Best wishes to Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, when meeting with the Korean ambassador on November 16, asked him to convey best wishes to the great leader Kim Jong Il for a long life in good health and great successes in accomplishing the cause of national reunification.
He said he knew well the DPRK has supported the cause and stand of the Lebanese people and they would fight in the same trench shoulder to shoulder with the Korean people in the future, too.
Korean Go players come first in international amateur Go championships
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- The 11th International Amateur Mixed Doubles Go Championships were held in Tokyo on November 18 and 19, according to a news report.
Korean players Rim Hyon Chol and Kwon Mi Hyon displayed high technique and defeated Croatian, South Korean and Japanese players, thus placing first. The championships brought together at least 60 ace go players from 22 countries and regions.
IMF censured in S. Korea
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- Members of the Democratic Workers' Party (DWP) on November 17 visited the Seoul mission of the IMF and thrust to it a letter of protest and an open questionnaire censuring IMF-imposed restructuring, according to the South Korean newspaper Hangyore.
Recalling in the letter of protest that at a recent "annual consultation meeting" with the "Ministry of Finance and Economy" the IMF imposed restructuring upon businesses and banks which will result in the sale and bankruptcy of 12 companies under the Dae Woo Group, the DWP stated that this blatant demand is little short of battering the South Korean economy. The DWP demanded IMF withdraw this demand and apologize to the public for this.
The DWP also asserted that the non-payment by the Dae Woo Motor Company, ltd., and the bankruptcy of a number of companies have resulted from the introduction of the IMF plan. It charged that IMF's move to impose restructuring on South Korea instead of repenting of its policy failure is an impudent act to shift all the responsibilities on to the workers and other people.
U.S. urged to drop reckless attempt to stifle DPRK
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- John Hami, director of the U.S. Institute for Strategic and International Studies, was reported to have said at a recent interview with Yomiuri Shimbun that the U.S. "Win-Win Strategy" to fight wars to settle big disputes on the Korean peninsula and Mideast is likely to be included in its defence program (2001-2004) as before.
Talking about "missile threat from North Korea," he even asserted that it is still going ahead with "long-range missile development."
Blare, commander-in-chief of the U.S. forces in the Pacific, said at an interview he had in Australia on the same day that the situation on the Korean peninsula "has not changed at all" and "it is necessary to keep 'deterrent force' against North Korea."
Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary says that U.S. conservative hardliners' disclosure of the U.S. intention to push the "win-win strategy to fight two wars" under the pretext of "missile threat" from the DPRK indicates that they will provoke a new war against the DPRK anytime at any cost in order to destroy it.
It is an invariable design of the U.S. warhawks to stifle the DPRK with strength, put the whole of Korea under its control and materialize its Asia strategy with the Korean peninsula as a springboard. Their massive deployment of aggression troops and war materiel in and around South Korea is to achieve this aim. They worked out the "Operation Plan 5027-98," a scenario for the second Korean war.
They are working hard to create a war atmosphere despite the on-going DPRK-U.S. dialogue and moves for the improvement of the bilateral relations.
These cannot be construed otherwise than moves to disturb the process of improving the relations between the DPRK and the U.S. and aggravate the situation on the peninsula.
The DPRK cannot but take a counter-measure as the U.S. conservative hardliners are going to mount an armed attack on the DPRK anytime at any cost.
Rodong Sinmun calls for maintaining principle of respect for sovereignty
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- Sovereignty is the life and soul of a country and nation and a basic guarantee for its independent development. Rodong Sinmun today says this in a signed article.
The progressive people should positively struggle against all sorts of violations and encroachments on sovereignty, the article points out, and goes on:
Respect for sovereignty is a basic condition for building an independent new world. the principle of respect for sovereignty should be maintained to develop relations among countries on good terms and accelerate the building of an independent new world.
Respect for sovereignty is the main principle which should be observed in international relations.
It is important to keep the principle of respect for sovereignty before having any cooperation and exchange among countries.
Only when relations among countries are based on the principle of respect for sovereignty can the relations of equality be formed and independent development promoted.
When state relations are established on this principle one side will not infringe upon the interests of the other side and it is possible to develop cooperation and exchange on the basis of relationship of impartiality and equality.
There are many countries in the world and all of them have their own characters. But there can be neither countries, high or low in their positions nor countries that give instructions nor countries that only receive dictates.
All the countries have equal authority and each has the right to make a policy and carry it out in conformity with the will and demands of its people.
Nobody has the right to interfere in other's political system and way of life.
What is important for developing state relations on the principle of respect for sovereignty is that any country should not place itself above other countries nor claim a special status in external relations.
Any attempt to infringe upon the interests of other country and nation and force other country to accept one's intention is an infringement on the sovereignty of other country no matter in what form and way it may be made. This should not be allowed to continue any longer.
Rodong Sinmun on ideological work
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article says ideological work decides success or failure of the socialist cause.
