U.S. decides to additionally supply food to DPRK

Pyongyang, September 23 (KCNA) -- The U.S. government decided on September 21 to additionally supply 300,000 tons of humanitarian food assistance to the DPRK within this year. Already on February 5, it had decided to supply 200,000 tons of food to the DPRK in response to the WFP's call for more than 600,000 tons of food assistance to the DPRK. The delivery of the total amount of this will be completed within September. The total amount of 300,000 tons of food recently announced by the United States will be supplied within this year. This will bring to 500,000 tons the total amount of U.S. humanitarian food assistance to the DPRK hit by natural disasters. The decision on additional food assistance adopted by the U.S. government after a series of matters pending between the two countries were solved in the form of one package at the recent DPRK-U.S. high-level talks in New York will create a favourable atmosphere for smoothly implementing the DPRK-U.S. agreed framework and promoting understanding between the two peoples.

Suppression of pro-reunification patriots denounced

Pyongyang, September 23 (KCNA) -- Meetings of workers were held on September 21 and 22 at the Kim Jong Thae General Electric Locomotive Works, the March 26 Factory and the Pyongyang Textile Combine to denounce the South Korean authorities' crackdown on pro-reunification patriots. The meetings denounced the South Korean ruling quarters' reckless crackdown on pro-reunification patriots, including Father Mun Kyu Hyon of the South Korean Catholic Priests' Council for Justice and secretary general Choe Jin Su of the south headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification (Pomminryon), as crimes that could be committed only by forces opposed to reunification. Their suppressive row clearly shows that "reconciliation" and "cooperation", "dialogue" and "unification" they are loudly advertising are a sham and that they are pursuing the policy of confrontation with the north and an anti-reunification, anti-national policy, said the meetings. They strongly demanded that the South Korean ruling quarters refrain from suppressing patriots struggling for independence, democracy and reunification at once, immediately release all pro-reunification patriots behind bars and repeal the "National Security Law" and remove the "Agency for National Security Planning" at an early date.

Wreaths laid before Kim Jong Suk's statues

Pyongyang, September 23 (KCNA) -- Senior party and state officials, working people, servicemen, students and schoolchildren laid wreaths before the bust of Kim Jong Suk, the great communist revolutionary fighter, on the revolutionary martyrs' cemetery on Mt. Taesong on Sept. 22, the 49th anniversary of her death. Lying before the bust was a wreath sent by General Secretary Kim Jong Il. Attending the wreath-laying ceremony were Kim Yong Nam, Jon Mun Sop, Kim Il Chol, Kye Ung Thae and other senior party and state officials. Wreaths were laid in the name of the WPK Central Committee, the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly and the DPRK cabinet. Floral baskets and bouquets were laid before her statues in Hoeryong, north Hamgyong Province, and Kim Jong Suk county, Ryanggang Province, on the same day.

Second national meeting of mothers to be held

Pyongyang, September 23 (KCNA) -- The second national meeting of mothers will be held here from Sept. 28. It will be attended by mothers who have brought up many children and sent them to national defence posts and difficult yet important posts of the revolution and construction while taking active part in socialist construction, and women who have grown orphans as their children and did good things for society and the collective. The second meeting will mark an occasion in displaying validity and vitality of the policy of the Workers' Party of Korea on solving the women problem and bringing up and educating the rising generation.

Pakistan offers 30,000 tons of grain to DPRK

Pyongyang, September 23 (KCNA) -- The government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan recently granted 30,000 tons of grain free of charge to the DPRK, which has suffered from years of natural disasters. The first ship carrying 14,000 tons out of the total amount arrived in Nampho port on Tuesday. The Pakistani government had offered the DPRK 5,000 tons of grain and 160,000 dlrs worth of relief goods in 1996 and 2,000 tons of grain in 1997. Its humanitarian aid is encouraging the Korean people in the efforts to overcome temporary difficulties caused by natural disasters and ensure self-sufficiencey in food.

Korean film art

Pyongyang, September 23 (KCNA) -- The sixth Pyongyang film festival of non-aligned and other developing countries is being held here. The DPRK presented a feature film "my image in a distant future" to the festival. The film tells about education of young people. The film vividly shows that one is not blessed with happiness from birth, he can find his happiness in efforts to increase the country's wealth and that he can enjoy a worthwhile life in his youth. The hero realizes that he lives only in happiness thanks to his parents, and volunteers to a farm where he works assidously. Thus, he is loved by the collective. The film, based on a real life, fully reflects the spirit of the era. In recent years, many films have been created as masterpieces in Korea. Among them are multi-part feature films "the Nation and Destiny" and "Forest Sways" and a film based on socialist reality "Trunks Grow From Roots" (parts one and two). "The Nation and Destiny", a typical work of Korean films, is the masterpiece of world standard not only in ideological and artistic content but also in artistic depiction. The film deals with checkered careers of people of different social standings. Through this, it stresses that the destiny of the nation is precisely that of individual. Besides, there are films based on socialist reality including "A Dutiful Daughter" (parts one and two), "Traces of Life" (two parts) and "Youth" and history and military films such as "Japanese Invasion in 1592" and "Young Chief of Staff" (parts one and two).

