Jong Kwang Son awarded Title of Hero

Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- Jong Kwang Son, soldier of the Korean People's Security Forces, was awarded the Title of Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and a gold wristwatch bearing the august name of the great leader President Kim Il Sung. While on routine duty on Nov. 21, his boat was out of order and drifted by wind and waves in the West Sea of Korea and he was arrested by the enemy. He (19) came back to the socialist homeland via Panmunjom on Nov. 26 after winning a fight with the enemy. An awarding ceremony was held in pyongyang on Dec. 10. The great leader comrade Kim Jong Il's gifts were handed to his parents and to the class-teacher and the principal of the school from which he graduated. a letter of pledge to comrade Kim Jong Il was adopted at the ceremony. Present there was vice marshal of the Korean People's Army Paek Hak Rim, Minister of Public Security.


Just cause of Korean people supported by equatorial guinean president

Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- "The Democratic Party and people of Equatorial Guinea congratulate the Workers' Party of Korea and the Korean people on their great success in their struggle for the prosperity and reunification of the country under the wise leadership of the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il who is carrying forward the cause of comrade Kim Il Sung, the great leader, and wish them greater success in the future". Obiang nguema mbasogo, chairman of the Democratic Party and President of Equatorial Guinea, said this when he met a delegation of the Workers' Party of Korea on December 6. The president stressed that the party and government of Equatorial Guinea extend full support to the just cause of the wpk and the Korean people for the reunification of the country. Noting he values the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the dpeg and the wpk, he said that he will continue to make efforts to develop the relations between the two parties and the two peoples.


minju joson calls for dismantlement of foreign military bases

Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- The imperialists have aggressive military bases in different regions of the world and use them as means of military threat to other nations. The U.S. bases in Okinawa prefecture, Japan, are typical of them. Minju Joson says this in an article wednesday. Keeping many military bases and armed forces on the island the United States is seeking military domination of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the rest of Northeast Asia. The military bases have always put the Korean people in the danger of war and inflicted great sufferings on the Japanese people. The struggle for the dismantlement of U.S. bases has been waged on a worldwide scale, going beyond Japan. China, Russia and other countries are strongly demanding the abolition of U.S. military bases and American people too are calling for their withdrawal. It is only too clear that overseas military bases, legacies from the cold war, are not agreeable with the trend of the time towards reconciliation, cooperation, peace and disarmament. The United States must clearly see the trend of the time, promptly dismantle its military bases in northeast asia including japan and south korea, and many other countries and stop aggravating the international situation.


Rodong Sinmun blasts S. Korea's confrontation policy

Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- Since the South Korean rulers officially declared a "policy of closing the door between the north and the south", a very abnormal situation has been created in korea so that inter-Korean dialogue is unimaginable, says Rodong Sinmun wednesday. In an article the daily says: though the kim young sam group of South Korea are claiming that the "policy" is aimed at coping with the north's "threat", it is a widespread public opinion that it is a very dangerous policy aimed at fostering antagonism and confrontation between the two halves of the country and unleashing a war against the north. After he came to power, Kim Young Sam resumed team spirit joint nuclear war exercises which had been suspended during the military dictatorship. He also said "handshaking with the north is impossible" because of the north's "nuclear suspicion", driving inter-Korean relations back to the phase of confrontation as they were before the adoption of the north-south agreement. Since the "civilian" regime appeared in South Korea, venal scholars have insisted that, originally, the north and the south of the Korean Peninsula "have been alien to each other" and armament expansion, arms buildup and anti- north war exercises have been escalated. The facts clearly show how frantically the Kim Young Sam group are resorting to confronation and war preparations against the north. If the Kim Young Sam group's "policy of closing the door between the north and the south" is allowed, the Korean nation cannot escape from a terrible disaster of war. If the Korean nation is to promote reconciliation and unity and achieve reunification, it is necessary to check the "inter-Korean closed-door policy" against them and remove the Kim Young Sam clique of traitors.


Greetings to Secretary General of Communist Party of Portugal

Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea sent a message of greetings to Carlos Carvalhas on Dec. 9 upon his reelection as Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Portugal. The message expressed the belief that the good relations of friendship and cooperation established between the parties of Korea and Portugal in the common struggle to achieve victory of the socialist cause against imperialism would further strengthen and develop in the future, and wished him new success in his work.


Minjurochong chairman vows to overthrow Kim Young Sam "government"

Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- Kwon Yong Gil, chairman of the National Federation of Democratic Labour Unions (Minjurochong), vowed to wage a struggle to overthrow the Kim Young Sam "government" in case the "government" and some politicians railroad through the "National Assembly" an "amendment bill of the labour law" which is aimed at more harshly putting down the democratic rights of workers by law, according to a radio report from Seoul. The "amendment bill of the labour law" set forth by the present "government" is unacceptable, he said, adding that Minjurochong has no other way than an all-round struggle, if they try to force it through.


