Kim Jong Il Inspects KPA Sub-Unit
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il inspected a sub-unit of KPA Unit 479.
He was accompanied by KPA Generals Hyon Chol Hae and Ri Myong Su and First Vice Department Director of the WPK Central Committee Ri Yong Chol.
After acquainting himself with the sub-unit's performance of duty, he watched its soldiers in training. He expressed satisfaction over the fact that all the servicepersons of the sub-unit have grown to be a-match-for-a hundred fighters with high combat capacity through their intensive training and set forth the tasks to be fulfilled to increase its combat capability.
It is the primary revolutionary task for the servicepersons to train well, he said, stressing the need to always pay primary attention to the work to thoroughly implement the training program.
Then, he paid deep attention to the service and living of the soldiers, going round an educational room, a bed room, a mess hall, a non-staple food store, a wash-cum-bath house, an outdoor resting place, a barn and other places of the sub-unit.
He highly praised the sub-unit for leading a tenacious economic life, pleased with the fact that it has not only successfully built cultural and educational and supply service facilities by thoroughly managing the unit the way the anti-Japanese guerrillas did but also splendidly conducted the sideline job to make its life abundant.
Looking round the compound of the barracks under trees laden with red persimmons and feasting his eyes on the mountain ridges covered with chestnut trees, he praised the commanding officers and soldiers of the sub-unit for having successfully spruced up their post, adding that this is one of the beautiful traits which can be displayed only by the KPA soldiers who ardently love the country.
He posed for a photograph with the servicepersons of the sub-unit.
DPRK's Consistent Principled Stand to Fight against All Forms of Terrorism Reiterated
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- The Korean Central News Agency released Thursday the following detailed report on the recent pirate attack on the DPRK-flagged trading ship "Taehongdan" in waters off Somalia:
On Oct. 29, 2007 when it was anchored at roads ready for departure after discharging cargo at Mogadishu Port, Somalia the ship came under a surprise attack by seven armed pirates disguised as guards.
All the crewmen were detained at a steering room and an engine room.
The pirates demanded the crewmen pay a ransom of 15,000 U.S. dollars and navigate to the waters designated by them, opening fire to threaten them.
The sailors, however, remained unperturbed under this dangerous situation created all of a sudden. They fought to beat back the pirates' attack.
They switched on an automatic warning device and waged a fierce gunfight against the pirates after seizing weapons from two terrorists who were standing guard over the engine room.
As the steering room was occupied by the pirates, they sailed towards the open sea by use of steering engine for emergency operation and life boat compass, while battling on to overpower the remaining pirates.
In the meantime, upon receiving a SOS sent by the ship, an institution concerned in the DPRK officially informed the International Maritime Organization and the Piracy Reporting Centre of the IMB stationed in Malaysia of the incident and asked for help.
At the request of the above-said centre, U.S. navy's destroyer James E. Williams and a helicopter rushed to the scene and helped the DPRK sailors in fighting, threatening the pirates over walkie-talkie.
As a result, at around 16:30 on Oct. 30, i.e. about 20 hours after the start of the fight, the pirates dropped arms and surrendered. The ship was completely recaptured by its sailors.
One pirate was killed and six crewmen of the DPRK were wounded in the fight.
A surgeon of the U.S. destroyer provided first-aid treatment and other medical service to our wounded crewmen.
Our cargo ship made a safe voyage to its destination through a regular sea route.
The pirates' recent armed attack on our trading ship was a grave terrorist act perpetrated against a peaceful ship.
It is the consistent principled stand of the DPRK government to oppose all sorts of terrorism.
As shown by our crewmen through their actions, it is the disposition of the Korean people to fight out any terrorist act on the spot though they are empty-handed.
We feel grateful to the United States for its assistance given to our crewmen.
This case serves as a symbol of the DPRK-U.S. cooperation in the struggle against terrorism.
We will continue to render international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, in the future, too.
Greetings to King of Cambodia
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, Thursday on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of its independence.
The message said that the Cambodian people have achieved great successes in their efforts to defend the sovereignty of their country and develop the national economy under the leadership of the king and the royal government.
Believing that the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries provided by President Kim Il Sung and Great King Norodom Sihanouk would continue to favorably grow stronger in the future, the message sincerely wished the king greater success in his responsible work for the stability and prosperity of the country.
