Greetings to Iranian President
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday on the occasion of Iran's New Year.
Expressing the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would grow stronger in various fields, Kim in the message sincerely wished the Iranian president good health and happiness and greater success in his responsible work for defending the sovereignty and dignity of the country and achieving its economic development.
Greetings to Tunisian President
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, President of Tunisia, on Wednesday on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of its national day.
Kim Yong Nam in the message wished prosperity and well-being to the friendly government and people of Tunisia and expressed belief that the bilateral ties of friendship and cooperation would grow stronger in the future.
Pyongyang Circus Performs in Mongolia
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- The Pyongyang Circus is giving its performances in Ulan Bator, drawing capacity spectators during its performance tour of Mongolia on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of President Kim Il Sung's visit to Mongolia and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the DPRK and Mongolia.
It gave its premiere at the Mongolian Circus Theatre on March 14.
Put on the stage were diverse numbers including physical acrobatics "three-stage trapeze flight" which won top prizes at several international acrobatic festivals, "seesaw and swing," "rope skipping," "balancing plastic etude on a rope" and "cylinder rolling."
The performance was appreciated by personages of political and public circles of Mongolia and people from all walks of life in the capital city.
At the end of the performance, the Mongolian foreign minister said that all the numbers were splendid, indeed, extending warm thanks to General Secretary Kim Jong Il for sending the excellent circus to Mongolia.
The minister of Education, Culture and Science of Mongolia noted that the circus of Korea is the best one in the world, expressing the belief that the performance of the Pyongyang Circus would make a great contribution to boosting the friendship and solidarity between the peoples of Mongolia and Korea.
Annual Meeting of DPRK-Cuba Solidarity Committee Held
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- An annual meeting of the DPRK-Cuba Solidarity Committee was held at the Taedonggang Club for the Diplomatic Corps on Wednesday.
The meeting reviewed the activities conducted by the committee over the past one year to strengthen friendship and solidarity with the Cuban people dynamically advancing along the road of socialism while smashing the persistent moves of the U.S. to isolate and stifle their country and reliably defending the sovereignty of the country and the gains of the revolution under the leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba. And it decided on the committee's action program for this year.
Present there were Kim Jin Bom, vice-chairman of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries who is vice-chairman of the solidarity committee, and members of the solidarity committee.
Cuban Ambassador to the DPRK Jose Manuel Galego Montano and his embassy officials were on hand.
Songs Praising Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- The servicepersons and people of the DPRK like to sing songs praising the peerlessly great man.
The songs "We've waited for you", "We'll live cherishing the honor of being met by the general", "The time we're waiting for" and other songs reflect the earnest desire of the Korean servicepersons and people to see General Secretary Kim Jong Il at their military posts, work sites and dwelling houses, wishing for his good health.
Singing the songs "We always think of him" and "There are soldiers near the general", they look back with deep emotion on the footmarks of his endless journey of Songun for the prosperity of the socialist country of Juche and the happiness of the people.
"The day the general visited our post", "We'll win victories under the flag of the supreme commander", "We've longed to see you, general", "When we are with the general" and other songs represent in truthful emotional rhythm the highest honor and happiness at having been visited by Kim Jong Il whom they had longed to see even in dreams. They are overflowing with the high national pride in having the peerlessly great man.
The songs "Always remembering the day the general came" and "Our pledge to the general" depict the spiritual world of the people who are working hard cherishing the honor of being visited by him. They stir up the working people to accelerate the construction of a great prosperous and powerful nation under the banner of great Songun politics.
The songs of praise to the peerlessly great man touch the heartstrings of all the people as they vividly depict in popular and plain poetic language the real looks of the Korean servicepersons and people who follow the leader, holding him in high esteem.
Japanese Reactionaries' Suppression of Chongryon under Fire
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- The Japanese reactionaries' vicious moves to seize the land and building of the Central Hall of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) under the pretext of its debt issue come under fire by a signed commentary of Rodong Sinmun Wednesday.
It is publicly recognized that Chongryon has played the role of a DPRK mission and the above-said central hall has functioned as a centre that has performed such a role in the absence of the diplomatic relations between the DPRK and Japan, the commentary says, and goes on:
This being a hard reality, the Japanese reactionaries have desperately worked to seize the above-said central hall, ignoring the requirements of international law and international usage. This is aimed at destroying Chongryon, impairing the authority and dignity of the DPRK and stoking bitterness toward Chongryon and the DPRK in Japanese society and, at the same time, creating an environment for reinvasion.
The DPRK bitterly condemns such campaign for suppression as a terrorist act of wantonly violating the sovereignty of the DPRK and a hideous act of ruthlessly trampling underfoot the vital rights of the Koreans in Japan.
