Japanese prime minister to visit DPRK
Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit the DPRK in mid-September to meet and have a talk with Kim Jong Il, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK.
DPRK Foreign Ministry spokesman on Japanese PM's DPRK visit
Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry today answered a question put by KCNA as regards the Japanese prime minister's scheduled visit to the DPRK. He said:
As reported, Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit the DPRK in mid-September to meet and have a talk with Kim Jong Il, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK.
Abnormal relations have persisted between the DPRK and Japan because of the failure to settle the historic issues between them and consequently a series of pending issues exist between them.
In this connection, prime minister Koizumi will discuss historic issues and outstanding issues of common concern during his visit to the DPRK.
It is expected that his visit to Pyongyang will mark an important occasion in settling the issues between the two countries and normalizing the bilateral relations.
12th board meeting of Northeast Asia Telephone and Telecommunication Co. Ltd. held
Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- The 12th board meeting of the Northeast Asia Telephone and Telecommunication Co. Ltd. took place in Pyongyang on August 28 and 29 to discuss issues of operating its communication equipment.
Present at the meeting were chairman of the board Jingjai Hanchanlash, executive vice-president of the Loxley Public Company Limited and chairman of Lox Pac of Thailand, and the members of the delegation of Lox Pac of Thailand and vice-chairman Kim In Chol and members of the board of the Northeast Asia Telephone and Telecommunication Co. Ltd.
Strengthening of Japan-Korea friendship called for
Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- The national interchange meeting for the strengthening of Japan-DPRK friendship -- the 26th national meeting of Japanese teachers for the study of the Juche idea held in Chiba prefecture, Japan, on August 25 called for striving to strengthen Japan-DPRK friendship and establishing Japan-DPRK diplomatic relations at an early date, according to Tokyo-based KNS.
Tadao Oishi, secretary general of the Liaison Council of Societies of Japanese Teachers for the Study of the Juche Idea, in a report said that the council would further develop its activities to support the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea, defend the right to national education of Koreans in Japan and expand Japan-Korea educational interchange.
The Japanese government should not set preconditions but discuss the issue of liquidation of the past with sincerity in the talks with the DPRK, he stressed, hoping for early establishment of Japan-DPRK diplomatic relations.
The meeting adopted an appeal calling for widely conducting Japan-DPRK friendship activities for peace in Japan, Asia and the rest of the world and demanding the Japanese government admit its responsibility for the colonial rule and military war of aggression on Korea, make an official apology and compensation and drop its national discrimination policy.
The meeting held a lecture on the subject of "situation around Korean Peninsula" and group discussions about Japan-DPRK friendship activities and so on.
Stop to brutal suppression urged in S. Korea
Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- Students' organizations in south Korea reportedly issued statements on august 26, denouncing the security authorities for their arrest of Jang Hye Gyong, chairwoman of the south Korean council of girl student representatives, and demanding her immediate release.
A spokesman for the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) said that the definition of Hanchongryon as an enemy-benefiting organ is nothing but a tool of the authorities to justify their suppression of human rights and demanded an immediate stop to the brutal suppression of deputies of the organization.
The council said that the withdrawal of the enemy-benefiting label from Hanchongryon is the requirement of the era of independent reunification and demand of the people and declared that it would fight until it is met.
The Kwangju and south Jolla provincial council of girl student representatives noted that the authorities have thrown into prison those young people, who fought in the van of the people struggling for independence, democracy and reunification, on the charge of violation of the "security law" going against the trend of the times, and branded this as a foolish act to tarnish the June 15 joint declaration and stem the trend of reunification.
The general girl student council of dong-a university urged the authorities to release Jang Hye Gyong, abolish the shameful SL and repeal enemy-benefiting label from Hanchongryon.
3rd national program contest of educational field
Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- Participants in the 3rd national program contest of educational field fully displayed their abilities ready to put the it of the country on a higher stage.
The contest was held here from August 23 to 29 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the "Theses On Socialist Education."
The contest brought together more than 600 students of universities, colleges and middle schools selected from the university, provincial, city and county program contests.
At the closing ceremony on Thursday excellent students were commended.
Seoul trip of U.S. undersecretary of state opposed
Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- South Korean students reportedly held a surprise demonstration in Seoul on Aug. 28 against the south Korea trip of U.S. undersecretary of state John Bolton.
The students under the Seoul district federation of university student councils were carrying placards reading: "No U.S. hard-line policy toward the north" and "We oppose south Korea visit of U.S. undersecretary of state John Bolton."
As the police violently blocked them, they were angered and scattered copies of an anti-U.S. statement, shouting slogan "No south Korea visit of John Bolton."