Sinister intention of "suffrage" champions

Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today accuses the Kim Young Sam group of South Korea of calling for "suffrage" of Japan-resident Koreans in a bid to disorganize the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon). Some time ago, the Kim Young Sam group convened a "meeting of central and prefectural general secretaries of the South Korean Residents Association in Japan (Mindan)" in Seoul and encouraged Mindan to disintegrate Chongryon, saying "Chongryon should be conquered" and "the next year should be a decisive year in bringing Chongryon to collapse", the daily says, and continues: Some vicious elements of Mindan have openly challenged Chongryon's patriotic movement and incited a total showdown with Chongryon among Mindan-lining compatriots, blaring that Mindan's history is years of struggle against Chongryon and Mindan's goal is to annex Chongryon. The "suffrage" campaign is aimed at depriving the Koreans in Japan of national sovereignty, which is the most valuable for them. It is not due to the lack of "suffrage" but the Japanese authorities' anachronistic Korea policy and their wrong policy towards the Koreans in Japan that the compatriots have suffered from national discrimination, human rights abuses and instability. The "suffrage" campaign conducted by some vicious elements of Mindan is as good as the "petition of franchise" in the period of the Japanese imperialist rule. So, the traitor Kim Young Sam, who has directed the "suffrage" campaign, and its champions are all pro-Japanese traitors tarred with the same brush. Kim Young Sam is trying to get something with such a political drama, but to no avail.


Move for arms buildup will cause ruin

Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- The South Korean puppet Defence Ministry December 10 confirmed and made public the so-called "mid-term defence plan", which envisages that military expenditure in South Korea will increase by 12.9 percent each year in the consecutive five years from 1998 to 2002. It is the already-known fact that the South Korean puppets boosted the military expenditure for this year by 1,200 billion won as against 1995 and planned to increase that of 1997 again by over 2,030 billion won. Never should it go unnoticed that such a ruthless arms buildup move of the puppets has been undisguised, backed by the United States and other hawkish forces on the plea of "securing combat power to deter" somebody's "threat". This indicates that the South Korean puppets' arms buildup has gone beyond the limit and advanced into preparations for total war. It also shows that their arms buildup has reached a dangerous stage to completely legalize preparations for war against the northern half of Korea and realize their ambition for "unification by overpowering communism" under the support of big powers. Due to their unheard-of arms buildup and war exercises by the South Korean puppets against the north, backed by the United States, an atmosphere of unprecedentedly acute confrontation and cold war is prevailing in the Korean Peninsula and the danger of war is at its height all the time. It is an irrefutable fact that the touch-and-go situation has been created on the Korean Peninsula by such frantic war rehearsals and arms buildup of the united states and the south Korean puppets, not by somebody's "threat". The South Korean puppets' arms buildup is also a dangerous signal which will bring forth arms race in the Northeast Asian region. After the Cold War, the world is going towards detente and disarmament. The South Korean puppets' large-scale arms buildup at this time has sparked deep concern from neighbouring countries and will fan arms race inevitably. If the Kim Young Sam group try to find a way out of the extreme crisis in arms buildup and war exercises, it will be foolish. The South Korean puppets should know that they will meet a miserable end if they are to venture confrontation with the north by force of arms.


Guard Seoul 105 tank division named after Ryu Kyong Su

Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- The guard Seoul 105 tank division named after Ryu Kyong Su was the first tank unit in Korea that was formed in 1948. Then, it was a tank brigade. During the past Fatherland Liberation War (June 1950-July 1953), the tank division achieved brilliant results in the battles for liberating Seoul and Taejon, the battle on the river Raktong and many other battles. At 05:00 June 28, 1950, an allout counter-offensive was launched to liberate Seoul. Brigade commander Ryu Kyong Su and other tank men frustrated the desperate resistance of the enemy, occupied the puppet "central office" and hoisted the flag of the DPRK on its top. The Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army promoted the brigade to a divisional status, highly praising its feats in battles and awarded the title of guard Seoul tank division to it. On the road of southward advance, it mercilessly defeated the enemy with its powerful gunfiring and caterpillars. In the Taejon-liberating battle, a brilliant example of a modern siege operation, the division made great contributions to killing or capturing more than 17,500 enemy troops and seizing or destroying over 150 artillery pieces, over 20 tanks, over 2,600 sniper rifles, over 1,000 military vehicles and scores of military waggons and other combat equipment of the enemy. And it took part in the bloody battle to cross the river Raktong and many other battles, performing undying feats which would shine forever in the annals of the country. It produced 19 heroes of the DPRK and more than 1,100 recipients of state decorations. Its maneuverability and firing power have incomparably increased and strengthened in keeping with the requirement of modern warfare. It is now a guard unit which was awarded the Order of Kim Il Sung and the Title of Kum Song Lifeguard. Ryu Kyong Au, an anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter (September 1915-November 1958), was the commander of the first tank unit that was formed in Korea in accordance with the great leader President Kim Il Sung's line of army building after the country was liberated. He received the title of hero of the DPRK in August 1950. Some time ago, the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il visited the division and said that the 105 tank division named after Ryu Kyong Su, which played the role of a pedigree farm in the development of the tank forces of the DPRK, has always been a guard unit both in fighting and ideology.


Cultural cooperation between DPRK and Mongolia

Pyongyang, December 12 (KCNA) -- A plan for cultural cooperation between the governments of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Mongolia from 1997 to 1999 was signed in Pyongyang today. It was signed by vice-chairman Ryang Tal Ju of the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and Mongolian Ambassador to Korea D. Byambaa.