What merits a serious attention is that the Japanese reactionaries are contemplating extending the sanctions against the DPRK including the embargo on the ship "Mangyongbong-92".
The ceaseless frantic anti-Chongryon and anti-DPRK campaign being stepped up by the present Japanese regime is an indication that they are pursuing the same hostile policy to stifle the DPRK as done by the preceding regimes. They are talking about "normalized Japan-DPRK relations" but the reality proves that it is nothing but hypocrisy and the situation is getting all the more serious and complicated.
The present Japanese government would be well advised to clearly understand the grave and serious nature of the situation, stop at once the suppression of Chongryon and behave itself in the spirit of the DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration.
Absolutely intolerable are the criminal moves of the Japanese reactionaries to seize the Central Hall of Chongryon, destroy Chongryon and tarnish the dignity and authority of the DPRK.
Rodong Sinmun on "Unyo-maru" Incident
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- The "Unyo-maru" incident orchestrated by Japan in 1875 was a prelude to its actions to implement the brigandish policy of aggression towards Korea as it was a criminal armed provocation perpetrated by it against the latter in accordance with its "diplomacy for conquering Korea" in which the "Theory of Conquest of Korea," a doctrine that called for putting Korea under Japan's control by force of arms, was treated as a policy.
Rodong Sinmun Wednesday observes this in a signed article.
It cites data to prove the fact that the Japanese aggressors deliberately faked up the above-said incident to invent a pretext for forcing an unequal treaty upon the Korean government.
It goes on:
At that time the "negotiations on reestablishing diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan" were under way between the two governments.
Japan increased its pressure on Korea by demonstrating its military muscle while pressing the Korean government to meet the unacceptable demands at the negotiations.
When Japan failed in its attempt to attain its purpose of invading Korea by way of "negotiations," it illegally intruded its warship "Unyo" into Pusan Port in May 1875.
The Japanese aggressors worked hard to achieve their aim with ease by pressurizing the Korean government, describing its ship's intrusion into Pusan Port as a "regular sailing exercise".
When their scenario proved futile, they intruded into the waters off Kanghwa Island by the above-mentioned warship in September in an attempt to occupy the Chojijin fort. But their attempt was frustrated by the Korean garrison standing guard over the Kanghwa Strait and Chojijin.
Later the pirates of the warship intruded into Hangsan Island and Yongjong Island, destroying the forts there and setting fire to inhabitants' houses and plundering them of their properties. The Korean garrison dealt blows at the Japanese pirates, driving them out of the islands.
This being hard facts, the Japanese aggressors intruded its expeditionary fleet made up of six warships into Kanghwa Island in January of 1876 under the absurd pretext that "the Korean side perpetrated hostile acts against Japan." On February 27 they threatened the feudal government of Ri Dynasty to accept its demands, forcing it to conclude the aggressive and shacking "Korea-Japan Defence Provisions" ("Kanghwado Treaty") which had 12 paragraphs.
In the subsequent period, the Japanese imperialists pressurized the Korean government by force of arms and forced it to conclude various unequal "treaties," thus turning Korea into their colony and imposing untold misfortune and sufferings upon its people.
Several decades have passed since Japan's defeat but the Japanese militarists remain unchanged in their wild ambition to dominate Korea.
Should the Japanese militarists stage a comeback to Korea at any cost, oblivious of the historical lesson, the Korean people will take a thousand-fold revenge upon them and punish the aggressors in order to have their towering grudge against Japan settled.
Japanese Reactionaries' Reckless Remarks on "Human Rights Issue" Refuted
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- A Japanese delegate, addressing a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council recently, again let loose a spate of reckless remarks over the "human rights issue" of the DPRK. He blustered that Japan calls for the "improvement of the human rights record in north Korea including the settlement of the abduction issue" and it requests member nations to agree on extending the mechanism of a special rapporteur in charge of the "human rights situation" in the DPRK.
Commenting on this, Minju Joson Wednesday observes:
The smear campaign launched again by the Japanese reactionaries against the DPRK over its "human rights issue" indicates that the Fukuda regime is pursuing the same hostile policy toward the DPRK as that done by its predecessors.
The row kicked up by the Japanese reactionaries in a bid to hurt the dignity of the DPRK against the backdrop of their intensified suppression of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) is an intolerable grave act.
Explicitly speaking, Japan is not entitled to talk about somebody's "human rights issue" as it is the world's worst human rights abuser.
Japan is keen to repeat its crime-woven history, instead of making honest apology and reparation for its past crimes.
