Joint Seminar of Juche Idea Study Groups Held in Uganda
Pyongyang, February 26 (KCNA) -- A joint seminar on the theme of "On His Excellency Kim Jong Il's work 'The Juche Philosophy Is an Original Revolutionary Philosophy' and the great exploits performed by him" was held by the groups for the study of the Juche idea in Uganda on Feb. 14 on the occasion of February 16.
The third deputy prime minister of Uganda in a congratulatory speech at the seminar called for strengthening solidarity with the Korean people who are achieving prosperity of the country and firmly defending their dignity, braving the disturbances of the imperialists under the uplifted banner of the Juche idea.
Baguma Isoke, chairman of the Ugandan National Committee for the Study of the Juche Idea, in a speech under the title of "On the distinguished exploits performed by H.E. Kim Jong Il in the history of human thought" said that Kim Jong Il who has enriched the Juche idea is an extraordinary thinker and theoretician and an outstanding politician, noting that it is a world trend at present to deeply study and disseminate the Juche idea.
Chango Machyo, senior adviser to the Presidency of Uganda, highly praised the immortal exploits of President Kim Il Sung who founded the Juche idea and liberated Korea through an armed struggle.
A letter to Kim Jong Il was adopted at the seminar.
Kim Jong Il Praised
Pyongyang, February 26 (KCNA) -- Rashed Khan Menon, chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Bangladesh, praised Kim Jong Il as the leader of the Korean people and the world progressives fighting to achieve independence.
In a statement released on Feb. 16, the February fete, he said the progressives worldwide were significantly celebrating the birthday of Kim Jong Il, the common holiday of humankind.
He continued:
The world has acclaimed a prominent leader possessed of extraordinary political ability and boundless virtues.
Thanks to the outstanding ideological and theoretical activities of Kim Jong Il and his wise guidance, the DPRK has turned into an independent, self-reliant and self-defensive socialist country and the global movement for socialism has embarked upon the road of revival.
It is a task not only of the Korean people but also of the world progressives to continue to firmly defend socialism in the DPRK, the bulwark of the revolution.
We will intensify the international solidarity activities to support the Korean people in their struggle to frustrate the moves of the U.S. imperialists for stifling the DPRK, build a great prosperous powerful nation and achieve the independent and peaceful reunification of the country.
Special Prize Awarded to Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, February 26 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il was awarded special prize first class by the Arab Association for Arts, Culture and Information in Egypt on the occasion of his birthday.
An awarding ceremony was held in Cairo on Feb. 18.
After the decision of the council of the association to confer special prize first class upon Kim Jong Il was read out, the prize and its certificate were handed to the DPRK ambassador to Egypt.
The logo of the special prize first class on which the flags of 20 Arab countries, symbolic of the membership of the association, are embossed bears the words "To the great leader His Excellency Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission."
Its certificate reads: "The Arab Association for Arts, Culture and Information is pleased to confer the special prize first class upon the great leader His Excellency Kim Jong Il in high recognition of his outstanding and substantial contribution made to the development of arts and culture in Korea and the feats he has performed by giving help to us Arab people. It is our sincere hope that he will conduct more creative activities for the Arab-Korea friendly relations."
Japan's Military Operation Aimed at Reinvasion Assailed
Pyongyang, February 26 (KCNA) -- Japan recently sent its warships and helicopters to the Strait of Malacca to join in exercises with other countries.
Commenting on this, a Rodong Sinmun analyst Monday says:
The Japanese government described the joint exercises as ones solely aimed to guarantee a safe sea route protected from pirates' attacks. But the scope of naval operation set by it shows that it is aimed at seizing control over the seas around Asia and conducting offensive military operations anywhere in the region as it pleases in case of "emergency."
It is a long time ago that Japan expanded the scope of its military operations to the areas of the Indian Ocean from its surroundings under the pretext of "defending sea routes."
The Japanese reactionaries paved the way for overseas dispatches under the cloak of "cooperation in UN peace-keeping operations" and are hurling their "Self-defense Forces" into dispute-torn regions for military operations.
