Immediate Withdrawal of S. Korean Troops from Iraq Urged

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- Members of civic and public organizations in south Korea reportedly held an anti-war rally in Seoul on Dec. 16 at which they denounced the "government's" attempt at the long-term presence of the Jaitun unit in Iraq. They warned that if the "government" seeks the long-term presence of the unit instead of its withdrawal, that will touch off stronger protest from the people, vowing to carry on the struggle for the immediate withdrawal of the unit.
    At the end of the rally the participants staged a demonstration.

Kim Jong Il Hailed as Great Strategist

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- Personages of Syria and Palestine made public statements on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's assumption of the supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army. The vice dean of the faculty of political science of the University of Damascus in Syria in a statement praised Kim Jong Il as a great strategist possessed of extraordinary wisdom and superb stratagem. He has wisely led the army and people of the DPRK to win one victory after another in the confrontation with the U.S.-led imperialist allies and reliably defend the gains of socialism, the sovereignty of the country and the dignity of the nation, the statement said.
    It is a prerequisite for the victory of all the countries and peoples aspiring after independence to follow his way of Songun politics and the example of the DPRK, it added.
    The director of the Higher Education Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization noted in a statement that Kim Jong Il has developed in depth the Songun idea fathered by President Kim Il Sung and wisely led the Korean people with his unique Songun politics.
    Led by him, the Korean People's Army has grown to be an invincible army capable of reliably ensuring the security of the country militarily.

New Tree Growing Stations Appear in DPRK

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- Evodia Daniellii Benn tree growing stations have been set up in more than 130 cities and counties of the DPRK. Evodia Daniellii Benn forests extending 10,000 hectares or more have been additionally created in the provinces, cities and counties this year to help resolve the problem of edible oil.
    With the expansion of the forests, stations for growing them have been set up in cities and counties, which have launched into an energetic work to consolidate their material and technical foundations.

Many Poems and Songs See Light This Year

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- Many poems and songs were created this year. They powerfully encouraged the Korean people in the general march for the Songun revolution. Poets of the Central Committee of the Korean Writers Union and those in different parts of the country and mass literature correspondents created thousands of pieces of poems on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the formation of the "Down-with-Imperialism Union."
    They include epic "Long Journey under Red Flag" and long poem "Song of April Will Last Forever" and other poems praising the immortal feats of the peerlessly great persons and long poem "Shine, Journey of Great Songun" lauding the Songun leadership exploits of the Workers' Party of Korea.
    Epic "Mt. Paektu Fortress", "Eternal Castle Wall", "Let Us Live with Burning Determination" and other poems truthfully represented the indomitable fighting spirit of the Korean people and a selection of poems "Youth Resembles Mt. Paektu" and epic "Let Blood Vessel of Mt. Paektu Last Forever" and other poems expressed the conviction that the tradition started on Mt. Paektu will last forever and the future of Songun Korea will remain bright.
    The year witnessed the creation of words of songs reflecting the noble spiritual world of the Korean people deeply trusting and following Kim Jong Il only. Collection of poems "Our Comrade Kim Jong Il" by Ryu Tong Ho, "Collection of Poems by Kim Man Yong" (Vol. 1), "At Site of Crossing River in Flames" by Kwon Thae Yo, "Echo of Land of Golden Tapestry" by Jong Tong Chan and other collections of poems also saw the light this year.

Anachronistic Confrontation Doctrine Blasted

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- The south Korean military authorities some time ago rattled on the reexamination of the "defense policy" involving the question of "principal enemy", singing duet with the United States taking issue with the self-defensive war deterrent of the DPRK. Commenting on this, a Rodong Sinmun analyst Thursday says:
    The "principal enemy" doctrine touted by the anti-reunification forces of south Korea is a doctrine of the era of confrontation, which regards the north, the same nation, as the chief "enemy" and an "object of removal". It never falls in line with the June 15 era of reunification today.
    The Koreans are a homogeneous nation which has inherited one and the same culture and tradition down through history. There is no contradiction and reason that should cause hostile feelings between the north and the south.
    The concept of "principal enemy" is the left-over of the era of inter-Korean confrontation.
    The earlier rulers of south Korea clung to moves for confrontation and war against the DPRK in collusion with outside forces after tailoring the inter-Korean relations to hostile relations, institutionally and legally.
    But, today, all the fellow countrymen are vigorously pushing forward the patriotic movement for reunification, hand in hand, following the idea of "By our nation itself" under the uplifted banner of the June 15 joint declaration.
    There is no justification to be obsessed with hostile feelings against fellow countrymen today when the two parts of the country promised each other in the joint declaration to join efforts of the nation and advance toward independent reunification and are hastening the fulfillment of this commitment.
    To stick to the anachronistic concept of "principal enemy" reveals the criminal intention to push the present north-south relations back to the era of confrontation.
    The principal enemy of our nation and its common target of toppling is the United States which is wrecking peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and bringing the clouds of war there.
    To declare the DPRK the "principal enemy" is, immediately, a negation of the June 15 joint declaration and a declaration of confrontation.

