Korea in 1997
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- 1997 was a significant year that the Korean people recorded noteworthy events in the annals of the country, pulling through all sorts of difficulties.
On July 8, 1997, the workers' party and people of Korea held a National Memorial Service in Pyongyang three years after the death of President Kim Il Sung to come out of mourning.
At the service all the people renewed their will to trust and follow only General Kim Jong Il and carry on the revolution, rallied closer around him, true to the President's behests.
The Juche Era and Sun's Day were instituted last year.
The institution of the Juche Era with 1912, when the President was born as the sun of Juche, as the first year and his birthday April 15, the most auspicious jubilee of the nation, as Sun's Day made it possible to exalt his revolutionary life and undying feats forever with the history of Juche Korea.
General Kim Jong Il's election as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea in October, 1997, was a historical event of weighty importance in the developing Korean revolution.
Over the past 30 years he led the party, the state and the army with his most seasoned and tested guidance, performing imperishable exploits for the times and the revolution. The whole country was seething with the jubilation and joy of all the Korean people over having him at the head of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Convinced that led by the great leader, they were sure to win, the people worked hard to finish the "arduous march" triumphantly with the firm resolve to share the destiny of the Korean-style socialism to the end. In the course of this they underwent a revolutionary training, and the singlehearted unity of the leader, the party and the masses was consolidated further still.
The working people throughout the country pushed ahead with socialist economic construction under the banner of self-reliance, tiding over the economic blockade by the imperialists and natural disasters.
The housing construction for more than 10,000 households and the building of seven monumental edifices, including the April 25 Hotel, were progressing apace to be completed before the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the DPRK (September 9, 1998).
Mts. Kuwol and Jongbang were built up into excellent recreation grounds for the people.
More than 300 minor power stations of various forms and fishponds of some 1,000 hectares were built.
Innovative successes were reported from coal and metal industries as well.
The nation's defence capacity further increased to cope with the new war provocation moves of the enemies, which are getting all the more pronounced than ever bebore.
All the outposts in the sky, on the ground and in seas turned into impregnable fortresses and the Korean People's Army has grown as an invincible army thanks to General Kim Jong Il's endless on-site guidance.
G.S. Kim Jong Il enjoys performance of KPA song and dance ensemble merited choir
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, enjoyed a performance given by the merited choir of the song and dance ensemble of the KPA on January 1, the New Year's Day.
The audience included Jo Myong Rok, Director of the KPA General Political Department= Kim Il Chol, First Vice-Minister of the People's Armed Forces= generals of the KPA Kim Ha Gyu, Hyon Chol Hae and Pak Jae Gyong= colonel generals of the KPA Ri Myong Su and O Kum Chol, Senior Vice Admiral Kim Yun Sim and other generals of the KPA.
Also seeing the performance were secretaries Kye Ung Thae, Choe Thae Bok, Kim Kuk Thae, Kim Ki Nam and Kim Yong Sun and leading officials of the WPK Central Committee.
Put on the stage were "The leader is always with us," "the general, son of guerrillas," "Let us hold high the Red Flag" and other choral pieces.
General Kim Jong Il expressed deep satisfaction over the excellent performance of high artistic value full of the indomitable revolutionary spirit of the heroic KPA soldiers.
He highly appreciated all the creators and artistes of the merited choir for making great contributions to the modelling of the whole army on the Juche idea and to socialist construction through energetic revolutionary and inspiring art activities among the servicemen and people.
He expressed the expectation and firm belief that they would fully discharge their honorable mission and duty as standard-bearer of the struggle and powerful bugler to greatly encourage the army and people to the struggle for the prosperity and development of the country and the motherland.
G.S. Kim Jong Il visits revolutionary school
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea visited the Mangyongdae Revolutionary School Friday to wish the teaching staff and pupils of the school a happy New Year.
He was accompanied by director of the KPA General Political Department Jo Myong Rok and KPA generals Kim Ha Gyu, Hyon Chol Hae and Pak Jae Gyong.
The visiting party also included secretaries of the WPK Central Committee Kye Ung Thae, Kim Kuk Thae, Kim Ki Nam and Kim Yong Sun.
He looked round the boards bearing the instructions President Kim Il Sung and the communist revolutionary fighter mothere Kim Jong Suk had given at the school. He also looked at the materials exhibited in the room for the study of comrade Kim Il Sung's revolutionary ideas" and recalled the unforgettable days.
He noted that President Kim Il Sung with noble comradeship and revolutionary sense of obligation had worked heart and soul from right after the liberation of the country to the last days of his life to bring up the bereaved families of revolutionaries to be dependable heirs to the Juche revolution and the backbone and hardcore that would carry forward the Korean revolution.
Thanks to the President's warm care, many bereaved children of revolutionaries who had wandered about at home and abroad could be taken to the cradle of happiness and grow into the successors to the revolution and the pillars of the nation, he added.
He then went round the computer room, the biological sample room, a bedroom and other places of the school, met with pupils, learned about their age, health, studies and living conditions and showed warm parental loving care for them.
He saw students taking a collective physical exercise full of vigor on the playground and enjoyed an art performance given by pupils.
He expressed great satisfaction with the training of all pupils into heirs to the revolution like their parents, who had dedicated their lives to the revolution, and with their optimistic studies and life.
He said the party expects a great deal from the school as it is the training centre of the backbone that will succeed the Korean revolution and a dependable centre for the inheritance of the revolutionary traditions of Juche.
