Kim Il Sung Praised
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- Seminars, remembrance meetings and film shows were held in South Africa, Austria and Syria on Mar. 22 on the occasion of the Day of the Sun and the 14th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's election as chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission.
On display in the venues of the events were photos showing the undying feats performed by President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
The chairman of a branch in Pretoria City of the African National Congress of South Africa in his speech said that they would always remember the august name of Kim Il Sung along with the sincere assistance, material and moral, given by him to African countries in their efforts for achieving independence and building a new society.
The progressive people in Africa and the rest of the world always remember Kim Il Sung as he fathered the immortal Juche idea and paved a wide avenue for hewing out the destiny of the popular masses independently, he stressed.
Thomas Losh, chief of the Group of Youth for the Study of Kim Jong Il Juche Idea in Vienna, at a seminar said that the history of the Korean revolution which has achieved great successes despite all the ordeals and hardships proved that the Songun politics serves as an invincible treasured sword in accomplishing the cause of independence against imperialism.
The participants in the film shows watched Korean films "They Were Always Together on the Road to Bringing about the People's Well-being" and "The Rivers and Mountains of the Country Being Face-lifted under the Leadership of the Great General."
Mozambican President Praises Songun Politics in DPRK
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- Mozambican President Armando Emilio Guebuza said that he knew well about the Songun politics in the DPRK, adding it is an excellent political mode to be followed by every country. He said this when receiving credentials from the DPRK ambassador to Mozambique on Mar. 22.
Noting that the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries are long-standing, the president said that the Mozambican people always remember the moral and material aid given by the DPRK to their country during the period of the struggle for achieving independence and building a new society. He expressed hope that the bilateral relations would grow stronger in the future, too.
DPRK Women's Delegation Leaves for Venezuela
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the Korean Democratic Women's Union led by Vice-chairperson of its central committee Kim Kyong Ok left here today to participate in the 14th Congress of the Women's International Democratic Federation to be held in Venezuela.
It was seen off at Pyongyang Railway Station by officials concerned and the staff members of the Cuban embassy here.
2nd Rally for Checking FTA Negotiations in S. Korea
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- The second rally for checking negotiations for the signing of the "Free Trade Agreement" was reportedly held in the Seoul City Hall plaza on Mar. 25 under the sponsorship of the Headquarters of the All-People Movement for Checking S. Korea-U.S. FTA.
The rally involved more than 13,000 people from all walks of life including representatives of the headquarters who were on a hunger strike against the signing of the FTA, members of the Democratic Labor Party of south Korea, workers, peasants, youths and students.
The rally heard a resolution and an appeal calling for holding a candlelight event of the people of all social strata against the FTA negotiations in the Kwanghwamun area, Seoul, on March 28.
At the end of the rally the participants staged protests in various parts of the city, divided into several groups.
Japan's Crimes in Drafting "Comfort Women" for Imperial Army Condemned
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- The Japanese reactionaries are trying hard to cover up their past crimes in drafting "comfort women" for the imperial Japanese army, claiming that there is no evidence of forcible drafting of a great number of "comfort women". The claim is arousing great indignation at home and abroad.
The victims whose chastity and the bloom of youth were violated by the Japanese imperialists are venting their anger to the shameless and gangster-like Japanese.
Kwak Kum Nyo residing at Sindong-ri of Tanchon City, South Hamgyong Province, said: In 1939 when I was 16 years old, Japanese scoundrels cheated and took me and 14 other girls to "Mengying" in a border area between the former Soviet Union and Manchuria some 28 kilometers off from the Mudanjiang of China, being escorted by Japanese soldiers. We were forced upon shameful life as "comfort women" for the imperial Japanese army at military barracks for one and a half years.
She condemned the brazen-faced and gangster-like assertion of the Japanese reactionaries as extra-large inhuman crimes the Japanese imperialists committed in an organized way by setting in motion their government authority and military force.
Kim Kun Suk and two others were spoils of the "girl-hunting" of the Japanese police in a park in Seoul in 1938. They were taken to Shenyang of China (Fengtian of Manchuria at that time) to be imposed on the life of "comfort women". Kim Kun Suk said that such atrocity was a crime perpetrated not by pimps but by the then Japanese authorities in an organized way.