New Feature Film Produced

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- The April 25 Film Studio of the Korean People's Army produced new feature film "Photo Left by Him" recently. The film is based on the true story about DPRK Hero Kim Ki Bong who was an officer of the KPA. He dedicated his life to saving comrades. He truly treasured and loved his soldiers, taking the revolutionary comradeship shown by Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il as the maxim of his life.
    The film shows its hero breathing his last before keeping the promise he had made with his family to have a picture taken together. But servicepersons of the unit pose for a photograph together with the members of the family of the departed hero on the day when his daughter was leaving for a revolutionary school. These touching scenes of the film show that though the hero's physical life is over, he is immortal as he will be always remembered by the country and the people.

Strict Observance of Socialist Law Called for

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- It presents itself as a more urgent issue to strictly abide by the socialist law now that the class struggle is going on at home and abroad and the imperialists, in particular, are becoming evermore undisguised in their anti-socialist moves. Rodong Sinmun Thursday observes this in a signed article. It goes on:
    The most acute struggle in the revolutionary struggle is the class struggle, i.e. the struggle to defend socialism.
    The imperialists are perpetrating military intervention and blockade against the socialist countries while whipping together the remnants of the overthrown exploiting class and reactionaries in those countries in a bid to use them for the operations to destroy them from within.
    Those countries which had been building socialism in the past slackened the observance of the socialist law. This was one of the reasons why socialism collapsed in those countries.
    The historical experience teaches the lesson that if a country slackens the observance of the socialist law, ignoring the reality in which the class struggle is going on, this will create confusion in social life and pose a serious danger to the socialist system itself.
    It is necessary to steadily tighten the abidance of the socialist law as long as the class struggle continues.
    It is essential to strictly control and shatter all sorts of hostile factors by the socialist law, a weapon for waging the class struggle.
    The socialist law plays a positive role in rooting out the leftovers of the obsolete ideas in the minds of the people.
    A strict observance of the socialist law provides the working people with an important guarantee for working hard for socialist economic and cultural construction, the article concludes.

Wreath Laid before Bust of Kim Jong Suk

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- The Military Attaches Corps here laid a wreath before the bust of Kim Jong Suk, an anti-Japanese war hero, at the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery on Mt. Taesong on Thursday to mark her 89th birth anniversary. Written on the ribbon of the wreath were letters reading "The revolutionary exploits of anti-Japanese war hero Comrade Kim Jong Suk are immortal!"

Foreign Diplomats Visit Three-Revolution Exhibition

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- Diplomatic envoys of various countries and representatives of international organizations here visited the Three-Revolution Exhibition Thursday on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's assumption of the supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army and the 89th birth anniversary of anti-Japanese war hero Kim Jong Suk. They first went to the Exhibition of Works on the Juche Idea. They looked round photos and materials on display there, being briefed on the fact that Kim Jong Suk dedicated her noble life to the sacred cause of achieving national liberation and building a new country.
    Then they visited the Heavy Industry Hall.
    At the end of the visit, Secretary of the People's Bureau of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Bashir Ramadan Khalifa Abu Janah made an entry in the visitor's book. He wrote that upholding President Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Suk took part in the struggle for the liberation of the country and the building of new Korea. She gave birth to Kim Jong Il and brought him up to be a great leader, he added.
    Iranian ambassador to the DPRK Jalaleddin Namini Mianji also made an entry in the visitor's book. Noting that the visit offered an opportunity to know well about the self-sacrificing spirit and heroism Kim Jong Suk fully displayed for the sake of the President and the Korean revolution, he hoped that the Korean people would register greater success in their efforts to build a great prosperous powerful nation under the leadership of Kim Jong Il.

Mushroom Widely Cultivated in DPRK

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- Mushroom is being widely cultivated in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Taking the lead in the mushroom cultivation are the Junggu Mushroom Farm, Tongdaewon Mushroom Farm, Hyongsan Co-op Farm in Hyongjesan District and Sangwon Coal Mine in Pyongyang, Food Administration Company in Koksan County, Weekly Nursery in Sariwon City and Chonnae Soy Factory.
    In particular, the Hyongsan Co-op Farm has raised large quantities of mushroom all the year round for scores of years to regularly provide them to its nurseries, kindergartens and households.
    Various cultivation methods have been invented.
    They include the substrate production method for the cultivation of mushroom, seed-spawn cultivation technology and phased cultivation method.
    Many units have introduced the phased cultivation method suitable to the species of mushroom according to seasons.
    Mushroom is not only used for food but also applied to health food, health drink and medicines.
    More than 10 kinds of mushrooms including agaric, black mushroom, rice straw mushroom and Lentinus edodes are being widely cultivated in the country.