He gave the school important tasks concerning education and management.
He had a picture taken with the teaching staff and pupils of the school.
NDFSK calls for end to dictatorship in S. Korea
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) issued an appeal on Dec. 25 calling on all the South Korean people to rise up in the struggle for putting an end to the flunkeyist, corrupt and incompetent dictatorial political system, Seoul-based radio Voice of National Salvation said.
Since South Korea was put under "trusteeship" by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it has been drift about like a small boat buffeted by wind and waves, the appeal said. This tragic situation of South Korea adds fuel to the serious crisis caused by political confusion and economic failure.
The appeal called on the people who are disappointed in and incensed by Kim Young Sam, little different from the Ulsa (1905) five traitors, to bring him to justice.
It also called on them to destroy the chronic corrupt political system and the political-business collusion as early as possible in south korea and remove the treacherous comprador conglomerates and the structure of the dependent economy which has ruined the nation.
It appealed to all of the people to unite closely, terminate aggression and interference by outsiders and drive back the cold wind brought by the IMF.
Letter of thanks and gift to G.S. Kim Jong Il from Japanese
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a letter of thanks and gift from Kiyoshi Noda in Setsu city, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, who is the father of Jon Sang Suk living in Songrim city, north Hwanghae Province, who had visited Japan as a member of the first hometown-visiting group of Japanese Korean women.
The gift is a jade seal with the august name of General Kim Jong Il.
In the letter Kiyoshi Noda expressed thanks to General Kim Jong Il for providing a meeting with his daughter 37 years after he saw her last, and said that he passed wakeful nights with joy.
He also expressed deep thanks again to the General for looking after his daughter's family with more loving care than her parents' and bringing them up as pillars of the country.
Foreigners pay congratulatory visit to DPRK embassies
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- Baguma Isoke, Minister of State for Natural Resources of Uganda, paid a congratulatory visit to the DPRK Embassy in his country on December 24, the sixth anniversary of the election of General Kim Jong Il as Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and the 80th birth anniversary of the communist revolutionary fighter mothere Kim Jong Suk.
The Minister of State laid a bunch of flowers before the portraits of President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il and paid homage to them.
The Acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence of Democratic Congo and members of its secretariat also paid a congratulatory visit to the DPRK Embassy on December 23 on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of General Kim Jong Il's election as Supreme Commander of the KPA.
Achievements in New Year
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- Entering the New Year Juche 87 (1998), the Korean people from all walks of life are making innovations in production and construction with the resolve to greet the 50th anniversary of the founding of the DPRK as a grand festival of victors of socialism.
The officials and workers of the Pyongyang Thermal Power Complex took an effective measure to operate equipment on a high scientific and technical basis and raise the combustion rate of fuel and are increasing the steam output 10 percent on a daily average as against last year and boosting the production of electricity and heated water.
Those of the Ryongsong Associated Machinery Bureau are applying themselves to the production of ordered equipment.
The workers of the Namhung Youth Chemical Complex are operating all the production processes from the raw material feeding to processing in full capacity with the determination to produce more chemical fertilizers of good quality.
Those of the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex, full of faith and optimism, are increasing the production of iron and steel more than 20 percent as against the same period of the previous month.
People's army soldiers including those participating in the April 25 Hotel construction project and working people across the country have sent large quantities of farming materials and manure to the agricultural sector which was defined as height 1211 of socialist economic construction in the joint editorial of the party and army newspapers of Korea for the New Year.
1,469 enterprises go bankrupt in S. Korea
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- Many enterprises have gone bankrupt in South Korea owing to the worst ever economic crisis, a Seoul-based radio reported.
The number of insolvent enterprises in November last year was 1,469, or 34 more than the previous month's figure.
Servicemen determined to carry through New Year's tasks
Pyongyang, January 3 (KCNA) -- Servicemen of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces met on Saturday and vowed to carry through the tasks set forth in the Joint New Year Editorial of the newspapers of the party and the army, upholding the leadership of General Kim Jong Il, Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army.
A report of KPA Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok, Director of the KPA General Political Department, was followed by speeches of generals and officers.
The reporter and speakers said that all the officers and men of the KPA who greeted the first New Year after the election of Supreme Commander as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea are full of the revolutionary will to more vigorously advance toward a new victory of revolution under the leadership of the party.
All the army should be fraught with the spirit of defending the Supreme Commander at the risk of their youth and lives and the spirit of human bombs, they stressed.
Peace can be ensured and the victory of the revolutionary cause of Juche be achieved by the People's Army, they said.
They called on all the servicemen to solidify the military bulwark of Korean socialism as an impregnable fortress by effecting collective innovation in increasing the combat power of the people's army this year.
It is the militant disposition of the KPA to answer the armed invasion of the enemy with a revolutionary war, they said, noting that if the u.s. and the South Korean authorities dare to invade the great homeland, the KPA will deal an annihilating strike to the enemy with strong combat power they cultivated for scores of years and with bitter hatred.
Servicemen should discharge their duties as defenders of the country and the creators of happiness this year, too, by working a new miracle and performing feats in the most difficult and toilsome posts of socialist economic construction, they added.
It was stressed at the meeting that all the officers and men of the People's Army will continue to display the might of the revolutionary army under the Red Flag as the hardcore unit, the vanguard of the Korean revolution and a pillar of Korean-style socialism, thus satisfactorily discharging its mission and role for the era and history.