Kim Jong Il Sends Wreath to Bier of Im Sa Jun
Pyongyang, April 19 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il sent a wreath to the bier of Winner of the "Kim Il Sung Prize" and People's Artiste Im Sa Jun, creator of the Ceramic Work Production Unit of the Mansudae Art Studio, expressing deep condolences over his death.
DPRK Foreign Ministry Delegation Leaves
Pyongyang, April 19 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the DPRK Foreign Ministry led by Vice-Minister Kim Yong Il left here on April 19 to visit Asian countries.
It was seen off at the airport by officials concerned and diplomatic envoys of Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Iran.
Foreign Personages Visit DPRK Embassies
Pyongyang, April 19 (KCNA) -- Personages of different countries and regional organizations visited the DPRK embassies in their countries from April 12 to 15 on the occasions of the Day of the Sun and the 14th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's election as chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission.
A delegation of the Party for Unity and Progress of Guinea led by its deputy general secretary visited the DPRK Embassy in Conakry on Apr. 12 and the vice-minister of Higher Education of Malaysia, directors of Malaysian companies, the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist-Leninist), the chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Bangladesh National Socialist Party, the minister of Commerce, Industry and Labor Administration of the Delhi State Government of India, the general secretary of the Central Committee of the All-India Forward Bloc and the secretary general of the Asian Regional Institute of the Juche Idea paid visits to the DPRK embassies in their capital cities from April 12 to 15.
They laid floral baskets and bouquets and made bows before the portraits of President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and full-length paintings showing them standing together.
Commemorative Information Bulletin Published in Mexico
Pyongyang, April 19 (KCNA) -- The Mexican Institute for the Study of the Juche Idea issued an information bulletin entitled "Kim Il Sung and His 95th Birth Anniversary" carrying the picture of smiling President Kim Il Sung on April 5 on the occasion of the Day of the Sun.
The bulletin recalled that the President embarked upon the road of the revolutionary struggle in his teens and fathered the Juche idea and Songun idea, explaining in detail the originality and vitality of the Juche idea and main contents of the Songun idea.
Referring to the fact that the President wisely led the Korean revolution and the world revolution under the banner of the Juche idea, the bulletin noted that the President has been highly praised by all people for his great exploits. It paid high tribute to him on the occasion of his 95th birth anniversary.
Birthday of KPA to Be Marked in Dominica
Pyongyang, April 19 (KCNA) -- The Dominican preparatory committee for celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Korean People's Army was formed on April 12.
Ivan Rodriguez, chairman of the Central Committee of the Dominican Workers' Party, was elected chairman of the preparatory committee.
The preparatory committee decided to organize colorful events including a meeting and a seminar and publish and disseminate famous works of President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on the occasion of the founding anniversary of the KPA.
Day of Sun Commemorated in Cuba
Pyongyang, April 19 (KCNA) -- Ceremonies of laying baskets of flowers before the portraits of smiling President Kim Il Sung were held by the Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America and at Kim Il Sung Economic Special School in Cuba on April 12 and 13 to commemorate the Day of the Sun.
Present there were the secretary general and members of the organization, the rector, teachers and students of the school and staff members of the DPRK embassy in Havana.
The participants laid the floral baskets before the portraits of the President and made bows.
Positive Actions against FTA Called for in S. Korea
Pyongyang, April 19 (KCNA) -- A candlelight cultural event was reportedly held in Seoul on April 16 to honor the memory of Ho Se Uk, worker affiliated with the south Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) who burned himself to death in protest against the south Korea-U.S. negotiations for the conclusion of "Free Trade Agreement."
Present at the event were members of different organizations including the Headquarters of the All-People Movement for Checking the south Korea-U.S. FTA, the KCTU and the Citizens' Solidarity for Democratic Society.
The participants noted that Ho Se Uk burned himself to death in demand of a stop to the negotiations on April 1 and bitterly denounced the "government" for driving him to death.
They expressed their will to actively turn out in the actions against the U.S. and its followers, which pushed for FTA, to realize the worker's wish.
