Kim Jong Il meets special envoy of south side and his party
Pyongyang,Aapril 5 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il yesterday met with Rim Tong Won, special adviser to President Kim Dae Jung on diplomacy, security and unification on a visit to Pyongyang and his party Kim Po Hyon, vice-chief of the intelligence service, Jo Myong Gyun, department director of the Ministry of Unification, and So Hun, director of Chongwadae.
Present there were Kim Yong Sun, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, and Rim Tong Ok, first vice department director.
The special envoy courteously conveyed a personal letter from Kim Dae Jung to Kim Jong Il.
Kim Jong Il expressed thanks for it and had a cordial conversation with him.
Kim Jong Il hosted a dinner for the special envoy and his party.
Return of U.S. military bases called for
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- South Korean organizations are strongly demanding the return of the U.S. military bases.
The Pusan headquarters of the people's movement for the withdrawal of the U.S. forces, the Pusan and south Kyongsang provincial federation of university student councils, the Pusan branch of the social party and five other organizations in a joint statement issued on March 30 noted that the U.S. military base in Pusan is supposed to be shifted to other place under the "joint land management plan", adding "such deceptive shift is intolerable."
The U.S. forces' planned shift of their base will only result in sacrificing the lives of citizens in other place, the statement said, disclosing that the Yankees' talk about "shift" or "merge," while seizing new land, is a plot to dominate South Korea for an indefinite period.
More than 30 organizations including the Inchon headquarters of the (South) Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the society of young workers for the love of the nation and the Inchon Women Workers' Society in a statement issued on March 29 in their joint name as regards the shift of the U.S. military base in Puphyong said that citizens' and public organizations in Inchon area are categorically opposed to an offer of new land as a reward for the return of the military base in Puphyong and other U.S. military bases.
The statement underscored the need to wage a vigorous struggle till all the U.S. military bases are returned.
Public presentation held by Ministry of People's Armed Forces
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- A public presentation on the greatness of President Kim Il Sung was held by the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces at the April 25 House of Culture yesterday on the occasion of his 90th birth anniversary.
Jo Myong Rok, director of the general political department of the Korean People's Army, Kim Yong Chun, chief of the KPA general staff, Kim Il Chol, minister of the People's Armed Forces, and KPA general Pak Jae Gyong spoke at the public presentation.
They explained that Kim Il Sung performed immortal brilliant exploits on behalf of the country, the people, the times and the history by leading the Korean revolution and the world revolution to victory through his tireless efforts and total devotion for 80 odd years.
The president set it as the military line of the Workers' Party of Korea to train the whole army into a cadre army, modernize the whole army, put all the people under arms and turn the whole country into a fortress by making an effective use of the precious experience of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle under the new circumstances in which the socialist system was established, and built an all-people, all-state defence system with the people's army as its core.
S. Korean military authorities blamed
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- The headquarters of the people's movement for the withdrawal of U.S. troops reportedly issued a statement on April 2, denouncing the South Korean military authorities for their pro-American flunkeyism and treachery in introduction of fighters.
The decision of the "Ministry of National Defense" to purchase "F-15K" fighters of the U.S. Boeing firm proved that it is intended from the first to secure the benefits of the U.S. munition industry, the statement said, adding:
It cannot but be a shame for the military to take the lead in treacheries indifferent to the nation's self-respect and people's life.
The statement demanded the military authorities make a clean sheet of the selection of "F-15K" fighters and immediately withdraw the anachronistic plan to introduce fighters of the next generation.
Anecdotes about President Kim Il Sung
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- One day of April, Juche 78 (1989), two white magpies perched on a branch of a pine tree in the garden of the Kumsusan Assembly Hall at which President Kim Il Sung was working.
It was rare to be seen in Korea in more than 500 years.
When an official came out with a movie camera the two birds flew away.
The President told him that they would surely fly back again.
In the afternoon two days after the magpies flew in the garden as he predicted.
They were photographed so that all the people of the country might see them.
On the evening of a spring day the president visited a farm village on the outskirts of Pyongyang.
He saw women drawing water from a well after their work.
Considerate of their trouble, he told officials of the farm that a water-supply system should be established in the village.
Later, he visited the village again and learned that water works had not yet been built because a spring was not found. He said:
Let us find out it together. He looked round topography around the village before going to an ascent of a valley not far from the village together with officials of the farm. He looked around and pointed to a spot, telling them to dig there.