The Japanese reactionaries' escalated suppression of Chongryon is a clear proof of its harsh hostile policy toward the DPRK.
The Japanese reactionaries' anti-DPRK ruckus over its "human rights issue" was prompted by their political purposes to tarnish the image of the DPRK in the international arena, secure a pretext for justifying their hostile policy towards the DPRK, prod other countries into putting international pressure upon it and thus evade their responsibility for making reparation for their past crimes.
The DPRK will never remain an onlooker to the moves of the Japanese reactionaries to escalate the confrontation with it in a bid to realize their dastardly ulterior design.
They would be well advised to behave themselves, thinking twice over the serious consequences to be entailed by their reckless campaign for confrontation with the DPRK, warns the commentary.
U.S. War of Aggression against Iraq Slammed in S. Korea
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- Members of at least 350 political parties and organizations affiliated to the People's Action against the Troop Dispatch including the Democratic Labor Party, the Confederation of Trade Unions and the Solidarity for Social Progress in south Korea held a rally and a demonstration in Seoul on March 16 in protest against the U.S. war of aggression against Iraq.
Speakers at the rally accused the south Korean "government" of having spent a colossal sum of money amounting to 723.8 billion won for the Iraqi war over the past 5 years to support the U.S. in its war. This notwithstanding, the present "government" seeks to institute a "law on regular troop dispatch" aimed at escalating the troop dispatch while calling for "tightened war alliance" with the U.S., they deplored.
They called upon the people from all walks of life to pool efforts and positively turn out in the anti-U.S. and anti-war movement and in the actions for the withdrawal of the troops from Iraq.
The participants of the rally in a resolution warned that the "war government", "the government which dispatched troops" to kill innocent people and back the U.S. in its war of aggression are bound to face judgment of the people.
At the end of the rally its participants staged a demonstration.
Kim Il Sung's Work Published in Mongolia
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- President Kim Il Sung's famous work "10-Point Programme of the Great Unity of the Whole Nation for the Reunification of the Country" was published in booklet by the Mongolian Mt. Paektu Association for Independent Development.
This work was made public on April 6, Juche 82 (1993).
A book releasing ceremony was held at the Literary College of Mongolia on March 13.
Special Issue Released in Italy on Occasion of Day of Sun
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- The Group of Dialectical Materialists of Italy released the March issue of its magazine La Voce as a special issue on the occasion of the Day of the Sun.
The special issue carried a portrait of smiling President Kim Il Sung and an article in commemoration of the Day of the Sun.
The article said that Kim Il Sung embarked upon the road of the sacred anti-Japanese war in his teens with the great aim to liberate the country, adding that he formed the Down-with-Imperialism Union and founded the Korean People's Revolutionary Army early in the 1930s, arousing a large number of young and middle-aged Koreans to the anti-Japanese struggle.
He fathered the Juche idea in the period of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle and put forth a lot of strategic and tactical policies for achieving the country's liberation by the efforts of the Koreans and at last liberated the usurped country on August 15, 1945, the article noted, and continued:
General Secretary Kim Jong Il has firmly protected the sovereignty of the country and the happiness of the people by frustrating the U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK with his Songun revolutionary leadership true to the intention of Kim Il Sung.
The people of the DPRK will build a great prosperous powerful socialist nation without fail under the leadership of Kim Jong Il, it stressed.
For Spanish-speaking people
Conjunto Circense de Pyongyang ofrece funcion en Mongolia
Pyongyang, 19 de marzo (ATCC) -- Prosigue con exito en Ulan Bator la funcion del Conjunto Circense de Pyongyang, que realiza una gira en Mongolia con motivo del 20o aniversario de la visita del Presidente Kim Il Sung a ese pais y del 60o aniversario del establecimiento de las relaciones diplomaticas entre la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea y Mongolia.
El espectaculo de estreno tuvo lugar el dia 14 en el Circo de Mongolia.
Lo disfrutaron las personalidades de circulos politicos y sociales y trabajadores de distintos estratos de la capital de dicho pais.
En la escena fueron presentadas varias piezas, tales como, la acrobacia corporal "Vuelo en el trapecio de tres escalas" y "Balancin y trapecio" -ganadoras de maximos lauros en varios festivales internacionales del circo-, "Salto sobre la comba", "Equilibrismo sobre la cuerda" y "Rotacion de cilindro".
Terminada la funcion, el canciller mongoles califico de maravillosas todas las piezas y agradecio sinceramente al Dirigente Kim Jong Il por haber dado al pueblo mongol la oportunidad de presenciar una magnifica funcion del conjunto circense coreano.