Many Model Rural Villages Built

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- More than 190 model rural villages have been built across the DPRK this year. Agricultural workers have been relocated into the new houses. Methane gas has found its way to 174 newly built villages.
    Each rural village with scores of residential blocks is picturesque.
    Each house has several bed rooms, a store, a pen and various kinds of furniture.
    Fruit trees planted around the dwelling houses and trees of good species planted along the flat roads leading to the villages add beauty to the landscape. Some time ago leader Kim Jong Il provided field guidance to the newly built village of the Migok Cooperative Farm in Sariwon City where he expressed great satisfaction with the successful construction of modern dwelling houses of various styles convenient to farmers' living.

School Uniform Associated with Noble Comradely Fidelity

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- The precious life of the anti-Japanese war woman hero Kim Jong Suk was run through with noble comradeship and obligation. The story on the Mangyongdae Revolutionary School uniform is one of many impressive stories about her noble obligation.
    In order to implement the instruction of President Kim Il Sung that the uniforms for all the pupils should be made before the opening ceremony of the school, Kim Jong Suk visited the Pyongyang Clothing Factory on August 9, Juche 36 (1947).
    She met officials of the factory and said to the following effect: The President is now making preparations to give schooling to all the bereaved children of revolutionary martyrs. But we have not provided them with uniforms. Their parents are revolutionaries who courageously fought and fell in battles against the Japanese imperialists. If we put quality clothes on the bereaved children who had been ill-clad and ill-fed in the past, we will feel much easier.
    And she drew the design of the uniform, saying that the school uniform should be made in the form of military uniform and put broad red braids to trousers so as to clearly show the deep meaning that they are carrying forward the revolutionary traditions of the anti-Japanese armed struggle as the President taught.
    Busy as she was assisting the President, she called at the factory four times after then and solved issues arising in making the school uniforms with parental affection.
    Several days before the opening ceremony of the school, she came to the factory with six uniforms. She told officials of the factory that these uniforms did not fit some students and it was not bad to provide the clothes to them as they were but it made her feel regrettable. She instructed officials that the uniforms should be mended to fit the pupils.
    Woman commander of Mt. Paektu Kim Jong Suk showed warm love for stoutly bringing up with nothing to envy more in the world all the bereaved children of the revolutionary comrades-in-arms who had died in the sacred war for the liberation of the country. Today her lofty intention has been realized better under the Songun revolutionary leadership of Kim Jong Il.

S. Korean Delegation Arrives Here

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the South Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration headed by Chairman Paek Rak Chong arrived here today. It was greeted at the airport by An Kyong Ho, chairman of the North Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration, and officials concerned.

Film Show Held for Economic and Commercial Councilors' Corps

    Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- The DPRK Ministry of Foreign Trade arranged a film show at the Taedonggang Club for Diplomatic Corps Thursday to mark the 15th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's assumption of the supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army and the 89th birth anniversary of anti-Japanese war hero Kim Jong Suk. Present at the show on invitation were members of the Economic and Commercial Councilors' Corps here.
    The participants watched Korean documentary "Under the Guidance of the Great Brilliant Commander" which deals with the historical facts that Kim Jong Il trained the KPA to be an army being boundlessly loyal to the party and the leader and devotedly serving for the country and people.

For Spanish-speaking people

Poderosa arma de la lucha por la defensa del socialismo

    Pyongyang, 21 de diciembre (ATCC) -- Puesto que hoy dia prosigue la lucha clasista en el interior y el exterior del pais y se tornan cada dia mas perversas las maquinaciones antisocialistas de los imperialistas, resulta mas prioritario que nunca el fortalecimiento de la ley socialista. Asi senala el periodico Rodong Sinmun en un articulo individual del dia 21 y continua:
    La batalla mas aguda en la lucha revolucionaria es precisamente la clasista por la defensa del socialismo.
    Aparte de la intervencion armada y el bloqueo contra los paises socialistas, los imperialistas tratan de derrumbar desde adentro a estos paises instigando a los elementos sobrevivientes de la clase explotadora liquidada y otros reaccionarios.
    La debilitacion de la ley socialista es una de las causas del derrumbe de los paises que antes construian el socialismo.
    La experiencia historica demuestra que si se debilita la ley socialista haciendo caso omiso a la lucha clasista en constante despliegue, reinara un desorden en la vida social y correra un grave peligro el mismo regimen socialista.
    Por lo tanto, es preciso fortalecer incesantemente la ley socialista mientras prosiga la lucha clasista.
    Hay que controlar y atropellar tajantemente con esa ley, arma de la lucha clasista, a todos los elementos disidentes.
    La ley socialista juega un activo rol en eliminar los vestigios de la caduca ideologia que quedan en la mente de las personas.
    Ejecutarla cabalmente deviene una importante garantia para que las masas trabajadoras pudieran luchar dinamicamente por la construccion de la economia y cultura socialistas.