When they dug the spot, marvelously a fountain of water gushed out.
The villagers have since been freed from trouble over water.
One day of may, Juche 70 (1981) the president got aboard a ship once to fix a site of the west sea barrage, which was a difficult matter in the project.
The site he appointed was the point where water flowing from the sea and the River Taedong converged.
Experts were moved to see a line of distinction between clear water of the sea and muddy water of the River Taedong.
There were favorable geological conditions at the bottom of the sea and phi islet standing in the center of the sea. So it was easy to dam off a lot of water flowing from the river with the islet as a strongpoint.
At this most suitable site the west sea barrage was built in a matter of five years, demonstrating the might of the DPRK.
Chongsokjong, scenic spot in East Sea of Korea
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- Chongsokjong situated on the coast of Thongchon county, Kangwon Province, is known as one of the eight scenic spots in Kangwon province for its marvelous stone pillars and fantastic scenery.
Hundreds of hexagonal and octagonal stone pillars of mysterious shapes towering on the coast extend 1,000 m.
Among them are couple rocks and turtle rock and many other exquisite rocks.
Pine trees growing on a cliff and its surrounding areas increase the charms of Chongsokjong.
Sunrise in the east sea seen from Chongsokjong and its moon-lit night view beggar description.
That was why people called Chongsokjong "Thongchon Kumgang," comparing it to Mt. Kumgang, a world famous mountain.
Waters around Chongsokjong are drawing keen interest of tourists as they teem with ear shells, sea cucumber and lockington and other sea foods.
U.S. imperialism termed sworn enemy of Korean people
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- The United States is the vicious aggressor and the sworn enemy of the Korean nation, because it has infringed upon the dignity and sovereignty of the Korean people to realize its wild ambition for world domination, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article.
It goes on:
It is none other than the U.S. which has kept the Korean people from establishing national sovereignty and achieving uniform development and brought misfortune and sufferings to them over half a century.
The U.S. imperialists have persistently blocked the Koreans' efforts to achieve their cause of reunification after splitting the nation.
It is the U.S. which has brutally suppressed the struggle waged by the South Korean people to reunify the country, opposed to the national split, and encouraged the South Korean separatist forces to commit treacheries. Since the division of the country the Workers' Party of Korea and the DPRK government have put forward realistic and just proposals and policies in conformity with the specific conditions of the movement for reunification and the requirements of the Korean nation and made every effort to materialize them. It is entirely because of the U.S. that these proposals and efforts failed to bear fruits and the country's reunification has not yet been achieved.
The U.S. is getting frantic in its moves to torpedo the process of inter-Korean reconciliation which had made good progress since the adoption of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and bring the situation back to that in the period of the confrontation.
The U.S. has converted South Korea into its military base for aggression and made its people fall victim to armed crackdown.
These crimes top the criminal index in the modern history. They clearly testify to the brigandish and barbaric nature of the U.S. imperialists who regard aggression and terrorism against other nations as a mode of their existence.
The U.S. imperialists have been hell-bent on the moves to stifle and isolate the DPRK regarding Korean-style socialism as a thorn in their flesh.
The Korean War ignited by the U.S. imperialists is characterized by mass killings and destruction unprecedented in human history. The Korean people's towering resentment at the U.S. imperialists is coupled with their firm pledge to take revenge upon the enemy.
As clearly evidenced by Bush's recent remarks pulling up even the social system in the DPRK and openly disclosing hostility toward it, the U.S. intention to stifle the DPRK has gone beyond its limit.
The U.S. imperialists have done immeasurable damage to the Korean people and hurt their self-respect in a bid to serve their interests in aggression and sinister political purpose. This has earned the U.S. imperialists the ill-fame of sworn enemy of all Koreans.
Bush's remarks against DPRK condemned
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- Alejandro Cao De Benos, chairman of the Spanish Association for Friendship with the Korean People, on a visit to the DPRK denounced Bush for making such reckless remarks against the DPRK as listing it as part of an "axis of evil."
The U.S. is well advised to properly know who is its opponent, he said, and went on:
The Korean people will never allow anyone to encroach upon the nation's dignity and the country's sovereignty even a bit.