Kim Yong Nam Receives Credentials from Malian Ambassador
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, received credentials from Malian Ambassador to the DPRK Ntji Laico Traore at the Mansudae Assembly Hall Thursday.
After receiving the credentials, Kim had a talk with the Malian ambassador.
FM Meets New Malian Ambassador
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- Pak Ui Chun, DPRK foreign minister, met and conversed with Ntji Laico Traore, new Malian ambassador to the DPRK, who paid a courtesy call on him on Thursday.
Day of UN Observed
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- UN Resident Coordinator Jean Pierre De Margerie hosted a reception Wednesday on the occasion of the Day of the United Nations.
Present at the reception on invitation were Choe Su Hon, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, and officials concerned and foreign diplomatic envoys here.
Also present there were representatives of the international organizations here.
Speeches were made there.
Delegation of Regional Administration of Russia Here
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the Sakhalin Regional Administration of Russia led by Melnikov Valentin, vice-chairman of the Sakhalin Regional Committee for International, Overseas Economic and Inter-Regional Relations, arrived here on Thursday.
Highest Prize Awarded to DPRK Aerial Trapeze
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- "Gold Lion Prize" Cup, the highest prize, and certificate were awarded to DPRK's aerial trapeze "Diverse Flight" at the 11th Wuqiao International Acrobatics Festival held in China from October 27 to November 4.
Acrobats of the Pyongyang Circus successfully presented latest technical movements such as treble flip-flap with simultaneous pirouette and quadruple flip-flap in the air, drawing the particular attention of experts and spectators during the entire period of the festival and winning a top point.
After watching their performance, many spectators of China, members of the international jury and participants in the festival were unsparing in their praises, saying that the present status of the festival would be unthinkable without the DPRK's aerial trapeze.
The festival brought together famous acrobatic organizations and acrobats from 16 countries including the DPRK, China, Russia, France, Italy and Canada and regions.
Promising Boy Artist
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- A promising boy artist is attracting the attention of art experts in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
It is Ri Sung Bom (11 years old), first-year pupil at Pyongyang Puhung Middle School.
Ri Tong Hun, teacher in charge of the fine arts circle at the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace, told KCNA that he started taking art lessons when he just turned five years.
He, who has keen attention and observation, startled people from his first work.
His pictures caught eyes of visitors and jury at national and international fine arts festivals.
He exhibited the Korean painting "Morning" on the National Fine Arts Festival commemorating the 90th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung in no more than four months after he started his learning and it won the first place.
The First National Pencil Picture Festival held last year in celebration of February 16 awarded first prizes to his pencil picture "My dream of joining the army of the General and becoming hero" and the pen picture "A Yankee I have captured" for their marked individuality and refined stroke.
His pictures were highly appreciated at international children's fine arts festivals and exhibitions held in various countries including China, Japan, India, Romania and Egypt.
He submitted to the Asian Children's Fine Arts Festival held in Japan in Juche 94 (2005) five diary pictures on the theme of "My Life" that he drew with unique single-stroke method. He was awarded the grand gold prize, the top prize of the festival, and a gold medal.
The participators in the festival and fine arts experts extolled his painting skill though he was nine years old.
The boy artist told KCNA that he would become an excellent soldier-artist to delight Kim Jong Il.
AFC Women's Awards Conferred on DPRK Team and Footballers
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- The awards of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) were conferred on the DPRK women's football team and footballers at the First AFC Women's Awards Ceremony 2007 held in Malaysia on November 6.
The DPRK Women's Football Team, which displayed a high degree of ability in several women's football tournaments held this year, won the AFC National Women's Team of the year award.
The AFC Women's Player of the year award was given to footballer Ri Kum Suk who played core role of her team in the Fifth FIFA Women's World Cup and scored 12 goals in the Asian regional women's football qualifiers for the 29th Olympic Games.
Footballer Ra Un Sim was honored with the AFC Women's Youth Player of the year award. She made a great contribution to the DPRK youth women's team which won the 2007 Asian Women's U-19 Football Championships held in China some time ago.
The DPRK is the first in the number of award winners at the First AFC Women's Awards Ceremony 2007.
Rodong Sinmun on Fundamental Principle to Be Adhered to in Socialist Construction
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- It is a fundamental principle to be consistently adhered to in socialist construction to firmly protect and fully meet the desire for independence and interests of the popular masses. Rodong Sinmun Thursday says this in a signed article.