The Workers' Party of Korea has given top priority to the ideological work and steadily strengthened it in each period and at every stage of the revolution and construction, the article says, and continues:
Intensified ideological work is important for consolidating the ideological position of socialism as firm as a rock and provides a sure guarantee for vigorously pushing ahead with the socialist economic construction.
It is a vital issue related to the destiny of socialism to consolidate the ideological position of socialism.
If the ideological work is neglected, the revolutionary zeal of people to work for socialism will gradually wear down as they enjoy a continued stable life, free from cares and worries in the socialist society.
It is necessary to push forward the socialist economic construction while steadily strengthening the ideological work. This is the only way of firmly defending and glorifying socialism.
Thought of people serve as a main driving force for the socialist economic construction.
In the whole period of socialist, construction the wpk has given priority to the ideological work among people and thus powerfully aroused their revolutionary zeal and creative ingenuity to achieve signal victories.
Strengthening the ideological work is also important for decisively frustrating the imperialists' ideological and cultural poisoning.
It is necessary to maintain a high degree of class awareness all the time and carry on the intensified revolutionary ideological offensive to smash the imperialists' ideological and cultural poisoning.
Various forms of ideological work should be steadily strengthened with a main emphasis on the education in the Juche idea. Only then is it possible to prevent any unsound ideas disseminated by imperialists from infiltrating into our society and dynamically advance the cause of socialism of Korean style, the article concludes.
Rodong Sinmun on programme of great unity of nation
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA)-- The ten-point programme of the great unity of the whole nation is a scientific and original great charter of national unity based on the Juche-oriented view on nation established by the great leader President Kim Il Sung, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
The article goes on:
This programme serves as a great political programme indicating the way of solving the issue of nation with the Juche-oriented view on nation as its ideological and theoretical basis.
This programme, first of all, puts into limelight the need for the whole nation to achieve independence of the nation and defend it through the concerted efforts of the whole nation from the viewpoint of regarding it as something vital to the nation.
The programme does not consider great national unity as an issue of temporary unity or tactical alliance among different classes and strata, but raises it as a strategic political unity for achieving and defending independence of nation by uniting all the forces that can be rallied from the viewpoint that independence is vital to the nation. This is clear from the fact that the programme sets it as the general goal of great national unity to found an independent, peaceful and neutral state.
The programme says that the north and the south should found a pan-national unified state to represent all parties, all groupings and all the members of the nation from all walks of life, while leaving the existing two systems and two governments intact and the pan-national unified state should be a federal state in which the two regional governments of the north and the south are represented equally, and an independent, peaceful and non-aligned neutral state which does not lean to any great power.
It calls on the north and the south to recognize and respect the existence of different beliefs, ideas and systems, and achieve common progress and prosperity, with neither side encroaching on the other. The programme underscores the need to place the interests of the whole nation above regional and class interests and direct every effort to the accomplishment of the cause of national reunification.
The other reason is that the programme indicates the way of achieving the prosperity of the whole nation through the unity of the whole nation from the viewpoint on independence vital to the nation.
The programme says that before and after reunification the north and the south should recognize state ownership, cooperative ownership and private ownership and protect the capital and property of individuals and organizations, as well as all interests concerned with foreign capital. It also clarifies that the north and the south should recognize the social reputation and qualifications of individuals in all domains, and continue to guarantee the benefits granted to people who have performed meritorious services.
The programme calls for granting special favours to those who have performed exploits for the sake of the great unity of the nation and the reunification of the country, to patriotic martyrs and to their descendants. It is pointed out in the programme that if those who had turned their back on the nation in the past return to the patriotic road, repentant of their past, they should be dealt with leniently and assessed fairly, according to the contribution they have made to the cause of national reunification.
Husbandry in progress
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- Animal husbandry is given steady importance with remarkable success across the country.
The stock of grass-eating animals has increased year on year, that of rabbits and goats 1.5 and 1.2 times respectively. vast tracts of grassland and pastures have been expanded.
Pyongyang and North Hamgyong Province carried out 70 percent of the year's plan of pasture creation in spring and have achieved further success.
The rural counties of Yomju, Tongrim and Unjon in North Phyongan Province have notably boosted their stocks of goats above last year.
Intensive goat raising in South Hamgyong Province has yielded additional 1,000 tons of milk compared with the previous year.
Jagang, North Hamgyong and Ryanggang provinces have registered an year-on-year increase of 60 percent in their stock of rabbits through scientific breeding.
Pongchon county in South Hwanghae Province successfully encourages every family to raise at least ten rabbits.
Greetings to Lebanese President
Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, yesterday sent a message of greetings to Emile Lahoud, President of Lebanon, on the occasion of the 57th anniversary of its independence.
The message expressed belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would further develop in the new century and sincerely wished the president and people of Lebanon success in the work for the stability and prosperity of the country.