Japanese Seiji Yoshida, one of the chiefs of the drafting teams, also disclosed the forcible drafting of the "comfort women" for the imperial Japanese army.
Recollecting the forcible drafting, he confessed: We "did not conscript the 'comfort women' but forcibly arrested them". He confessed that he was a "slave hunter".
He further said to this effect: Going round villages, they put healthy women irrespective of girls and house-wives on trucks by kicking and threatening them at the point of bayonet. The number of the "comfort women" walked away forcibly by himself exceeded 1,000.
The survivors of the "comfort women" unanimously demand that the issue of the sexual slaves should be settled without fail though many years have passed and Abe group give up the efforts to avoid the responsibility but immediately apologize and compensate for the crimes.
Indeed, the Japanese reactionaries' crime-woven history against the Korean people can neither be effaced nor distorted.
Historical Novel Published
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- The Literature and Art Publishing House in the DPRK has brought out a full-length novel under the title of "A Grey-haired General's Life Along with Sword". It is popular among readers.
It is based on a famous patriotic general Choe Yong who dedicated his whole life to the struggle for defending the country at the close of Koryo(918-1392).
The internal and external situation of the country was very complex owing to the incessant invasion of Japanese pirate raiders and foreign forces and interference in the internal affairs by big countries.
Choe Yong increased the defense capabilities of the country in every way to beat back foreign invaders and mercilessly punished corrupt officials blinded for power and wealth and traitors to safeguard the security of the country.
He, who had earned fame as a famous general from his youth, volunteered to the battlefields in spite of his age of over sixty and won one victory after another in battles.
His exploits permeated with his indomitable will and efforts, however, were brought to naught by the traitorous and careerist Ri Song Gye group.
The novel, through historical facts, artistic fiction and vivid delineation and various characters, gives the truth of history that in order to defend the country, it is imperative to cultivate a strong national power and the serious lesson that vigilance should be always kept against traitors and they should not be tolerated in the least.
Annual Meeting of KCSC Held
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- An annual meeting of the Korea-Cuba Solidarity Committee was held here on Thursday.
Present there were Jon Hyon Chan, vice-chairman of the committee who is vice-chairman of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and members of the KCSC.
Also present there were Ruben Perez Valdes, Cuban ambassador to the DPRK, and staff members of the Cuban embassy.
The meeting reviewed the activities conducted by the committee for the friendship and solidarity with the Cuban people in the last one year and discussed its action program for this year.
Video Meeting of Separated Families and Relatives Held
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- The fifth video meeting of separated families and relatives was held from March 27 through 29 under an agreement reached at the 20th North-South Ministerial Talks.
The chairman of the Central Committee of the Red Cross Society of the DPRK and the president of the south Korean Red Cross spoke on video prior to the meeting.
The separated families and relatives from the north and the south were moved to see on video their kinsmen of whom they have not been able to hear for years. They sent each other best regards and introduced their families and relatives before exchanging long pent-up inmost thoughts.
Those from the north side talked about the need to unite close under the banner of the June 15 joint declaration and work hard to put an end to the pain and tragedy of national division and bring earlier the day when all the fellow countrymen would live in a peaceful territory free from the outsiders.
DPRK Beats India in Soccer Match
New Delhi, March 28 (KCNA) -- The DPRK beat India 2:0 in the Asian regional men's football second-round qualifier (group e) held in India on Wednesday to obtain qualification for the 29th Olympic Games.
The two teams will compete with each other again in Pyongyang on April 18.
Japan's Suppression of Chongryon Protested
Tokyo, March 27 (KNS-KCNA) -- Officials of the Osaka Prefectural Headquarters of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) launched information activities on March 20 in protest against the Japanese authorities' political suppression of Chongryon and Koreans in Japan.
They conducted a signature campaign, scattering leaflets denouncing the political suppression.
They condemned the Japanese authorities' persecution and human rights abuses against the Korean residents in Japan and strongly demanded an immediate stop to such suppression.
They declared that organizations of Chongryon would stage solidarity activities with Japanese progressive organizations in the wake of the above-said struggle.