It goes on:
In order to build socialism in line with the above-said desire and interests, it is necessary, first of all, to strengthen the working-class party organizationally and ideologically and fully ensure the party leadership over the revolution and construction.
It is also necessary to steadily increase the function and role of the socialist power and protect and develop the socialist ownership.
It is one of the fundamental principles to be consistently maintained in socialist construction to resolutely struggle against imperialism.
Abandoning the above-said principle means surrender and betrayal.
The Eastern European countries, which were once engaged in building socialism, opted to make concessions over the socialist principle, wavering before the temporary difficulties and yielding to the pressure of the imperialists because they lacked faith in socialism and a firm revolutionary stand. They weakened the leadership role of the ruling parties and uniform leadership function of the socialist states, neglecting the work for strengthening the working-class parties. They, at the same time, compromised with the imperialists without principle, applying the relations of capitalist ownership and capitalist methods of managing economy. This brought such miserable consequences as degenerating socialism and ousting the working-class parties from power and pushing socialism to a collapse in the end.
The historical experience goes to clearly prove that if a country makes a single concession and backdown over the socialist principle, it is bound to make them a hundred times and this will lead to the final collapse of the working-class party and socialism.
Anniversary of Kim Jong Il's Work Observed
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today dedicates a by-lined article to the 30th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's famous work "On Establishing Revolutionary Trait in Carrying out Party Policies."
The ideas and theories expounded in the work serve as priceless guidelines in the struggle of the party organizations of different levels and officials and party members and other working people for the implementation of the party policies over the last three decades, says the article.
It goes on:
The wise leadership provided by Kim Jong Il to help all party members establish a revolutionary trait of unconditionally carrying out the party policies found its manifestation in that he always saw to it that the education in party policies was steadily intensified among the officials and party members.
It is a revolutionary leadership principle consistently adhered to by Kim Jong Il to give definite precedence to the ideological and political work in all work.
Under the leadership of Kim Jong Il, the party organizations have dynamically conducted the ideological education to bring home to the officials and party members the party line and policies including the line of socialist economic construction in the Songun era and the policy of agricultural revolution and the policy of light industrial revolution. Many effective styles and methods were created in the education in the party policies.
The wise leadership of Kim Jong Il also found its expression in that he has led the party organizations to closely link the work of organizing and guiding the party life with the implementation of their revolutionary tasks and set an example of the times in devotedly carrying out the party policies and helped all the officials and party members earnestly follow it.
Kim Jong Il created the revolutionary soldier spirit during the difficult period of the "Arduous March" and led all the party members and other people to actively follow the fighting spirit and work style of the People's Army. This marked a landmark occasion in making the spirit of carrying out the party policies in a do-or-die spirit prevail throughout the party.
Book Praising Kim Jong Il Published in S. Korea
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- A book "Kim Jong Il, chairman of the National Defence Commission, and north Korea in 21st century" praising the greatness of Kim Jong Il recently came off the press in south Korea, according to a press report.
The book was edited by the "South Korean Institute for Civil Rights Studies" under the Solidarity for Implementing the South-North Joint Declaration" and released by the "June 15 Publishing House".
The book having four chapters deals in detail with Kim Jong Il's political and economic lines, leadership mode and policies for national reunification and foreign relations.
National Independence Called for in S. Korea
Pyongyang, November 8 (KCNA) -- The south Korean Youth and Students Solidarity for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration reportedly issued a statement calling upon the youth and students to take the lead in the struggle against the U.S. and for national independence on Nov. 3, 78 years since the Kwangju Students Incident.
The statement noted that the movement of students in Kwangju on Nov. 3, 1929, was a historic great event as it was developed into to the anti-Japanese movement of Korean students, arousing the protest against the Japanese imperialists in the country.
Many years have passed since then, but the Korean people are always exposed to the threat of war with their sovereignty being violated still under the domination of outsiders, it deplored.
The statement said that to inherit the spirit of the Kwangju students movement is just to drive the U.S. forces out of south Korea as soon as possible and gratify the people's desire to lead a free life.
Nobody can break the south Korean people's will to build a new society, the statement said, stressing the need to achieve the independent reunification, peace and prosperity, the cherished desire of the nation, under the banner of the June 15 joint declaration.