Japan has hastened in real earnest the enactment of all sorts of war laws including a draft amendment to the law on "Self-defense Forces" and arms buildup.
Taking advantage of the escalated disputes in the hot spots, Japan is getting the SDF ready for plunging into overseas aggression any moment under the label of "contribution to peace." It is also rounding off necessary legal mechanisms one by one.
The Japanese reactionaries' dispatch of helicopters and warships to the Strait of Malacca far from Japan proper for the joint exercises against this background vividly shows how feverish they have become in their war preparations for overseas aggression.
Lurking behind all the military measures taken by Japan is its sinister criminal intention to thrust its militarist sword into the soil of Asia again.
Special Agreement on Sharing Funds for Upkeep of U.S. Forces Opposed in S. Korea
Pyongyang, February 26 (KCNA) -- Representatives of political parties and social organizations in south Korea reportedly called a press conference at the building of the "National Assembly" in Youido, Seoul, on Feb. 21 at which they voiced opposition to the "National Assembly's" ratification of the special agreement on sharing the funds for the upkeep of the U.S. forces in south Korea.
Kwon Yong Gil, lawmaker from the Democratic Labor Party, Yu Yong Jae, secretary general of the People for Achieving Peace and Reunification, and other speakers at the conference charged it is illegal that the special agreement calls for spending 50 percent of the shared funds for the upkeep of the U.S. forces for the transfer of the U.S. Second Division, accusing the "government" authorities of leaving no stone unturned to meet the interests of the U.S.
Calling on the people not to be taken in by the authorities' trick to cover the humiliating nature of the special agreement, they demanded the "National Assembly's" thorough probe into it.
At the end of the press conference, figures from various circles submitted to the "National Assembly" a declaration on rejecting its ratification of the special agreement and demanding an open hearing and the renegotiation of the special agreement.
Japan Upbraided for Trying to Evade Crimes in Sexual Slavery
Pyongyang, February 26 (KCNA) -- South Korean newspapers denounced the Japanese authorities' mean attempts to evade the responsibility for sexual slavery for the Imperial Japanese Army in the past.
Hangyore on Feb. 16 in an editorial captioned "Testimonies to Sexual Slavery and Japan Going against Stream" recalled that members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 31 submitted to Congress a resolution demanding an official apology of the Japanese prime minister for the issue of "comfort women" drafted for the Imperial Japanese Army, debunking the desperate activities of Japan to stem its carriage.
Describing this as an act to eclipse the sun with a palm, the editorial stressed that, unless it settles the "comfort women" issue, Japan will neither be able to free itself from its past wrongdoings nor talk about reconciliation and cooperation to other Asian countries.
Choongang Ilbo in an editorial on Feb. 17 said the adoption of the resolution on the "comfort women" drafted for the Imperial Japanese Army would awaken humankind to the fact that there is no statute of limitations to a war crime against humanity. Japan should take, though belatedly, all the measures mentioned in the resolution including an official apology of the prime minister, it urged.
Kim Yong Nam Meets Indian Ambassador
Pyongyang, February 26 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, met and had a talk with N.T. Khankhup, Indian ambassador to the DPRK, who paid a farewell call on him at the Mansudae Assembly Hall Monday.
On hand were Kim Yong Il, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, and officials concerned and staff members of the Indian embassy here.
Rare Turtle Appears in Central Zoo
Pyongyang, February 26 (KCNA) -- A rare turtle, Macrochelys Temminckii, has newly inhabited the Central Zoo of the DPRK.
It has a rough shell like a crocodile's back, a developed sharp-pointed beak, a large head and long tail compared with those of other kinds of turtles.
It weighs seven kilograms. Its shell is 32 centimeters long and 26 centimeters wide. Its ducked head is 10 centimeters long, its tail 23 centimeters long and its body 12 centimeters high.
It is a 20-30 years old male turtle.
The inhabitant of Macrochelys Temminckii is lakes and rivers in the south-eastern region of North America. It is the largest kind among turtles living in fresh water.