Meanwhile, the Anti-U.S. Women's Society released a statement on the same day. Noting that his death was murder by the "government" as it struck the humiliating deal with the U.S. in defiance of strong protest from the people, the statement urged the "government" to own full responsibility for his death and declare the concluded FTA totally null and void.
Historical Conference to Rally Patriotic, Democratic Forces
Pyongyang, April 19 (KCNA) -- April in Korea is a significant month in which President Kim Il Sung was born and a model was created in achieving a great unity of the whole nation.
The Joint Conference of Representatives of Political Parties and Public Organizations in North and South Korea was held in Pyongyang in April Juche 37 (1948) under initiative and guidance of the President.
Representatives of 56 political parties and public organizations in north and south Korea participated in the historical conference for the first time to discuss the issue of national reunification. It was also attended by some chief nationalists who regarded anti-communism as their life and soul.
Just before the conference, they regarded the socialists as arch enemy and committed terrorism against them. For their unsavory past and differences in political view they, with distrust, hesitated to come to Pyongyang and expressed enmity even at the conference.
Moved by the President's noble patriotic idea on checking the division of the country and building a reunified country through the great national unity transcending the differences in ideology and political opinion, they fully supported his policy of national independence.
They were charmed by broad-minded magnanimity, lofty virtue and open-minded and modest trait of the President, who stood them in the van of the struggle for the sacred cause of national reunification without asking their past. They lauded that he was the very one to be followed and respected by the entire nation.
Kim Ku, an obstinate chief nationalist and a leading figure on the south Korean political arena, experienced that religionists and brothers and sisters and children of nationalists who had persecuted socialists were active at important posts of public organizations and government bodies during his stay in Pyongyang. He also pledged himself to follow the lofty idea of the President.
After the conference, Kim Ku, Kim Kyu Sik and other figures led the patriotic and democratic forces in south Korea in the vigorous struggle against the ruinous May 10 separate election and made a great contribution to successfully holding the nation-wide general election for establishing the unified central government.
The joint conference showed that the political parties and public organizations with different political view and class stand could be united on the basis of the idea common to the nation and could hold in check the division of the nation and reunify the country in an independent and peaceful way. The conference takes a brilliant page in the history of the united front movement and still inspires all the fellow countrymen to the sacred cause of reunification.
Japan Denounced for Disturbing 6-Party Talks
Pyongyang, April 19 (KCNA) -- Japan, making much ado about the "abduction issue" which does not deserve a passing note, has no job to do at the 6-party talks, declares a Rodong Sinmun analyst Thursday, adding:
If the talks get rid of such filibuster as Japan, a favorable atmosphere for the talks will be created and the implementation of the agreement will run on oiled wheels.
Noting that Japan is persistently bringing forward quite an irrelevant issue which has nothing to do with the 6-party talks, the analyst goes on:
This is because it has a sinister intention to obstruct the implementation of the February 13 agreement and, furthermore, derail the 6-party talks at any cost.
It is Japan's approach to the dialogue and real intention to lay obstacles in the way of the 6-party talks and curb the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. By doing so, the Japanese reactionaries seek to invent a pretext for the nuclear armament of Japan and gratify their ambition for the building of a military power and overseas aggression. For this very purpose Japan obstinately denies its past crimes including the issue of the "comfort women" forcibly recruited for the imperial Japanese army and tries to bury them in the limbo of historic oblivion.
It is entirely attributable to the unreasonable and shameless obstructions of Japan that the implementation of the February 13 agreement has come up against a snag and the 6-party talks fail to make a progress. Japan is the very one which is forcing the talks to mark time and even back down, not making progress.
If Japan keeps distorting and denying its past crimes and hindering the progress of the talks, kicking up dust over an issue which has nothing to do with the talks, it will put itself to a greater shame on the international scene and may be driven out of the talks in the long run.
For Spanish-speaking people
Rodong Sinmun fustiga a Japon por estropear la cita a 6 bandas
Pyongyang, 19 de abril (ATCC) -- No tiene nada que hacer Japon en las conversaciones 6 bandas, si sigue acusando el insignificante "problema del secuestro". Cuando este pais se vaya de esta mesa, se mejorara el clima del dialogo y marchara sin complicaciones la ejecucion de los acuerdos.