The statement said that his tour of south Korea is charged with a mission to check the improvement of inter-Korean relations in advance and that there is no reason for an envoy of evil of the U.S. Bush administration, a real axis of evil, to come to the Korean Peninsula.
Nat'l meeting of propaganda officials of primary youth league org.s held
Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- Participants in the national meeting of propaganda officials of primary organizations of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League held here hardened their determination to conduct vivid and dynamic propaganda activities in conformity with the demands of the great army-based policy so as to make the youth play their role better as vanguard and shock-brigade in the socialist red flag advance.
The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in a congratulatory message to the participants highly appreciated the officials for their contribution to training youth league members to be young revolutionaries.
Kim Kyong Ho, first secretary of the youth league central committee who made a report, and speakers raised tasks to be fulfilled to increase the role of primary propaganda officials and train all the young people to be genuine young vanguard upholding Kim Jong Il's army-based policy with loyalty.
The meeting was attended by Kim Jung Rin, secretary of the WPK Central Committee, and others.
U.S. attempt at preemptive attack under fire
Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- U.S. defense secretary Rumsfeld in a national defense report for the year 2000 submitted to congress recently said that the U.S. would not rule out even a preemptive attack on the DPRK, again talking about the threat of its mass destruction weapons.
Dismissing this as outbursts of those keen to ignite a war on the Korean Peninsula, Rodong Sinmun Friday says in a signed commentary:
The "threat" from somebody cited by the U.S. defense chief in the report is nothing but sheer sophism intended to justify the U.S. ambition for domination, its arms buildup and hostile policy toward the DPRK. the U.S. hawkish group is vociferous about this threat as if an attack on the U.S. were imminent.
But with no noisy row can it justify its arms buildup and war policy.
The U.S. unprecedentedly frantic arms buildup and escalated policy of war only reveal the dangerous and aggressive nature of the U.S. as the world's biggest rogue state.
The U.S. bellicose group is keen to use Korea as a new theatre of a war, after singling out the Korean Peninsula, a gate to the Asian continent, as an area of key importance in realizing its strategy to dominate the world. The U.S. defense department has stepped up its moves to develop an unmanned fighter, an ultra supersonic missile, high-performance smaller nuclear bombs to destroy underground structures and other new-type weapons to round off its preparations to mount preemptive attacks. All this is to carry out a war of aggression against the DPRK.
The army and people of the DPRK are keeping themselves combat ready with a high degree of vigilance against the U.S. imperialists' reckless moves to ignite a new war.
The U.S. should drop its foolish policy to militarily stifle the DPRK, well aware that mounting a preemptive attack is as foolish an act as inviting misfortune.
Day of first citizens' propaganda campaign marked
Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- The day of the first citizens' propaganda campaign was reportedly marked in more than 20 places in Seoul on August 24 under the sponsorship of the all-people measure committee for Sin Hyo Sun and Sim Mi Son, schoolgirls killed by a U.S. armored car.
That day a meeting was held in Ryongsan with members of civic organizations and students attending. The meeting called for collecting a million signatures to force bush to make an official apology and transfer jurisdiction to the south Korean side.
Speakers said that the committee would help the citizens know better about GIs' killings on the occasion of the day.
After the meeting its participants conducted propaganda to denounce the U.S. Forces.
An anti-U.S. photo exhibition was held in Maroni park amid citizens' interest.
Libyan figure on DPRK-Libya friendship
Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- The bilateral friendly relations based on the close friendship between President Kim Il Sung, eternal leader, and colonel Moammer El Gaddafi, leader of the Great September 1 Revolution, are growing stronger under the deep care of General Secretary Kim Jong Il, said Ahmed Amer al Muakaff, secretary of the people's bureau of Libya to the DPRK.
The secretary and staff members of the bureau visited the victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum on August 29 on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the revolution.
The guests met with DPRK heroes and general officers of the Korean People's Army Kim Song Jin and Pak Chan Su, lecturers at the museum.
Agreement reached at inter-Korean economic meeting
Seoul, August 30 (KCNA correspondent) -- The north and the south agreed to simultaneously undertake the projects to relink railways and roads along the east coast and the Sinuiju-Seoul railways and roads between the north and the south. They also agreed to hold ground-breaking ceremonies on September 18 at the same time.
The agreement was reached at the second meeting of the north-south committee for the promotion of economic
cooperation that was closed in Seoul Friday.
They agreed on eight points including the issue of cooperating with each other in the efforts to start the construction of the Kaesong industrial zone within this year, the issue of rendering humanitarian aid in the spirit of compatriotism and on the principle of mutual support and assistance and the issue of holding the third meeting of the committee in Pyongyang from November 6 to 9.