Internet Theoretical Magazine Updated
Pyongyang, May 18 (KCNA) -- "The Column of Songun Video" of the Internet theoretical magazine "The Red Banner of Songun" jointly operated by the British Association for the Study of Songun Policy and the U.S. Group for the Study of Songun Politics was updated on May 5.
The Korean film "Kimilsungia", which introduces the immortal flower in full bloom all over the world, was posted on the homepage.
The homepage also posted the multimedia reflecting the south Koreans' profound reverence for Kim Jong Il.
S. Koreans' Responses to Songun Politics Echoed
Pyongyang, May 18 (KCNA) -- The British Association for the Study of Songun Policy in its Internet homepage on May 10 echoed what south Koreans said of the Songun politics.
The homepage referred to the fact that the Internet homepages operated by progressive organizations in south Korea are echoing the ever-mounting voices of south Koreans of all strata supporting and defending the Songun politics of Kim Jong Il.
Noting that the activities to study the Songun politics are getting brisk in different countries, the homepage stressed that south Koreans are unanimous in asserting that the Songun politics is patriotic politics as it helps protect the destiny of the Korean nation from the imperialist aggression and an invincible treasured sword as it helps reliably defend the world peace and security.
Iranian Diplomats Tour Various Parts of Pyongyang
Pyongyang, May 18 (KCNA) -- Charge d'Affaires A.I. Hossein Ali Entezari and staff members of the Iranian embassy here Thursday visited the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace on the occasion of the week of DPRK-Iran friendship.
After being briefed on the fact that the modern palace built under the warm loving care of President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il has greatly contributed to the education of the rising generation, the guests went round various rooms for hobby groups.
They appreciated a performance given by members of the art group of the palace at its theatre.
Prior to their visit to the palace, they went round the Tower of the Juche Idea conveying to posterity the ideological and theoretical feats the President performed by fathering the immortal Juche idea.
10th Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair Closes
Pyongyang, May 18 (KCNA) -- The 10th Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair was closed on Thursday.
At a closing ceremony certificates in the name of the Organizing Committee of the Pyongyang International Trade Fair were awarded to the companies of the DPRK and foreign countries which contributed to boosting trade and economic and technological cooperation and exchange among countries by taking active part in the fair.
Present there were Ri Ryong Nam, vice-minister of Foreign Trade, Ri Hak Gwon, director of the DPRK Chamber of Commerce, trade officials and delegations and delegates from various countries and regions. Also present there were diplomatic envoys of different countries and staff members of various embassies here.
A reception was given at Pyongyang Koryo Hotel for the participants in the fair on the same day.
Students Urged to Take Lead in Struggle for U.S. Troop Pullout in S. Korea
Pyongyang, May 18 (KCNA) -- The Taegu and North Kyongsang Provincial Federation of University Student Councils under the south Korean Federation of University Student Councils on May 14 reportedly published an appeal calling upon the students to take the van in the struggle against the U.S. and war and for the withdrawal of the U.S. forces.
Noting that it is the supreme task of the Korean nation which brooks not a momentfs delay to drive away the U.S. forces and restore the sovereignty of the people, the appeal urged the students to become the standard-bearer in the massive struggle for the withdrawal of the U.S. forces.
Korean Surnames with Long History
Pyongyang, May 18 (KCNA) -- The Koreans are a homogeneous nation who have used surnames from ancient times.
At that time only royal families had their surnames and lineages of aristocrats were classified mainly by their native places.
But there were practices in the early period of the three kingdoms (Koguryo, Paekje and Silla) that kings awarded surnames to subjects of merits, which are called "sasong" (awarded surname).
Surnames began to spread among common people from the middle of the period. Except royal family names and awarded surnames, there were 24 surnames in Koguryo, about 20 in Paekje and more than 10 in Silla.
The number of surnames reached over 120 in the time of Palhae and late Silla and more than 160 in the years of Koryo.
The word "pon" (family origin) came into being to classify the lineages along with the generalization of surnames.
According to historical records, there were nearly 500 surnames in Korea but over 200 of them had vanished down through history.
Nearly 10,000 pons also decreased to 3,000 in the closing years of Ri dynasty.
