Exploits of Kim Jong Il Highly Praised

    Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- Meetings, a reading session, a film show and book, photo and handicraft exhibitions were held in Britain, Mexico and Ethiopia from Dec. 5 to 6 on the occasions of the 15th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's assumption of office as supreme commander of the Korean People's Army and the 89th birth anniversary of anti-Japanese war hero Kim Jong Suk. On display in the venues of the functions were Korean books including the works of President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, photos showing Kim Jong Il's Songun revolutionary leadership exploits and handicrafts.
    The chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist), the secretary general of the European Society for the Study of the Juche Idea and other figures in their speeches made at the meetings highly praised Kim Jong Il for having made a brilliant history of his Songun revolutionary leadership by carrying forward the revolutionary cause of Juche started by the President.
    Noting that the Korean people, united close around Kim Jong Il, have waged a dynamic struggle to successfully inherit the revolutionary traditions of Mt. Paektu, they introduced in detail the advantages and invincible might of Korean-style socialism.
    The chairman of the Addis Ababa Youth Association of Ethiopia said at the reading session that the DPRK could emerge victorious in the stand-off with the U.S. styling itself the world's "only superpower" as it holds Kim Jong Il in high esteem as supreme commander of the KPA.
    The participants of the film show watched Korean film "The Korean People's Army, Steel-like Ranks".

Talks between Security Organs of DPRK and Syria Held

    Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- Talks between a delegation of the Ministry of People's Security of the DPRK and a delegation of the Ministry of Interior of Syria were held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on Thursday. Present there from the DPRK side were members of the delegation of the Ministry of People's Security headed by Vice-Minister Sin Il Nam and from the Syrian side members of the delegation of the Ministry of Interior headed by Vice-Minister Ibrahim Faiz Mousli and Syrian Charge d'Affaires a.i. here Muhammad Adib Al Hani.
    At the talks the two sides exchanged views on the issue of boosting the exchange and cooperation between the security organs of the two countries and a series of matters of mutual concern.

Agreement on Mutual Cooperation Signed between DPRK and Syria

    Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- An agreement on mutual cooperation was signed between the Ministry of People's Security of the DPRK and the Ministry of Interior of Syria at the Mansudae Assembly Hall Thursday. Present at the signing ceremony from the DPRK side were officials of the Ministry of People's Security including Vice-Minister Sin Il Nam and from the Syrian side members of the delegation of the Syrian Ministry of Interior led by Vice-Minister Ibrahim Faiz Mousli and Syrian Charge d'Affaires a.i. here Muhammad Adib Al Hani.
    Sin Il Nam and Ibrahim Faiz Mousli signed the agreement.

Anti-Reunification Act of Ministry of Unification of S. Korea Flayed

    Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- The South Korean Council of Youth Organizations on December 8 reportedly issued a statement titled "We sharply denounce the Ministry of Unification for not allowing the South Korean Council of Youth Organizations to visit the north." The statement noted that the ministry did not allow Pak Hui Jin, vice-chairman of the council, to participate in a reunification function of youth and students scheduled in Mt. Kumgang.
    What cannot be overlooked is that the ministry followed the advice of the Ministry of Justice that "Pak should not be sent to the north as he is a member of the youth organization regarded as one benefiting the enemy," said the statement, and added:
    We bitterly denounce the anti-reunification act of the Ministry of Unification in barring the participation of Pak in the function without any legal ground.

Visits

    Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the DPRK Ministry of Finance led by Vice-Minister Kim Yong Gil left here by air on Thursday to visit Russia. Meanwhile, President of the China Hong Kong-Green Leaves Shipping Ltd. Li Longfan and his party arrived here today.

S. Korean Authorities' Yielding to U.S. Pressure to Spend More for U.S. Forces Assailed

    Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- The south Korean authorities recently yielded to the U.S. pressure to spend more fund for the upkeep of the U.S. forces in south Korea. A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland in a statement Thursday dismissed this as an unpardonable treacherous act that can be committed only by those preoccupied with flunkeyism and submission to the U.S. in utter disregard of the dignity and the interests of the nation. At the recent "negotiations" the U.S. glaringly revealed its ambition to continue using south Korea as its military base and step up its preparations for the invasion of the DPRK though it claimed that it will reduce its troops in south Korea and has no intention to invade the north, the statement said, and went on:
    The south Korean authorities oft-repeated "self-reliant national defence" and "south-north cooperation". But their recent behavior clearly proved that they are no more than colonial stooges keen to prolong their dirty remaining days by clinging to the coattail of their American master and a group of traitors conspiring with outsiders in the moves for a war of aggression against the north.
    They have so far offered a fabulous amount of fund to the U.S. As if it were not enough with this, they continue spending a ridiculous amount of money collected from the people as taxes for the upkeep of the U.S. forces, utterly indifferent to their destitution. This is foolish drain on resources for Uncle Sam.
    The U.S. and the south Korean authorities should face up to the trend of the June 15 era demanding the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from south Korea, retract their agreement on increasing south Korea's share of the upkeep of the U.S. forces and opt for the pullback of all of them from south Korea.