For Spanish-speaking people
Kim Jong Il presencia funcion de XXXI Festival Artistico de Militares
Pyongyang, 8 de noviembre (ATCC) -- El Dirigente 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 Comandante Supremo del Ejercito Popular de Corea vio la funcion de los militares de las companias de las Unidades no. 682 y no. 3993 del EPC que participan en el XXXI Festival Artistico de Militares del EPC.
Le acompanaron el general de ejercito del EPC Hyon Chol Hae, el teniente general Jong Thae Gun y otros miembros directivos del ejercito.
Los ejecutantes pusieron en la escena el coro "El General se encuentra siempre junto con los soldados", la narracion y cancion "Es buena la vida de la compania", el acordeon y cancion "Vino un acordeonista", el solo "Anoramos al general", Jotae (una especie de flauta) y duo "No llores, Ulnam", el coro "Seremos el septimo regimiento de hoy" y otras variadas piezas.
A traves de la funcion los militares de las companias cantaron bien el invencible poderio del heroico EPC y la feliz vida de servicio militar llena de optimismo y jubilo.
Al ver la funcion vigorosa e impetuosa, el Dirigente expreso gran satisfaccion de que ellos hicieron una magnifica funcion perfecta en lo ideo-artistico, evaluo de alto el exito de su funcion y les dio agradecimiento.
Todos los militares de Corea crecieron como los uniformados fuertes en la idea y conviccion preparados tanto en lo ideo-politico como en lo militar-tecnico, y dotados de alta preparacion cultural, dijo el y senalo que en el mundo no hay nadie capaz de vencer la fuerza de tal ejercito que se lanza sin vacilacion contra marea y fuego para el partido y el Lider, la patria y el pueblo.
Apunto que el XXXI Festival Artistico de Militares del EPC demuestra plenamente la justeza y vitalidad de la orientacion del partido en materia de cultura y arte de popularizar el arte, y la orgullosa cultura del Songun (priorizacion militar).
La cultura de los militares creada en el ejercito popular refleja el espiritu de la epoca y se colma de optimismo combativo y rico sentimiento, senalo el Comandante Supremo y subrayo que esto sirve de modelo de la vida cultural socialista de la epoca del Songun, de ejemplo autentico que deben seguir todos los funcionarios y otros trabajadores.
Destaco que librar con vigor las actividades artisticas revolucionarias en el ejercito es un poderoso medio para elevar la combatividad de la unidad e indico las tareas programaticas que sirven de guia para desarrollar las actividades artisticas masivas.
Regresa a Pyongyang el premier Kim Yong Il
Pyongyang, 8 de noviembre (ATCC) -- El primer ministro del Consejo de Ministros de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea, Kim Yong Il, regreso a esta capital el dia 7 en avion especial luego de terminar una visita oficial y de amistad a la Republica Socialista de Vietnam, Malasia, el Reino de Cambodia y la Republica Democratica Popular Lao.
Le acompanaron el ministro de Comercio Exterior Rim Kyong Man, el ministro de Agricultura Ri Kyong Sik, el presidente interino del Comite Coreano de Relaciones Culturales con el Extranjero, Mun Jae Chol, y el vicecanciller Kim Yong Il.
En el aeropuerto el premier y su comitiva fueron acogidos por el vicepremier Ro Tu Chol, el ministro de Cultura Kang Nung Su, el vicecanciller Choe Su Hon, el viceministro de Comercio Exterior Ku Pon Thae, y los representantes diplomaticos de Vietnam, Malasia, Cambodia y Laos acreditados en Corea.
Kim Yong Nam recibe cartas credenciales de embajador maliense
Pyongyang, 8 de noviembre (ATCC) -- Ntji Laico Traore presento este jueves en el Palacio de los Congresos Mansudae ante el presidente del Presidium de la Asamblea Popular Suprema de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea, Kim Yong Nam, sus cartas credenciales que le acreditan como embajador extraordinario y plenipotenciario de la Republica de Mali en Corea.
Despues de recibirlas, Kim departio con el diplomatico.
Banquete por el "Dia de la ONU"
Pyongyang, 8 de noviembre (ATCC) -- Con motivo del "Dia de la ONU", Jean Pierre De Margerie, coordinador interino de la ONU acreditado en Corea ofrecio el dia 7 un banquete.
Al banquete estuvieron invitados el vicecanciller Choe Su Hon y otros funcionarios coreanos, los representantes diplomaticos de varios paises y estuvieron presentes los representantes de organizaciones internacionales, acreditados en Corea.
En la ocasion hubo discursos.