Guarantee of peace on Korean peninsula is prerequisite to peaceful reunification

Pyongyang, September 23 (KCNA) -- Late President Kim Il Sung in his policy speech at the 1st session of the 9th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea said that in order to realize the cause of national reunification, it is necessary to ease the tension and create a peaceful atmosphere on the Korean peninsula. Rodong Sinmun today carries an article stressing that to ease the tension and create a peaceful atmosphere in Korea is prerequisite to accomplishing the peaceful reunification of the country. The article says: The policy speech underscored the need to ink peace agreement between the DPRK and the United States, largely scale down armed forces in the north and the South of Korea and get nuclear weapons and foreign troops out of South Korea in order to ease the tension and ensure peace in Korea. Only when a new peace mechanism is established between the DPRK and the U.S., can the tension be eased, the danger of war removed and durable peace guaranteed on the Korean peninsula. To withdraw U.S. troops from South Korea is imperative for peace and peaceful reunification of the country. There is no excuse for the United States to keep its troops in South Korea since the north-south agreement on non-aggression was adopted and has come into effect and the framework agreement on jointly working for peace and security was signed between the DPRK and U.S. To realize peace and peaceful reunification in Korea it is important to resolutely smash provocative moves of the United States and the South Korean ruling quarters for new war. The question of easing the tension and removing the danger of war in Korea can be settled only when the United States abandons the hostile policy towards the DPRK and a peace agreement is signed between the DPRK and the U.S. The United States should fundamentally discard the anachronistic policy against the DPRK and refrain from hindering the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea any longer. Along with it, the north-south agreement on non-aggression which was already made public to the world should be reaffirmed and implemented to the letter.

Silver star laboratories of Korea

Pyongyang, September 23 (KCNA) -- Unpaduk (silk go), a Korean computer go programme, took first in the 4th Fost Cup World Computer Go Championships held in Japan some time ago. Silk go was developed at the silver star laboratories (SSL) under the Korean Unbyol General Trading Corporation, which was founded in Juche 84 (1995). According to director Kang Yong Jun, researchers at the SSL are 26 years old on an average. Most of them graduated from Kim Il Sung University and other famous universities in the country after leaving Pyongyang Senior Middle School no.1, a genius-training centre. The SSL develops silver mirror (a remote-controlling programme) and other communication software, silk go, Korean chess and other AI games software and OA (office automation) software. It also produces Korean, English, Japanese and other national languages recognition programmes, editing programmes for multi-medium items such as Korean stamps and Taekwon-do, and electronic dictionaries including Korean-English, E-K, Korean-Japanese and J-K dictionaries. Orders for various kinds of software from foreign countries are accepted at the laboratories. The SSL proved successful at the 3rd Fost Cup World Computer go championships and the ING Cup International Go Congress in 1997.

FM meets Indonesian ambassador

Pyongyang, September 23 (KCNA) -- Paek Nam Sun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today met and conversed with the outgoing Indonesian ambassador to Korea, Zulkarnain Afri Pane.

Greetings to Malian President

Pyongyang, September 23 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, on Monday sent a message of greetings to Alpha Oumar Konare, President and head of state of Mali, on the occasion of the 38th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Mali. The message expressed the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and Mali would continue to develop on good terms and wished him and the Malian people greater success in the work for national unity and prosperity of the country.

50th anniversary of Korea News Service

Korea News Service was founded on October 1, 1948. We are going to celebrating it's 50th anniversary. It is located in Tokyo, Japan. Korea News Service has been sending to the world as much speed as possible the contents of the Korean Central News Agency English services sent from Pyongyang every day on a leased international circuit to Tokyo. Recently our news service celebrated 50th anniversary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. So it is not too much to say that the path Korea News Service has followed is the path the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has followed. From January of last year, our news was available on the Internet. So we can talk and share information around the world electronically. We have received numbers of e-mail from many parts of the world. We express our heartful gratitude to all readers and mail senders. We hope things are going well with you and your family.