For Spanish-speaking people
Congreso de jovenes vanguardias de la revolucion del Songun
Pyongyang, 29 de marzo (ATCC) -- Tuvo lugar el dia 28 en el capitalino Palacio Cultural del Pueblo el Congreso de los Jovenes Vanguardias de la Revolucion del Songun (priorizacion militar).
El conclave abordo las tareas y los remedios que se presentan ante todos los jovenes para exaltar mas su honor como el primer peloton que defiende a costa de la vida la Direccion de la Revolucion, el destacamento de combate de reserva del Comandante Supremo y el cuerpo de mision especial y para cumplir la mision y el deber de vanguardias juveniles en la ofensiva general para alcanzar la gran meta de construir una gran potencia prospera socialista.
En la ocasion estuvieron presentes Kim Yong Nam, Kim Il Chol, Choe Thae Bok y otros cuadros, los jovenes y estudiantes ameritados en la marcha general de la revolucion del Songun y funcionarios de la Union de la Juventud Socialista Kim Il Sung.
El presidente del Presidium de la Asamblea Popular Suprema de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea, Kim Yong Nam, dio lectura al mensaje de felicitacion del Comite Central del Partido del Trabajo de Corea dirigido a los participantes en este evento.
El mensaje apunta que el CC del PTC evalua altamente a los participantes en el conclave y otros jovenes de todo el pais quienes al apoyar al frente la direccion del Songun del partido, abren la brecha de avance en todos los frentes de la construccion de una gran potencia prospera y exaltan el impetu y el coraje de vanguardias juveniles.
El CC del PTC expresa esperanza de que todos ellos, unidos monoliticamente en torno al Dirigente Kim Jong Il, pondran de pleno manifiesto el temperamento heroico de vanguardias juveniles de la revolucion del Songun en la marcha general para edificar una gran potencia prospera socialista.
Kim Kyong Ho, primer secretario del CC de la Union de la Juventud Socialista Kim Il Sung, presento el informe de la ocasion, y otras personas intervinieron.
El informante dijo que el Presidente Kim Il Sung y el Dirigente Kim Jong Il condujeron a la victoria el movimiento juvenil de Corea de modo que los jovenes desempenaran el papel vanguardista en el cumplimiento de la causa revolucionaria del Juche.
Brillaran eternamente junto con la gloriosa historia de la revolucion del Songun las inmortales hazanas del Dirigente quien trajo el triunfo historico nacional al poner en lo mas alto la posicion de los jovenes y elevar el papel vanguardista de la Union de la Juventud Socialista Kim Il Sung en la gran epoca del Songun, senalo el informante.
Bajo la orientacion del Dirigente, este ano, en que se acogen el 95o aniversario del natalicio del Presidente, el 75o aniversario de la fundacion del Ejercito Popular de Corea y el 80o aniversario de la fundacion de la Union de la Juventud Comunista, los jovenes deben mantener y llevar adelante las inmortales hazanas de los tres Generales del monte Paektu acumuladas en el movimiento juvenil de Corea y manifestar sin reserva el impetu heroico de vanguardias juveniles que abren la brecha de avance al frente de la marcha general de la revolucion del Songun, concluyo el informante.
Los oradores senalaron que en pleno acato a la direccion del Partido mediante el Songun, los jovenes han cumplido su papel vanguardista en las labores para fortalecer el ejercito popular y consolidar mas el poderio estatal.
Enfatizaron que en la vigorosa lucha de la marcha general de la revolucion del Songun, la juventud debe realizar grandes meritos por el partido y la patria y glorificar el honor de la Union de la Juventud, muy digna por llevar el nombre del Presidente Kim Il Sung.
En la ocasion, fue recitada la poesia congratulatoria del grupo de felicitacion de la Union de Ninos de Corea.
Por ultimo, siguiendo la voz guia del primer secretario del CC de la Union de la Juventud, los participantes juraron al Dirigente ponerse a la cabeza de las labores para abrir la gran epoca de prosperidad de la nacion de Kim Il Sung y la Corea del Sol.
Aleccionadora novela "Espada del general canoso"
Pyongyang, 29 de marzo (ATCC) -- En estos dias, la obra mas leida por los lectores coreanos es la novela larga "Espada del general canoso", impresa en la Editora Arte y Literatura de Corea, que describe a Choe Yong, celebre general patriota de la etapa final de Coryo (918-1392) que combatio hasta el ultimo momento de su vida para defender el pais.