Producida nueva pelicula "La fotografia que dejo el"

    Pyongyang, 21 de diciembre (ATCC) -- Los Estudios Cinematograficos 25 de Abril del Ejercito Popular de Corea produjeron recientemente una pelicula de ficcion "La fotografia que dejo el". El protagonista del largometraje encarna al heroe de la Republica Kim Ki Bong, ex oficial del EPC, quien teniendo como su maxima de vida la concepcion revolucionaria del camarada del Dirigente Kim Jong Il, cuido con sinceridad a los soldados y sacrifico su vida sin vacilacion alguna para salvar a sus companeros.
    Por esta razon, el heroe no pudo cumplir la promesa de tomar una fotografia familiar.
    　En lugar de el, sus companeros de armas cumplen esa promesa el dia en que su hija parte hacia la escuela de hijos de martires revolucionarios.
    A traves de tales escenas emocionantes, el filme muestra que los heroes como el protagonista viviran eternamente en la memoria de la patria y el pueblo aunque se mueran fisicamente.

Kim Jong Suk y el uniforme para hijos de martires revolucionarios

    Pyongyang, 21 de diciembre (ATCC) -- Entre muchos episodios emocionantes alusivos a la camaraderia y al sentido de obligacion moral de la heroina de lucha antijaponesa Kim Jong Suk, que caracterizan su noble vida, se resalta una historia sobre el uniforme para los hijos de martires revolucionarios, alumnos de la Escuela Revolucionaria de Mangyongdae. 　Ella visito el 9 de agosto del 36 (1947) de la Era Juche la Fabrica de Ropas de Pyongyang (nombre actual) para materializar la indicacion del Presidente Kim Il Sung de terminar la produccion de los uniformes antes de la ceremonia inaugural de la escuela mencionada.
    　Entonces dijo a los funcionarios de la Fabrica como lo siguiente:
    　"Ahora el General Kim Il Sung se enfrasca en buscar a todos los hijos de los martires revolucionarios para educarlos en la Escuela Revolucionaria, pero no hemos preparado todavia los uniformes para ellos. Sus padres son los revolucionarios caidos mientras luchaban valientemente contra los imperialistas japoneses. Nos alegrariamos mucho cuando preparemos vestidos que les sientan muy bien a esos ninos que antes vivian pasando hambre y andrajosos".
    　Disenando personalmente el modelo del uniforme similar al de los militares explico que segun la ensenanza del Presidente Kim Il Sung, en ambos lados del pantalon se debe ubicar gruesas cintas color rojo para destacar que los alumnos heredaron las tradiciones revolucionarias de lucha antijaponesa.
    　Posteriormente, Kim Jong Suk atendio con el amor maternal los problemas surgidos en la produccion de uniformes aunque estuvo muy atareada por ayudar las labores del Presidente.
    　Unos dias antes de la ceremonia inaugural de la escuela, volvio con 6 uniformes para la reparacion diciendo a los funcionarios de la fabrica que estos no quedaban bien a los alumnos y lo sentia mucho vestirlos tal como estaban.
    　El noble amor y anhelo de ella quien se preocupaba tanto por criar a los hijos de los companeros de armas revolucionarios, caidos en la sagrada batalla por la liberacion de la patria, se ponen de pleno manifiesto hoy en la tierra patria gracias a la orientacion del Dirigente Kim Jong Il sobre la revolucion mediante el Songun (priorizacion militar).

Aparecen este ano mas de 190 aldeas rurales modernas

    Pyongyang, 21 de diciembre (ATCC) -- Este ano, se construyeron en distintas localidades de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea mas de 190 aldeas rurales ejemplares, de ellas 174 fueron gasificadas con el metano. De esta manera, los trabajadores agricolas pudieron disfrutar de una vida mas civilizada en esas viviendas modernas.
    Se asemeja a una pintura magnifica cada una de las aldeas compuestas generalmente de decenas de edificios.
    Cada vivienda tiene varias habitaciones, almacen, corrales y otros utensilios de la vida familiar.
    Por otra parte, aportan mas belleza al panorama los arboles frutales plantados en todas las casas y los otros en las avenidas que atraviesan las cuadras.
    En su reciente visita a una nueva aldea de la Granja Cooperativa de Migok de la ciudad de Sariwon, el Dirigente Kim Jong Il se mostro muy satisfecho de la magnifica construccion de las viviendas modernas de varios tipos que resultan muy comodas para los agricultores.