Mass rallies held
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- Mass rallies were held in south Phyongan, south Hwanghae and south Hamgyong provinces and Kaesong on January 7 to vow to carry through the tasks set forth in the joint New Year editorial.
Reporters and speakers at the rallies called upon all the party members and other working people to become indomitable fighters who devotedly carry out the idea and line of leader Kim Jong Il, taking hold on the baton to carry forward the revolution in the 21st century, and to push ahead with the advance under the socialist red flag.
The army-first revolutionary line is the permanent strategic objective of the revolution of our era and an almighty treasured sword in socialist construction, they said, calling upon all the party members and other working people to give full play to the spirit of defending the country and trait of aiding the army in response to the idea of giving importance to the army.
Touching on the issue of increasing the national economic potentials commensurate with the new era of the army-first revolution, they said: We should carry through the central tasks in economic construction for this year to consolidate the existing economic infrastructure and display its potentials to the full, while refashioning the national economy as a whole with up-to-date technology.
It was stressed at a rally of servicepersons of the Ministry of People's Security held on Jan. 6 that they would be fully prepared for combat mobilization to meet the demand of the era of army-first revolution, further tighten security and thus contribute to strengthening defence capability of the country.
Young vanguard met to make a pledge of loyalty before the statue of President Kim Il Sung on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on Jan. 7.
A reporter and speakers said that they would become vanguard and shock brigade in the worthwhile struggle to open up the road of building a powerful nation in the 21st century. They will perform exploits and become young heroes in the struggle to carry through the tasks set forth in the joint new year editorial to demonstrate the strong spirit of the young Korean people once again, they said.
An appeal to the youth and students across the country was adopted at the rally.
It called upon all the youth and students throughout the country to demonstrate the might of death-defying corps and detached force of Kim Jong Il once more in decorating this year, the first year of the 21st century, with brilliant achievements.
Independent politics to shine forever
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article notes that the Korean political mode of independence will more powerfully demonstrate its validity and vitality in the 21st century.
Only when one maintains the principle of independence in politics, can he solve all the problems in the revolution and construction with his own faith in keeping with the interests of his people and the specific conditions of his country, and make progress and successes in the revolution and construction by giving the fullest play to the creative initiative of his people, the article says, and goes on:
The independent politics now serves as a universal political mode as it reflects the aspiration of humankind.
It also reflects the intrinsic demand and aspiration of man and the main trend of the present times.
The universality and vitality of the independent politics have been clearly proved in practice in the DPRK.
No one dares to say to the DPRK pursuing this independent politics or impose unreasonable demands upon it.
The DPRK has firmly defended and consolidated socialism, strengthened unity and solidarity with the anti-imperialist independent forces and given a powerful impetus to the human cause of independence despite the vicious anti-DPRK campaign of the imperialist reactionaries. This is because the DPRK has sticked to the independent politics.
The independent politics of the DPRK with which it concluded the 20th century with pride will more dynamically demonstrate its validity and vitality in the 21st century.
Remark of JDP heavyweight under fire
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- Hatoyama, heavyweight of the Japan Democratic Party, in a recent television appearance on diet affairs insisted that the "Self-Defence Forces" (SDF) should be clearly stipulated as an "army" in the Japanese constitution.
He went the length of asserting that to do so is to prevent Japan from starting another war.
In this regard rodong sinmun today in a signed commentary dismisses his remark as sheer sophism revealing craftiness peculiar to Japan.
The commentary says:
By this assertion he means that Japan may opt for war if the SDF is not stipulated in the constitution as an "army" and to do so is the only way for it to go in for peace.
The Japanese constitution bans Japan from having armed forces and using forces against other countries and participating in similar military actions.
This notwithstanding, Hatoyama claimed that preserving the "peace constitution" may cause "something disturbing". What a nonsense Hatoyama styled himself a "peace champion" wishing to see Japan going in for peace but he self-exposed that he is fanatical militarist keen on re-conquest by taking the lead in the moves to revise the constitution.