The Korean people have so tremendous strength that no one has temerity to provoke them.
They always remain strong-willed as they have leader Kim Jong Il, an illustrious commander born of heaven, who has consolidated the DPRK as an indestructible fortress of socialism with his great army-based revolutionary leadership and the heroic Korean People's Army which has grown to be a matchless army under his generalship.
The U.S. moves to bar the reunification of Korea and ignite a war are bound to go busted.
We demand Bush apologize for his reckless remarks at once and stop standing in the way of implementing the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration.
The world progressives will always stand firm by the Korean people in their struggle for peace, justice and the reunification of the country.
S. Korean singer Kim Ryon Ja arrives
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- Kim Ryon Ja, a South Korean singer in Japan, and her party arrived here yesterday to participate in the 20th April Spring Friendship Art Festival.
They were met at the airport by Jang Chol, chairman of the organizing committee of the festival, Song Sok Hwan, vice-minister of culture, and Jo Yong Hwa, vice-chairman of the Pyongyang city people's committee, who are vice-chairmen of the organizing committee, and other officials concerned.
Japan's reactionary media hogwash blasted
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- A string of hogwash floated by some reactionary media of Japan after the release of a statement by a spokesman for the central committee of the DPRK Red Cross Society is an unpardonable mockery of the Korean nation and an affront to the public, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary.
It goes on:
These media are making much ado about the non-existent issue of "kidnapping" by the DPRK, talking rubbish that "the DPRK is employing tactics to escape from isolation" and "has yielded to someone's pressure."
It is not difficult to guess why these media acted in concert to spread such false reports.
It is intended to build up public opinion in favour of evading the settlement of Japan's past crimes, a core issue related to the DPRK-Japan relations.
Explicitly speaking once again, Japan's redress for its past crimes is a core issue related to the DPRK-Japan ties and nothing can be expected unless this matter is settled. The diatribe of these media rattling the Korean people's nerves only hardens their resolution and will to employ every possible means and method to force Japan to pay for its past crimes in the present generation.
Japan's media are well advised to be impartial and stop such wrongs as misleading the public opinion and barring Japan from redeeming its past crimes.
Pyongyang fine art festival to be held
Pyongyang, April 5 (Kcna) - The Pyongyang fine art festival will be held to commemorate the 90th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung.
The festival will display diverse works of art reflecting the ardent desire of the Korean people to accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche under the army-based leadership of Kim Jong Il, highly praising the revolutionary cause of Kim Il Sung and the reverence for them of the world progressives.
The festival will be divided into a national art exhibition, new painters art exhibition, industrial fine art exhibition, youth and children art exhibition, Korean national costume exhibition, souvenir exhibition, computer-art exhibition and other exhibitions.
Paintings worthy of national treasures and art pieces from foreign painters and overseas compatriots will be put on display.
An aesthetic seminar on the present times and the development of national art will be held during the festival. And the festival will include an etude exhibition of art pieces jointly studied by local and foreign painters and overseas Korean painters at revolutionary sites and beauty spots.
Anthropolites discovered in Korea
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- Anthropolites were discovered in Soksong-Ri, Hwadae county, north Hamgyong province in the northeastern part of Korea and ascertained to be 300,000 years old.
A DNA test of bones buried in lava bed said that anthropolites were a woman, a minor and a child.
Archaeologists assume that a mother together with her children met disaster to be buried in lava.
A survey of the lava that covered the anthropolites ascertained that the fossils are 300,000 years old.
The field survey also led to discovering five craters in the area.
The absolute year of anthropolites is in accord with the geological relative year of the area.
Archaeologists named the anthropolites "Hwadae men."
Experts consider the "Hwadae men" to be palaeolithic men.
Pyongyang-Khabarovsk regular air service opens
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- The Pyongyang-Khabarovsk regular air service opened under an agreement on air service between the governments of the DPRK and Russia.
An airliner will leave Pyongyang at 09:50 every Monday and Friday and arrive at Khabarovsk at 12:00 (14:00:local time), and depart from Khabarovsk at 14:00 (16:00: local time) and arrive at Pyongyang at 16:10.
The first airliner left here today.
The Pyongyang-Khabarovsk regular air service will help boost the DPRK-Russia friendly relations now favorably developing as the days go by and improve the air service for passengers.