Taedongyo Map, Pride of Nation

    Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- 145 years have passed since the Taedongyo Map was drawn in Korea. Geographical and cartographical scholar Kim Jong Ho (early 19th century-1864) completed the map of Korea on a scale of one to 162,000 on the basis of the field survey and actual measurement made by him while going round all parts of the country on foot for nearly 30 years.
    The map consists of 22 atlases, total surface of which is 33 square meters.
    The map contains more than 11,600 important data in the natural, political, economic, military and cultural fields, such as mountains, mountain ranges, rivers and streams, islets, ports, sea routes, and all administrative district seats and their boundaries, residential districts, traffic networks, signal-fire sites, communications, walled cities, markets, storehouses, stock farms, irrigation channels and historic relics.
    He also wrote Taedongjiji, a book systematizing the data to explain and supplement the map.
    The map and the book graphically showing the then developed map-drawing and geography are precious scientific and cultural legacies which are valuable in the study of the history, geography and socio-economic situation in the end of the feudal state.
    The map rare to be seen in the world at that time is the pride of the Korean nation.

"Human Rights Judge" Should Be Brought to Dock

    Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- The United States is making a hullabaloo in the international political arena while styling itself a "human rights judge". The U.S. makes public "human rights report" every year to label other countries as "human rights graveyard" and to impose American style "human rights" on them.
    The "human rights situation" of the DPRK on its lips glaringly shows black-hearted intention of the "human rights judge".
    The DPRK government has established and consistently developed the man-centered socialist system on the basis of the conception and standard of the human rights, independent rights of the social being.
    Therefore, the people of the DPRK are enjoying an independent and creative life, evenly provided by law with all rights of social being such as political freedom and rights, right to labor and rest and the right to free education and free medical care.
    On the contrary, the United States, which is loudly talking about "welfare for all people" and "material civilization", witnessed 37 million people below the poverty line and 2.2 million prisoners, record high in history as of the end of the last year. In one week of October this year, over 320,000 people were kicked out of job.
    It is natural in the United States where only the human rights of the big monopolists, 0.02 percent of the population, are recognized and defended that "the rich get ever richer and poor ever poorer" and crimes are ever growing as the days go by.
    Nearly 60 years have passed since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in December 1948. But the U.S. is making no scruple of committing such thrice-cursed human rights violations as unscrupulous aggression upon other sovereign states and massacre of innocent people.
    The reality discloses in all nakedness that the "human rights" offensive of the U.S. against the anti-imperialist and independent countries is nothing but to make a pretext for invasion, pressure and interference and the mastermind who should be brought to the dock of human rights court is none other than the U.S., the world's arch criminal of human rights.
    The U.S. would be advised to throw off the cloak of the "human rights judge" and immediately give up the interference in other's internal affairs.

Patriotic Devotion Displayed by Colliers

    Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- The patriotic devotion displayed by the people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is based on the revolutionary soldier spirit, a product of the Songun era. It was in October this year that a pit collapsed in the Sochang Youth Coal Mine under the Tokchon Area Coal Complex.
    Choe Su Hwan and two other coal cutters were stranded in the pit for four days but carried out their assignments without disappointment.
    They lost consciousness after boring 18 more blast holes with manual drill by displaying superhuman power without eating and drinking a cup of water.
    "In our country nobody would act otherwise in such situation. We wanted to live a worthwhile life for the motherland and people".
    They said this after they were rescued after 94 hours.
    These simple and short words reflect the revolutionary soldier spirit, the noble spiritual world of the Korean people who regard as the most sacred deed to devote themselves to the development and prosperity of the country.
    During the period when the country was undergoing difficulties, servicepersons of the Korean People's Army performed heroic feats in socialist construction, saying that they would take in charge of the defence of the country and socialist construction.
    With a firm determination not to see the blue sky of the country before carrying out the order given by the Supreme Commander, they built the gigantic Anbyon Youth Power Station and many other objects for the affluent and happy life of the people, overcoming difficulties beyond human imagination.
    The revolutionary soldier spirit is the ideological and moral source of the Korean people striving for the prosperity of the country.

Doctorate of Sports Awarded to Vice-President of ITF

    Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- A doctorate of Sports of the DPRK was awarded to Leong Wai Meng, secretary general of the International Martial Art Games Committee and vice-president of the International Taekwon-Do Federation at a ceremony held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall Thursday. Leong Wai Meng made a scientific clarification of what should be taught to Taekwon-do beginners and the principle of displaying strength according to each movement and the standard for assessment according to each grade of Taekwon-Do, thus greatly contributing to the development of Taekwon-Do and disseminating it worldwide.
    Present at the ceremony were Kwak Pom Gi, vice-premier of the Cabinet who is chairman of the State Commission for Conferring Degrees and Title of the DPRK, Kang Chun Gum, secretary general of the commission, Hwang Pong Yong, chairman of the Korean Taekwon-Do Committee, Jong Jae Hun, chairman of the International Martial Art Games Committee, and others.