During the occupation of Korea by Japanese imperialists, they forced Korean people, who have used surnames from the early period of the human history, to change their names into Japanese ones.
In an attempt to exterminate the Korean nation, they installed consultation offices for changing Korean names into Japanese ones in different parts of the country. They made no scruple to change names without permission of the persons in question.
The Korean people strong in national character, however, firmly preserved their full names in the teeth of the vicious pressure by the Japanese imperialists.
"Puhung", English into Korean Translator
Pyongyang, May 18 (KCNA) -- A computer program "Puhung" translating English into Korean has been recently developed by the information center under Kim Chaek University of Technology.
The "Puhung" can translate all sorts of books, documents and publications.
As it contains a technical term dictionary divided into 17 sections including machinery, mining, computer and information technology, the software can translate scientific and technological documents.
The vocabularies of the dictionary total more than 2,000,000.
It is popular among the users as it translates 10-30 sentences per second and ensures the correctness of translation.
American-Style "Democracy" Dismissed as Hypocritical
Pyongyang, May 18 (KCNA) -- The bipartisan system in the United States is a hypocritical and deceptive political system aimed at covering up the reactionary nature of its unpopular bourgeois dictatorship and policies and justifying the capitalist class's domination over society. Rodong Sinmun today observes this in a signed article.
It goes on:
The hypocritical and deceptive nature of the American-style "democracy" under the bipartisan system finds its expression in the fact that the toiling popular masses are excluded from the election campaigns and political activities.
Any citizen of a country should be granted the rights to vote and to be elected in the country without any condition.
The above-said rights related to democracy are not guaranteed in the American-style "democracy" under the bipartisan system.
The U.S. federal and state constitutions do not guarantee the poor suffrage. These constitutions restrict the rights of the ordinary people to vote under the pretexts of their property status, level of their education, duration of their residence, etc. The presidential election in the U.S. is an indirect election through electoral college. The president is elected by this electoral college and its members are chosen by ordinary electors. Almost all the members of the electoral college represent the exploiting class.
It is mainly due to this bipartisan system that democracy is suppressed and the political life is getting more reactionary as the days go by in the U.S.
The above-said nature is also manifested in the fact that all U.S. policies and line are shaped and executed in contravention of the desire and demands of the toiling people. The two parties--the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, groups of monopoly capitalists and those who speak for them, faithfully serve the bourgeois only.
What the American "democracy" under the above-said system denotes is very simple and mechanical. When the Republican Party insists "it is right" before acting, the Democratic Party says "it is wrong" before moving. This precisely means American -style "democracy." The political scramble between the two parties is nothing but a clash between the wealthy classes over their interests, the fight to gain more economic profits with the help of power.
Any illusion about the above-said "democracy" leads to national ruin. The world progressive countries and people should, therefore, guard against American-style "democracy" and never allow themselves to accept it, concludes the article.
FM of DPRK Appointed
Pyongyang, May 18 (KCNA) -- Pak Ui Chun was appointed as minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, according to a May 18 decree of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly.
For Spanish-speaking people
"Democracia" norteamericana es absurda y enganosa
Pyongyang, 18 de mayo (ATCC) -- El sistema bipartidista de Estados Unidos es un regimen politico hipocrita y fraudulento establecido para ocultar el caracter reaccionario de la dictadura burguesa y la politica antipopulares y racionalizar la posicion dominacionista de la clase capitalista en la sociedad.
Asi senala el diario Rodong Sinmun en un articulo individual de este viernes y continua:
La absurdidad y la fraudulencia de la "democracia" al estilo yanqui por el sistema biopartidista se revelan en la campana electoral y las actividades politicas en las que se marginan las masas populares.
Los ciudadanos de cada pais deben tener el derecho a elegir y ser elegidos independientemente de las posiciones que ocupan en la sociedad.
Tal "democracia" contraviene al primer contenido de la democracia que es el derecho a elegir y ser elegido.