The Japanese reactionaries are well advised to drop their daydream of overseas aggression.
Popular winter sports
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- The period from every December to February is for winter sports in the DPRK.
Physical culture and sports are brisk at all units of the country.
Industrial establishments and other units have Taekwon-do exercise for health, running and other exercises on a regular basis and organize basketball, volleyball, table tennis and other matches.
Various sports games will be held in provinces, cities and counties in January and February.
A cycling race, Taekwon-do exercise for health, swimming, tug of war, hurdle race and ball games will take place among teams of different ministries and national institutions in Pyongyang.
National sports and amusement games such as Korean chess and yut-game will also be brisk in this period.
Youth and children will enjoy skating, skiing, marching on the snow-covered roads, sledging and kite-flying and other sports.
At least 24,000 sports teams are active in the country.
Primary and senior middle schools specialize in certain sports events.
A solid material and technical foundation has been laid to popularize sports.
The state set the second sunday of every month as the "day of physical culture and sports" to encourage masses' participation in sports.
Kim Jong Il's army-first politics praised
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- Foreign political figures who visited the DPRK expressed admiration at the vitality of leader Kim Jong Il's army-first politics.
Miguel Mejia, general secretary of the United Left Movement of Dominica, said it was entirely thanks to the seasoned leadership of Kim Jong Il possessed of far-sightedness and iron will that the Korean people could achieve victory in the "arduous march" and bring about a new turn.
Dogu Ferincek, chairman of the central committee of the Workers' Party of Turkey, said that Kim Jong Il set forth the original idea of giving great importance to the army and increased the national power with his revolutionary army-first leadership, thus effecting fresh upswing in the drive to build a powerful socialist nation.
Noting that Kim Jong Il's army-first politics prevents the U.S. from provoking the DPRK, he stressed that his army-first politics is an almighty instrument for the victory of socialism.
Vladimir Tolstikov who visited the DPRK at the head of the delegation of the Union of Communist Parties-the Communist Party of the Soviet Union said that Kim Jong Il bid farewell to the political ideology and mode of politics which had been regarded as unchangeable formula and opened up a new great history of army-first politics by providing revolutionary leadership with top priority to the army in the crucible of the fierce confrontation with imperialism.
This is the exploit of world historic significance to be specially recorded in human history, he added. Kim Jong Il's mode of politics, the army-first politics, is a shining example of the socialist politics, the independent politics, in the 21st century, he stressed.
Rodong Sinmun calls for opening decisive phase of national reunification
Pyongyang, January 8 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article calls upon all Koreans in the north, south and overseas to come out as one to glorify this year, the first year of the new century, as a meaningful year in which a new decisive phase will be opened in independent national reunification.
Noting that working for national reunification means the most ardent patriotism and paves the way for national prosperity, the article continues:
What is the most important and principled problem at present in reunifying the country is to implement the June 15 north-south joint declaration to the letter.
This declaration is a proclamation of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity anchored on the three principles of national reunification and a landmark of this cause in the 21st century.
The north and the south should pool their efforts to reunify the country independently and peacefully through great national unity in the spirit of the historic north-south joint declaration.
The principle of national independence is the cornerstone of national reunification and the core of the joint declaration. it is the only way of achieving reunification to maintain the principle of solving the issue of national reunification independently by the efforts of the Korean nation.
The north and the south, irrespective of their differences, should work for achieving reunification by federal formula on the basis of common denominators in the spirit of the joint declaration.
All the Koreans in the north and the south and overseas should share will and purpose and take joint actions for national reunification, transcending their differences in ideology, social system, political view and religious belief, and join the nationwide movement to implement the June 15 north-south joint declaration.
The Korean nation will surely achieve the cause of great national unity, the cause of national reunification at an early date by implementing the three-point charter of national reunification and the five-point policy of great national unity to the letter.