The grown-up turtle weighs 65 kilograms and its shell is 80 centimeters long on an average.
Technicians and feeders in the zoo pay a deep attention to its breeding.
Ancient Sculpture Discovered
Pyongyang, February 26 (KCNA) -- An ancient group sculpture has been discovered at the site of the royal palace of Koguryo in Pyongyang. The sculpture depicts three Buddhist saints standing on a round pedestal trimmed with triple petal lotus flowers.
The delicate depiction of the figures and dress pleats shows the then developed sculptural art and metal casting technique of Koguryo.
Engraved on the sculpture are 46 characters in four lines telling that it was created by a man called Yon at the Rakrangdong Temple in the Walled City of Pyongyang in 539, the 7th year of Yonga.
What draws attention here is the year name Yonga.
It has been widely known a fact that the year name could be instituted only by Kings in the eastern countries in the Middle Ages. The use of the year name Yonga, along with the already-known year names such as Konhung, Yonsu and Yongrak, proves that Koguryo was a full-fledged independent and sovereign kingdom.
National Meeting Commemorates Centenary of Birth of Han Tok Su
Pyongyang, February 26 (KCNA) -- A national meeting took place at the People's Palace of Culture on Feb. 26 to commemorate the centenary of birth of Han Tok Su, former chairman of the Central Standing Committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon).
Present at the meeting were Kim Yong Dae, vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly who is 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 officials of ministries and national institutions and working people in the city and officials of Chongryon and Korean residents in Japan on their visit to the socialist homeland and members of the bereaved family of Han Tok Su.
Kim Yong Dae said in his report made there that Han Tok Su was a pioneer of the Juche-oriented movement of Koreans in Japan, organizer of Chongryon and renowned revolutionary activist overseas as he rendered great services for the development of the movement of overseas compatriots.
Saying that the inauguration of Chongryon was his greatest merit, the reporter stressed that after holding the important post of chairman of Chongryon since its formation, he devotedly worked to embody the idea and leadership of President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in the movement of Koreans in Japan, bravely overcoming all obstructive moves of the reactionaries at home and abroad for several decades.
He went on:
There is a well-organized system of democratic national education in all areas of Japan where Koreans live and peculiar national feelings prevail in the Korean community. This is one of the exploits he performed, prompted by his ardent patriotic desire and determination to defend the nation and preserve its soul even in a foreign land.
Regarding the work for national reunification and helping the homeland as the most important work of Chongryon, he powerfully aroused the officials of Chongryon and Koreans in Japan to make a tangible contribution to the work.
The homeland will always remember Han as an excellent revolutionary and true son of the nation, the reporter noted, calling on the officials of Chongryon and Koreans in Japan to consolidate Chongryon, a patriotic legacy left by Kim Il Sung and to which Han dedicated his whole life, as a dignified organization of overseas citizens of the DPRK as firm as a rock and successfully carry forward and steadily glorify its patriotic tradition and exploits while decisively frustrating the moves of enemies against the DPRK and Chongryon.
Japanese Reactionaries' Suppression of Chongryon Denounced
Pyongyang, February 26 (KCNA) -- Anders Karlsson, chairman of the Communist Party in Sweden, on Feb. 21 handed to the Japanese embassy in Stockholm a letter addressed to the Japanese prime minister in protest against the Japanese reactionaries' suppression of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) and Koreans in Japan.
He in the letter denounced the Japanese authorities for committing in an unbroken chain recently such outrages as searching organs under Chongryon and even houses and said the Koreans in Japan have the right to be protected by law and respected as human-beings.
He strongly demanded that the Japanese authorities immediately stop their suppression of Koreans in Japan and that the authorities who are wholly responsible for the hostile campaign against the DPRK make an apology and compensation to its victims.
For Spanish-speaking people
Rodong Sinmun denuncia operacion militar de reaccionarios japoneses
Pyongyang, 26 de febrero (ATCC) -- Recientemente, Japon movilizo los buques de guerra y helicopteros para realizar ejercicios conjuntos militares con varios paises en el Estrecho de Malaca.
