Japan's moves for overseas aggression under fire
Pyongyang, May 25 (KCNA) -- The Japanese government decided to keep warships of its maritime "self-defence force" in the Indian Ocean for another 6 months. In this regard Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary says:
Through this step Japan has secured preconditions for larger-scale military actions overseas. It is, therefore, clear that its military actions against sovereign states will enter into a more serious phase.
The recent decision to prolong the period of Japan's "logistic support for the U.S." merits a more serious attention as it was made with the U.S. operation to attack Iraq at hand.
This step of Japan means a dangerous military action against Asian countries which would bring the disaster of war to them.
The Japanese reactionaries are now working hard to establish a wartime system by adopting the controversial "law on emergency" under the pretext of "combating terrorism" and mobilize everything of the country for overseas aggression any time.
If there are politicians in Japan who are concerned about the future of Japan, not oblivious of the lesson drawn from its past defeat, they should move to straighten out the dangerous situation.
Week for Iran-Korea friendship opens
Pyongyang, May 25 (KCNA) -- A ceremony was held in Teheran on May 19 to open the week for Iran-Korea friendship.
Addressing the ceremony, the advisor to the minister of culture and Islamic guidance of Iran said Iran regards the DPRK as the most friendly country and will never forget its support to Iran.
The reunification of Korea is the greatest desire of its nation, he said, adding: Iran has supported the Korean people's stand for national reunification on the international arena over the past years and will as ever do its utmost to do so.
S. Korean unionists denounce authorities' suppression
Pyongyang, May 25 (KCNA) -- The (South) Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a rally in Seoul on Thursday with an attendance of over 6,000 unionists, demanding a halt to crackdown upon workers by the "government" and the management, according to Seoul-based Radio No. 1.
Noting that the present "government" has detained over 450 workers, brought suits against more than 1,500 workers and confiscated wealth amounting to over 100 billion won, the confederation said at the rally: rights of workers are being wantonly violated by the management and the "government".
It declared that it would stage a strike even during the world cup unless the demands for a stop to the discrimination against irregular workers and the privatization of key industries are met.
At the end of the rally, the participants staged a street demonstration.
Lecture given to mark anniversary of Chongryon
Tokyo, May 23 (KNS-KCNA) -- A lecture was given at the Korean Hall today to commemorate the 47th anniversary of the General Association of Korean residents in Japan (Chongryon).
Present at the meeting were chairman So Man Sul and chief vice-chairman Ho Jong Man of the Chongryon central standing committee and other officials of Chongryon.
The participants heard a recorded lecture entitled "our Chongryon firmly defends soul and traditions of the nation."
After the lecture, they watched a video on Chongryon's activities for democratic national education.
Protest visit paid to "ministry of unification" in S. Korea
Pyongyang, May 25 (KCNA) -- The permanent executive chairman and members of the reunification solidarity for the implementation of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration and peace on the Korean Peninsula reportedly paid a protest visit to the "ministry of unification" on May 21.
They demanded a responsible answer from the "minister" who was involved in the abortion of the working-level contact between the south and the north for a successful holding of the June 15 grand festival for national reunification.
At the end of the visit, they declared that they would conduct sit-ins, press conference, all-people rally and other activities for the successful holding of the festival.
Pullout of U.S. troops from S. Korea urged
Pyongyang, May 25 (KCNA) -- The U.S. policy of military presence in the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding area is being loudly protested and condemned at home and abroad, says Minju Joson in a commentary today.
The news analyst goes on:
It shows that the U.S. policy of military presence in the northeast Asian region is anachronistic and the pullout of the U.S. troops from South Korea and the surrounding area is an urgent task which endures no further delay.
The U.S. is seeking a long-time presence and permanent presence of its troops in South Korea and the surrounding area in a bid to establish a new system of its solo domination on a world-wide scale today when the cold war system has collapsed.
No one allows the U.S. to lord it over as a dominator of the world. A proof of this is that the anti-U.S. movements are growing in South Korea and the surrounding area.
The U.S. should face up to the anti-U.S. trend of the times and make a bold decision on the withdrawal of the U.S. forces.
Anti-U.S. statement released in S. Korea
Pyongyang, May 25 (KCNA) -- 19 youth and student organizations of South Korea, including the South Headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the country's reunification and the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils, reportedly released an anti-U.S. statement on May 18, 22 years after the May 18 Kwangju Popular Uprising.
Though 22 years have passed since the massacre was committed by the U.S. and the South Korean military forces while quelling the Kwangju uprising by armed force, facts about the atrocities are still being disclosed one after another, the statement noted, saying: they evidently prove that the U.S. was, in fact, chiefly responsible for the Kwangju massacre.
The U.S. backstage manipulation of the massacre and its anti-north nuclear war plan were a challenge to peace and conscience of the whole world and a savage act to acquire a windfall at the sacrifice of the Korean nation, it charged.
The statement strongly urged the U.S. to redress its past crimes, though belatedly, and renounce its anti-north nuclear war plan at once, and promptly quit South Korea, taking along its lethal weapons.
"Defence minister" of S. Korea indicted
Pyongyang, May 25 (KCNA) -- Nine civic and public organizations in South Korea reportedly called a press conference in Seoul on May 21, demanding an investigation into the selection of F-15K fighters. Among the organizations were the council for national reconciliation and independent reunification, the "national alliance for democracy and reunification", the citizens' solidarity for democratic society and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.
They charged that "defence minister" Kim Tong Sin was directly involved in the illegal bribery related to the selection of those fighters.
A press release made public at the conference declared the contract concluded with the Boeing Company on the introduction of F-15Ks null and void, saying that they bring a charge against Kim Tong Sin to the prosecutors' office on behalf of all the people.
At the end of the press conference, they conveyed an indictment to the Seoul district prosecutor's office.
Rodong Sinmun on invincible might of Korean revolutionary ranks
Pyongyang, May 25 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun in a signed article today says that the Korean revolutionary ranks are demonstrating their might as the invincible ranks which have made the army-centred idea of leader Kim Jong Il their faith and physical quality.
The Korean revolutionary ranks are showing off their might as the ranks of true loyal subjects who uphold him at the risk of their lives, the article says, and continues:
The army and people of the DPRK live and work with the slogan "let us defend the headquarters of revolution headed by the great comrade Kim Jong Il at the risk of our lives" as their maxim. The revolutionary spirit of defying death in defence of him is highly displayed among the Korean people as they are keeping in mind the revolutionary conviction that he is the destiny of the fatherland and the sun of life and that victory comes under his army-based leadership.
The might of the Korean revolutionary ranks is powerfully demonstrated in sharing life and death to uphold him and displaying unparalleled heroism in carrying out his plan for building a powerful country.
As the whole society is overflowing with the invariable faith and will of the Korean people to advance along a long road of the army-based revolution under his leadership to the last, the Korean revolutionary ranks have become the iron ranks that neither enemy nor unsound ideology can infiltrate into.
The army and people are now becoming true comrades who uphold him in one mind and the trait of human love devoting themselves to the collective and comrades without hesitation is prevailing in our society.
The army-based idea of Kim Jong Il produced the great revolutionary spirit of our army in doing anything if he calls for. The spirit is prevailing in the whole society, opening the heyday of great creation and change performing new miracles and feats.