For Spanish-speaking people

Condecorado el embajador ruso con la orden de amistad de la RPDC

    Pyongyang, 14 de diciembre (ATCC) -- Tuvo lugar el dia 13 en el capitalino Palacio de los Congresos Mansudae una ceremonia de otorgamiento de la orden de amistad de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea a Andrei Karlov, embajador extraordinario y plenipotenciario de la Federacion Rusa en Corea. Tras darse lectura al decreto del Presidium de la Asamblea Popular Suprema de la RPDC sobre el particular, Kim Yong Nam, presidente de esta dependencia, condecoro con la orden de amistad del primer grado de la RPDC a Andrei Karlov quien contribuyo activamente al fortalecimiento y desarrollo de las relaciones de amistad y cooperacion entre Corea y Rusia.
    En la ocasion estuvieron presentes el viceministro de Relaciones Exteriores, Kung Sok Ung, y otros funcionarios coreanos, el ministro-consejero de la embajada rusa en Corea, Alexandr Mategora, y otros miembros de la sede diplomatica.

Fundamento del patriotismo del pueblo coreano

    Pyongyang, 14 de diciembre (ATCC) -- El espiritu revolucionario de los militares que aparecio en la epoca del Songun (priorizacion militar) es el fundamento de la abnegacion patriotica del pueblo coreano. A citar un ejemplo, Choe Su Hwan y otros dos carboneros de la Mina Carbonifera Juventud de Sochang del Complejo Carbonifero de la Zona de Tokchon no se pusieron pesimistas aunque estuvieron encerrados 4 dias en una galeria derrumbada inesperadamente y cumplieron con todo su deber asumido ante la patria.
    A pesar de que se hallaban al filo de la muerte, ellos pensaron primero en la produccion carbonifera antes de buscar su salvacion.
    No pudieron tomar una gota de agua ni un grano de arroz, pero la falta de oxigeno fue el peor obstaculo para ellos.
    　Sin embargo, perforaron 18 barrenos con el taladro manual realizando esfuerzos sobrehumanos y despues se desmayaron.
    "Cualquier otra persona hubiera actuado asi en tales circunstancias. Quisimos vivir dignamente ante la patria y el pueblo".
    Son primeras palabras que dijeron ellos cuando han sido rescatados a 94 horas del accidente.
    En estas palabras tan modestas y cortas se reflejaban el espiritu revolucionario de los militares y el noble mundo espiritual del pueblo coreano que considera como lo mas sagrado luchar con abnegacion por la prosperidad y el desarrollo del pais.
    Cuando el pais experimentaba serias dificultades, los militares del ejercito popular se encargaron tambien de la construccion del socialismo, aparte de la defensa de la patria, y acumularon heroicas hazanas en esta empresa.
    Con la decision de vida o muerte de "antes de materializar las ordenes del Comandante Supremo Kim Jong Il, no nos apartaremos de los lugares del trabajo", los militares construyeron la Central Hidroelectrica Juventud de Anbyon superando inimaginables dificultades y completaron otros numerosos proyectos que puedan dar una vida rica y feliz a los habitantes.
    Por cierto, el espiritu revolucionario de los militares resulta hoy la fuente ideo-espiritual del pueblo coreano que asegura la prosperidad del pais.

Taedongyojido, primer mapa de Corea

    Pyongyang, 14 de diciembre (ATCC) -- Ya transcurrieron 145 anos desde el nacimiento del mapa "Taedongyojido". 　Es el mapa de toda Corea de escala de 1:162,000 confeccionado por el geografo Kim Jong Ho (desde el principio del siglo XIX hasta 1864) al recorrer incansablemente el territorio nacional realizando la investigacion sobre el terreno y la medicion practica.
    　Su diseno de 22 piezas tiene 33 metros cuadrados.
    　En el mapa fueron dibujados de modo detallado mas de 11 mil 600 objetivos politicos, economicos, militares, culturales y de la naturaleza, entre otros, montes, sierras, rios y arroyos, islas, puertos, vias maritimas, demarcaciones de divisiones administrativas a todos niveles, poblados, redes del trafico, antorchas, establecimientos de comunicaciones, ciudadelas, mercados, almacenes, granjas ganaderas, sistema de irrigacion y reliquias historicas.
    　Kim escribio tambien el libro geografico "Taedongjiji" con datos sistematizados a fin de explicar y complementar su mapa caracterizado por exactitud y precision.
    　El mapa y el libro muestran el desarrollo de la confeccion del mapa y el nivel de la geografia del pais de aquel entonces y se conservan como valiosos patrimonios cientifico-culturales para el estudio de la historia y geografia y el entendimiento de la situacion socio-economica del periodo final de la sociedad feudal.
    　Este mapa raro y magnifico a escala mundial en aquel entonces constituye un orgullo de la nacion coreana.