Senala asi el periodico Rodong Sinmun en un comentario individual del dia 19 y continua:
El pais isleno cuestiona obstinadamente ese asunto que no tiene nada que ver con la agenda de las conversaciones referidas partiendo de su malsano intento de llevarlas al fracaso tras obstaculizar la ejecucion del acuerdo del 13 de febrero, de modo que resulte imposible la desnuclearizacion de la Peninsula Coreana.
En ese sentido, se propone a procurar el pretexto del armamento nuclear y realizar su ambicion de convertirse en una potencia militar y de agredir a ultramar.
Asimismo, Japon niega porfiadamente el caso de las "consoladoras sexuales" para el ejercito de su pais en el periodo de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y otros crimenes del pasado a fin de borrarlos de la historia.
Las injustas y descaradas maniobras obstructoras de este pais generaron escollos en la ejecucion del acuerdo del 13 de febrero y el paro de las conversaciones en cuestion.
Si Japon tergiversa y niega sus crimenes del pasado y sigue frenando el avance del dialogo con ese asunto desvinculado, pasara mas verguenzas en la arena internacional y sera expulsado finalmente de la mesa de conversaciones.
Clausurado XXV Festival Artistico de Amistad Abril en Primavera
Pyongyang, 19 de abril (ATCC) -- Quedo clausurado la vispera en el Gran Teatro de Pyongyang Este el XXV Festival Artistico de Amistad Abril en Primavera, inaugurado el pasado dia 10 en esta capital con motivo del Dia del Sol (15 de abril, cumpleanos del Presidente Kim Il Sung).
En la ceremonia de clausura participaron Yang Hyong Sop, vicepresidente del Presidium de la Asamblea Popular Suprema de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea, Kang Nung Su, ministro de Cultura y presidente del Comite Organizador del Festival, Pak Kwan O, presidente del Comite Popular de la Ciudad de Pyongyang y otros funcionarios.
Tambien estuvieron presentes los artistas extranjeros y los coreanos residentes en ultramar, las delegaciones y delegados de varios paises, los representantes diplomaticos y otros miembros de las embajadas de varios paises acreditados en Corea, huespedes extranjeros y compatriotas residentes en ultramar.
En la funcion de clausura actuaron prestigiosos artistas extranjeros quienes dejaron profunda impresion al publico con su elevada habilidad artistica.
En la ceremonia de premiacion fueron otorgados el premio colectivo al Coro de Camara Academico Nacional de Moscu de Rusia y otras 8 entidades; el de merito a 7 artistas; el individual a 71; el de armonia a 46 obras.
Igualmente, fueron entregados los diplomas, copas y premios de oro y plata y premios en efectivo segun dichas distinciones.
Al pronunciar la palabra de clausura, Kang Nung Su agradecio a los participantes quienes con sus elegantes canciones y bailes alegraron al pueblo coreano celebrando el Dia del Sol y manifesto la voluntad de desarrollar constantemente en el futuro tambien esta cita artistica solidarizandose con los artistas progresistas del mundo.
Encuentro de amistad entre artistas coreanos y extranjeros
Pyongyang, 19 de abril (ATCC) -- Tuvo lugar el dia 18 en la Casa Central de la Juventud el encuentro de amistad entre los artistas de esta capital y los participantes en el XXV Festival Artistico de Amistad Abril en Primavera.
Fueron invitados los artistas de varios paises y los coreanos residentes en ultramar quienes participan en esa cita artistica.
Estuvieron presentes tambien el ministro de Cultura y presidente del comite organizador del evento, Kang Nung Su, los vicepresidentes del citado comite organizador, funcionarios concernientes y artistas de esta capital.
En la ocasion hubo discursos.
Los participantes departieron sobre las escenas coronadas de modo original de la XXV edicion del festival, que tuvo lugar con solemnidad en ocasion del Dia del Sol (15 de abril, cumpleanos del Presidente Kim Il Sung), y expusieron criterios sobre la ampliacion y el desarrollo del intercambio artistico entre los paises.
Ademas, estrecharon la amistad cantando y bailando juntos.