Las constituciones federales y estatales de EE.UU. no dan el derecho a votar a los pobres. Restringen el derecho de los electores en la posesion de bienes, la escolaridad y el tiempo de residencia. La eleccion presidencial en EE.UU. es la indirecta por el "colegio electoral". El presidente es elegido por este "colegio electoral" cuyos miembros son elegidos por los votantes generales. Los miembros del colegio electoral casi en su mayoria representan la clase explotadora.
Se suprime la democracia y se torna cada dia mas reaccionaria la vida politica en EE.UU., lo que se debe principalmente al sistema bipartidista.
Tambien la absurdidad y la fraudulencia de la "democracia" norteamericana se revelan en el hecho de que todas las politicas y lineas contravienen a la aspiracion y demanda de las masas trabajadoras. Ambos partidos democratico y republicano representados por los magnates y sus portavoces sirven fielmente a los burgueses.
El contenido de la "democracia" bipartidista es sencillo y mecanico. Es decir, el partido republicano dice "si" y el democratico responde "no". La pugna politica de ambos partidos es el choque de los intereses de las capas adineradas para ganar mayor provecho con el apoyo del poder.
Abrigar la ilusion a la "democracia" norteamericana por el sistema bipartidista es el camino de la ruina. Los paises y pueblos progresistas del mundo deben guardar estrictamente de tal "democracia".
Clausurada la X Exposicion Internacional de Mercancias
Pyongyang, 18 de mayo (ATCC) -- Quedo clausurada la vispera la X Exposicion Internacional de Mercancias Primaveral de Pyongyang.
En la ocasion fueron otorgados los diplomas en nombre del comite organizador de la exposicion a las companias de Corea y varios paises que contribuyeron al crecimiento del comercio exterior, la cooperacion e intercambio economico-tecnicos entre los paises, al participar activamente en este certamen en los tiempos anteriores.
En la ceremonia de clausura estuvieron presentes el viceministro de Comercio Exterior, Ri Ryong Nam, el presidente de la Camara de Comercio de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea, Ri Hak Gwon, funcionarios de la rama de comercio exterior, las delegaciones y delegados de varios paises y regiones, los representantes diplomaticos y otros miembros de las embajadas de varios paises, acreditados en Corea.
Ese dia, se ofrecio en el Hotel Coryo de Pyongyang una recepcion en honor de los participantes.
Historia de apellidos coreanos
Pyongyang, 18 de mayo (ATCC) -- La nacion coreana es la homogenea que tuvo sus propios apellidos desde la edad antigua.
Entonces, los apellidos fueron un privilegio de los integrantes de la familia real y el linaje de los aristocratas se clasificaba segun el lugar de su nacimiento.
A principios del periodo de los Tres Reinos, se creo una costumbre de que el rey apellidaba a los subditos ameritados.
A mediados de la misma epoca, comenzaron a generalizarse los apellidos: en Coguryo aparecieron 24; en Paekje, casi 20 y en Silla, mas de 10, aparte de los apellidos reales y los regalados por reyes.
En el periodo de Palhae y Silla Posterior los apellidos se incrementaron en mas de 120.
En la epoca de Coryo, cuando algunos humildes comenzaron a apellidarse, aparecieron mas de 160 apellidos nuevos.
A medida que se generalizaron los apellidos, aparecio el termino "origen familiar" para distinguir exactamente el parentesco.
Segun varios registros historicos, en Corea existieron cerca de 500 apellidos, de ellos mas de 200 fueron desaparecidos al paso del tiempo.
Tambien habia casi 10 mil origenes familiares, pero esta cifra se mermo en mas de 3 mil a finales de la dinastia de los Ri.
La ocupacion militar en el siglo pasado de Corea por parte de los imperialistas japoneses tuvo graves incidencias tambien en los nombres coreanos.
Para exterminar completamente a la nacion coreana, los ocupantes establecieron en muchas partes de Corea el "consultorio para el cambio de nombres" a fin de obligar a los coreanos a sustituir sus nombres y apellidos al estilo japones.
@De mal en peor, cambiaban a su albedrio los nombres de algunos habitantes coreanos sin el permiso de estos.
@Pero, la nacion coreana, caracterizada por la muy fuerte nacionalidad, logro defender sus apellidos y nombres aun en medio de esas brutales maniobras de los imperialistas japoneses.