa Nacional", quien es uno de los responsables de las mencionadas conversaciones, enrarezca el clima del dialogo con sus palabras que fomentan la confrontacion y la guerra. Si las autoridades castrenses surcoreanas desarrollan por fin los ejercicios militares con EE.UU., generaran la desconfianza en las relaciones Norte-Sur, agravaran la tension y en fin, reduciran a cero lo que alcanzaron en conjunto ambas partes de Corea.

Inaugurada exhibicion central de fotos por 16 de febrero

    　Pyongyang, 9 de febrero (ATCC) -- Quedo inaugurada el dia 8 en el capitalino Palacio Cultural del Pueblo la Exhibicion Central de Fotos en conmemoracion del 16 de febrero (cumpleanos del Dirigente Kim Jong Il). 　En el lugar estan puestas mas de 250 fotos alusivas a las inmortales proezas del Dirigente Kim Jong Il sobre la revolucion mediante el Songun (priorizacion militar) intituladas "Gloria de Corea", "Gran festival de los triunfadores", "Huellas imborrables dejadas en la direccion del Songun", "Concentracion y movilizacion general en el frente agricola", "Nuevo aspecto de remodelacion y modernizacion", "!Al nuevo salto rebosante de firme confianza!", "Bajo la bandera de 'entre nosotros, los connacionales'" y "Amistad Corea-China seguira de siglo en siglo".
    　Se destacan tambien las fotos intituladas "Gran Dirigente, camarada Kim Jong Il respondiendo al saludo de los participantes en el desfile en celebracion del 60o aniversario de la fundacion del Partido del Trabajo de Corea", "Gran Dirigente, camarada Kim Jong Il presenciando la funcion gimnastico-artistica masiva 'Arirang' inaugurada en ocasion del 60o aniversario de la fundacion del PTC y de la liberacion de la patria", etc.
    　Ademas, estan exhibidas las fotos alusivas a las inmortales proezas acumuladas por el en la realizacion de la causa de la reunificacion de la patria y a su historica visita a China a principios del ano en curso.
    　El secretario del Comite Central del PTC, Choe Thae Bok, pronuncio un discurso de apertura.

Terminadas conversaciones intergubernamentales Corea-Japon

    　 Pyongyang, 9 de febrero (ATCC) -- Tuvieron lugar del 4 al 8 del mes en curso en Beijing, China, las conversaciones gubernamentales entre la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea y Japon para la normalizacion de las relaciones bilaterales. 　En la ocasion ambas partes discutieron los problemas de interes mutuo, entre ellos, el de la seguridad, el del secuestro y el de la liquidacion del pasado para ejecutar la Declaracion Corea-Japon de Pyongyang aprobada el 17 de septiembre de 2002. 　En relacion con el problema de la liquidacion del pasado, la parte coreana expuso su posicion de que Japon debe realizar ante todo la cooperacion economica con la RPDC conforme a la citada Declaracion y, aparte de la cooperacion economica, pagar la cuenta por el arresto forzado de mas de 8.4 millones de coreanos, la matanza de mas de un millon, el reclutamiento de 200 mil coreanas como "consoladoras" a las tropas japonesas y otros magnos crimenes antieticos.
    　Respecto al problema de la posicion de los coreanos residentes en Japon, que es uno de los asuntos de la liquidacion del pasado, la parte coreana hizo recordar el proceso de la mudanza de los coreanos al pais isleno y la situacion actual de estos y exigio a la parte japonesa poner fin a la represion contra la Asociacion General de Coreanos Residentes en Japon (Chongryon) y a la discriminacion a los coreanos residentes en Japon, asegurar y promover la educacion nacional, aplicar las medidas socio-economicas y proteger las actividades economicas de estos.
    　En cuanto al problema de las riquezas culturales, la parte coreana subrayo su posicion de que Japon debe devolver incondicionalmente segun el principio de devolucion al lugar original los bienes culturales arrebatados durante la ocupacion de Corea, restaurar en estado original los destruidos e indemnizar los bienes dificiles de ser devueltos y restaurados.
    　En cuanto al problema de la seguridad, la parte coreana senalo que el lanzamiento de misiles es un problema perteneciente a la soberania de la RPDC y demando a Japon dejar las acciones que causan grandes preocupaciones a la paz y la estabilidad de la region como el establecimiento de la ley de guerra, la enmienda peor de la constitucion, el armamento nuclear y la militarizacion espacial mediante el lanzamiento de satelites espias.
    Con respecto al problema del secuestro, la parte coreana volvio a exponer sus esfuerzos sinceros ya hechos y su posicion para la solucion del respecto y se refirio a lo injusto de la nueva insistencia de la parte japonesa en el "regreso a su pais de los sobrevivientes", la "averiguacion de los verdaderos aspectos", la "entrega de los delincuentes", etc.
    Y exigio fuertemente que Japon entregue a los delincuentes japoneses que sedujeron y secuestraron a los ciudadanos coreanos en los ultimos anos.