El gobierno japones lo describe como un entrenamiento "para asegurar la via maritima" de los ataques de los piratas. Pero, la esfera de operacion naval fijada por el pais isleno enfoca a tomar el control sobre los mares en torno al continente asiatico y desarrollar a su antojo las operaciones militares ofensivas en esta region en el "tiempo de emergencia".
Senala asi el rotativo Rodong Sinmun en un cometario individual de este lunes y prosigue:
Ya hace mucho tiempo, Japon amplifico la esfera de operaciones militares desde el contorno del archipielago hasta el Oceano Indio so pretexto de la "defensa de la via maritima".
Los reaccionarios japoneses enviaron a sus uniformados a ultramar bajo el rotulo de "colaboracion con las actividades de la ONU para el mantenimiento de la paz" y desarrollan operaciones belicas despachando a los efectivos de sus "fuerzas de autodefensa" a las zonas de conflicto.
Tomando por buena oportunidad la agravacion de los conflictos en los focos de guerra, Japon prepara a las "fuerzas de autodefensa" para que puedan movilizarse en cualquier momento a la agresion a ultramar bajo el rotulo de "hacer contribucion a la paz". Al mismo tiempo, perfecciona las medidas legales necesarias para el respecto.
Por lo tanto, susodichos ejercicios demuestran fehacientemente a que etapa llegan los preparativos de la guerra de agresion a ultramar de los reaccionarios japoneses.
@Todas las medidas militares, que toma Japon, son una muestra de siniestras intenciones criminales de rehabilitar el militarismo en Asia.
Kim Jong Il recibe premio especial de entidad arabe
Pyongyang, 26 de febrero (ATCC) -- El Dirigente Kim Jong Il recibio el premio especial de primer grado que con motivo de su cumpleanos le dirigiera la Asociacion Arabe de Arte, Cultura e Informacion en Egipto.
La ceremonia de entrega de tal distincion tuvo lugar el dia 18 en El Cairo.
En el acto se dio lectura a la resolucion del Consejo de la citada entidad de otorgarlo al Dirigente y fueron entregados el premio y el certificado al embajador extraordinario y plenipotenciario de Corea acreditado en este pais arabe.
En la insignia de primer grado del premio especial donde estan incrustadas las banderas de los 20 paises arabes que simbolizan los miembros de la mencionada asociacion se lee: "A Su Excelencia Kim Jong Il, Secretario General del Partido del Trabajo de Corea, Presidente del Comite de Defensa Nacional de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea y gran Dirigente".
El certificado senala: "La Asociacion Arabe de Arte, Cultura e Informacion evalua altamente las hazanas de Su Excelencia Kim Jong Il, gran Dirigente, quien hizo una contribucion sobresaliente y real al desarrollo artistico y cultural de Corea y dio ayuda al pueblo arabe con ello, tiene el honor de otorgarle el premio especial de primer grado. Le deseamos de todo corazon que desarrolle actividades mas creativas para las relaciones de amistad arabe-coreana."
Rara tortuga aparecida en el Jardin Zoologico Nacional
Pyongyang, 26 de febrero (ATCC) -- En estos dias, muchos visitantes concurren a ver una rara tortuga-cocodrilo (Macrochelys Temminckii), recien ingresada en el acuario del Jardin Zoologico Nacional de Corea.
El animal tiene 7 Kg. de peso, el caparazon de 32 cm. de largo y 26 cm. de ancho, la cabeza de 10 cm. de largo en estado encogido, la cola de 23 cm. y el cuerpo de 12 cm. de alto.
Es macho y tiene 20-30 anos de edad.
Generalmente, vive en lago o riachuelo de la region Sureste de America del Norte. Pertenece a la variedad grandisima de entre las tortugas, que viven en agua dulce y tienen 65 kg de peso como promedio y caparazon de 80 cm de largo.
Ahora, los tecnicos y criadores del citado Jardin prestan profunda atencion a la cria y cuido de dicha tortuga-cocodrilo.