El ministro de Educacion, Cultura y Ciencia de Mongolia apunto que la acrobacia coreana es la primera de este mundo y expreso su conviccion de que la presente funcion contribuira grandemente al fortalecimiento de la amistad y la solidaridad entre los dos pueblos.
Rodong Sinmun condena la represion contra Chongryon en Japon
Pyongyang, 19 de marzo (ATCC) -- El periodico Rodong Sinmun condeno este miercoles las siniestras maniobras de los reaccionarios japoneses para arrebatar el predio y el edificio de la Casa Central de la Chongryon (Asociacion General de Coreanos Residentes en Japon) cuestionando las deudas de esta entidad.
En un comentario individual, el rotativo aclara que es un hecho reconocido que ese establecimiento de la Chongryon vino funcionando como la mision de la RPDC en Japon ya que estos dos paises no tienen relaciones diplomaticas.
Sin embargo, en desprecio a la demanda de la ley y costumbres internacionales, los reaccionarios japoneses intensifican las maniobras para arrebatar la Casa Central de la Chongryon a fin de destruir esta entidad entera y mellar la imagen de la prestigiosa y digna RPDC, precisa el comentarista y prosigue:
Igualmente, persiguen el objetivo de inculcar la conciencia hostil a la Chongryon y a la RPDC y dar un ambiente a favor de nueva agresion en la sociedad japonesa.
El pueblo coreano condena categoricamente esa campana represiva anti-Chongryon calificandola de acto terrorista e infame que atenta flagrantemente la soberania de la RPDC y viola brutalmente el derecho a la existencia de los coreanos residentes en Japon.
Lo mas grave del caso es que los reaccionarios japoneses maniobran ahora para prolongar el plazo de vigencia de las medidas de sancion contra Corea incluso la prohibicion de la entrada del barco "Mangyongbong-92" en los puertos de Japon.
El furioso oleaje anti-Chongryon y anti-RPDC, que no se apacigua en el actual gabinete, quiere decir que este practica la misma politica hostil a Corea de los ejecutivos antecesores.
Esto comprueba que no pasa de ser un engano la "normalizacion de las relaciones Japon-Corea" de que hablan los gobernantes japoneses.
El actual gobierno japones debe ver correctamente la gravedad y peligrosidad de la situacion, cesar de inmediato los actos represivos contra la Chongryon y portarse debidamente de acuerdo con el fundamento de la Declaracion Corea-Japon de Pyongyang.
No seran perdonados los susodichos actos criminales de los reaccionarios japoneses.
Minju Joson denuncia a los reaccionarios japoneses
Pyongyang, 19 de marzo (ATCC) -- En una reunion del Consejo de DDHH de la ONU, efectuada hace poco, el delegado japones cuestiono otra vez el "problema de DDHH" de la Republica Popular Democratica de Corea, diciendo que "exige la mejora de DDHH del Norte de Corea incluso la solucion del problema del secuestro" y solicitando la aprobacion de la prolongacion del sistema de informante especial encargado de "situacion DDHH" de nuestro pais.
El hecho demuestra que el poder de Fukuda persigue invariablemente la politica hostil a Corea como hicieron los gobernantes anteriores.
Senala asi el periodico Minju Joson en un comentario individual de este miercoles y prosigue:
Ese proceder provocativo de Japon que se coincide en tiempo con la creciente represion de los reaccionarios japoneses contra la Chongryon (Asociacion General de Coreanos Residentes en Japon) deviene un grave acto nunca perdonable.
Evidentemente Japon es el pais carente de la calificacion de hablar de "DDHH" de otro pais, ya que el mismo es el archi-violador de DDHH en el mundo.
Sin embargo, no pide hasta ahora el perdon sincero ni hace indemnizacion por el respecto, sino intenta repetir la historia del pasado llena de crimenes.
La represion contra la Chongryon que se intensifica en estos tiempos de manera escalonada refleja suficientemente la politica hostil de los reaccionarios japoneses a la RPDC.
Tal "alboroto de DDHH" anti-RPDC parte del calculo de la estrategia politica de los reaccionarios japoneses tendentes a denigrar la imagen de la RPDC en la palestra internacional, preparar un pretexto favorable a la justificacion de su politica hostil a aquella e inducir la presion internacional para evadir la responsabilidad de la indemnizacion de sus crimenes del pasado.
Nunca podemos tolerar a los reaccionarios japoneses quienes intensifican viles maniobras de enfrentamiento contra la RPDC.
Ellos deben reflexionar las tremendas consecuencias que emanen de sus temerarios alborotos de enfrentamiento anti-RPDC y actuar con prudencia.