En aquellos tiempos fue muy compleja la situacion interna y externa del pais por la ininterrumpida intrusion de los nipones y otros enemigos extranjeros y la injerencia de los grandes paises en los asuntos internos de Corea.
Choe Yong logro preservar la seguridad nacional al consolidar las fuerzas de defensa capaces de rechazar el ataque de los agresores foraneos y eliminar sin vacilacion a los funcionarios corruptos y traidores que andaban enloquecidos solo por el poder y la riqueza.
Desde joven se hizo general celebre y aun siendo sesenton salio siempre victorioso de las batallas contra los invasores extranjeros.
Pero, sus meritos realizados con indoblegable voluntad e ingentes esfuerzos se echaron a perder en un santiamen por la horda de traidores y politicos ambiciosos como Ri Song Gye.
A traves de los hechos historicos, la ficcion artistica, la verosimil descripcion y la actuacion de los personajes, la novela ensena la verdad de la historia de que para defender el pais es preciso contar con las poderosas fuerzas nacionales y la seria leccion de que nunca se debe bajar la guardia ni perdonar en lo minimo a los traidores.
Testimonios de victimas coreanas del caso de "ex consoladoras sexuales"
Pyongyang, 29 de marzo (ATCC) -- En estos tiempos, los reaccionarios japoneses maniobran astutamente para ocultar sus crimenes del pasado alegando que no existen pruebas del reclutamiento forzado de las "ex consoladoras sexuales" para el viejo ejercito nipon, lo cual produce gran indignacion en el ambito nacional e internacional.
En particular, tal conducta tan fresca y bandidesca del clan de los samurais pone mas furiosas a las propias victimas de ese crimen que fueron violadas y privadas de su juventud por culpa de los imperialistas japoneses.
Kwak Kum Nyo, moradora de la comuna de Sindong de la ciudad de Tanchon de la provincia de Hamgyong del Sur, declaro que en 1939 cuando ella tenia 16 anos de edad, enganada por los japoneses fue trasladada junto con otras 14 muchachas, bajo la vigilancia de las tropas japonesas, a "Mongying" situado en la zona fronteriza entre la ex URSS y Manchuria a unos 70 ries (10 ri equivale a 4 kilometros) de Mudanjiang, China, donde encerrada en un cuartel tuvo que llevar durante un ano y medio la humillante vida de "esclava sexual" para el ejercito nipon.
Seguidamente, refuto las recientes palabras cinicas de los reaccionarios islenos y denuncio categoricamente que el caso de "ex consoladoras sexuales" fue un crimen antietico de dimension supergrande cometido por los imperialistas japoneses de manera organizada abusando de las autoridades gubernamentales y militares.
De otro lado, Kim Kun Suk, quien en 1938 cayo en la "caza de muchachas" de los policias japoneses en un parque de la ciudad de Seul y fue arrastrada junto con dos amigas a la region de Shenyang, China, (Fengtian de Manchuria en aquel entonces), desenmascaro que el polemico caso no fue el delito de unos alcahuetes sino el crimen organizado de las autoridades japonesas de aquel entonces.
Mientras tanto, el propio japones Seiji Yoshida, uno de los responsables del arresto forzado de las "ex consoladoras", confeso que "lo que se debe dejar claro es que nosotros no las reclutamos sino las llevamos de modo coercitivo" y reconocio que el mismo "fue un cazador de esclavas".
Tras admitir que en aquellos tiempos, deambulando por las aldeas, "obligamos a subir al camion a todas las feminas saludables, sin distincion de virgenes o casadas, mediante golpes, patadas y amenazandolas con fusil", declaro que "las arrestadas de esta manera solo por mi sobrepasan mil".
Las victimas del caso sobrevivientes hasta la fecha insisten en que ese crimen de esclavitud sexual es un problema muy importante que debe ser resuelto sin falta aunque transcurra mucho tiempo y demandan a la banda de Abe pedir perdon y recompensar por el respecto al dejar de recurrir a sus artimanas para eludir su responsabilidad.
Por ende, es imposible borrar ni tergiversar la historia criminal de los reaccionarios del pais isleno en detrimento del pueblo coreano.