DPRK News April 4
3rd session of 10th Supreme People's Assembly of DPRK opens
Finance Minister's report made at 3rd session of 10th SPA of DPRK
SPA deputies pay homage to Kim Il Sung
Greetings to Guinean President
DPRK FM and his party leave for Colombia
Korean Peninsula Energy Developement
Japanese delegation feted
Independence Day of Senegal marked
Brief biography of Kim Il Sung published
Anniversary of Kim Il Sung's work commemorated
Achievements in medical science and technology
400-hectare saltern under construction
World follows DPRK-Japan talks
Special committee for political reform organized
S. Korean warmonger's reckless remarks
Japanese delegation to DPRK-Japan full-dress talks arrives
U.S. urged to drop ridiculous plan
Sri Lanka national symposium on self-reliance
3rd session of 10th Supreme People's Assembly of DPRK opens
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- The 3rd session of the 10th Supreme
People's Assembly of the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea opened at the Mansudae Assembly Hall here today.
Attending the session are deputies to the Supreme People's Assembly.
Leading officials of the Worker's Party of Korea, armed forces and
power bodies, commissions and ministries
of the cabinet, national institutions and public organisations and
officials in the fields of science, education, culture
and arts, public health and the press are present as observers.
General Secretary Kim Jong Il appeared on the platform.
The platform was also taken by Kim Yong Nam, Jo Myong Rok, Hong Song
Nam, Kim Yong Ju, Pak Song
Chol and other senior officials of the party and the state.
The session adopted the following agenda items:
1. On the summing up of the fulfillment of the state budget for Juche
88 (1999) and on the state budget for
Juche 89 (2000) in the DPRK.
2. On approving the laws adopted by the presidium of the DPRK SPA
during its recess.
3. On renaming the Ministry of Public Security of the DPRK.
4. On ratifying the treaty signed between the DPRK and the Russian
Federation.
Minister of Finance Rim Kyong Suk made a report on the first item of
the agenda.
The session goes on.
Finance Minister's report made at 3rd session of 10th SPA of DPRK
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- The 3rd session of the 10th Supreme
People's Assembly of the DPRK opened
here today.
Rim Kyong Suk, Minister of Finance, made a report on the first agenda
item "on the summing up of the
fulfillment of the state budget for Juche 88 (1999) and on the state budget
for Juche 89 (2000) in the DPRK."
She said in the report:
The Worker's Party of Korea's revolutionary policy and positive steps
have revitalized the national economy
and put several industrial fields on the track of recovery. And there is a
good prospect of raising the people's living
standard in the near future.
Achievements were made in the fulfillment of last year's state budget.
Last year the total state budgetary revenue was 19,801,030,000 won, or
97.2 percent of the plan, and the total
state budgetary expenditure was 20,018,210,000 won, or 98.2 percent of the
plan.
Last year the state budgetary revenue failed to reach the planned
level, but showed an increase over 1998.
Its growth clearly proves that in the DPRK the economy has begun to
recover and its independent financial
foundation is being consolidated with each passing day.
Last year the DPRK government increased appropriations for the national
economy in the state budget. A huge
investment was made in the construction of power stations, and in coal,
iron and steel and machinery production and
railway transport, the domains which play a key role in accelerating the
building of an economically powerful
nation.
Investment in the building of power stations last year was 20 percent
bigger than the previous year. The
construction of large-scale hydro-power stations was pushed ahead,
including an expansion project of the Thaechon
Power Station and a second-stage construction of the Anbyon Youth Power
Station. And a large number of minor
power stations were built in different parts of the country.
In coal industry a foundation was laid for rapid increase in coal
output. The working people in the fields of
metal and machine-building industries opened a good prospect of
accelerating the Juche-orientation of metal industry
and effecting a turn in iron and steel production, holding aloft the torch
lit at the Songjin Steel Complex.
In railway transport a brisk drive was conducted to repair and
consolidate coaches and wagons. The workers at
the Kim Jong Thae Electric Locomotive Plant manufactured and repaired
through their devoted efforts 100 electric
locomotives, thus further increasing the transport capacity.
The agricultural workers strove hard to do farming as required by the
Juche farming method, bring about a
radical change in seed selection and potato cultivation and carry out
double-cropping.
The Taehongdan county integrated farm has been turned into a major base
for a radical change in potato
cultivation and a farm where comprehensive mechanization has been fully
realized. And a modern chicken plant and
a cattle farm were built to pave a wide way for developing stockbreeding
onto a new stage.
People in different parts of the country built many fish-breeding
grounds by harnessing rivers, lakes, springs
and hot springs and pisciculture was conducted on a large scale.
Last year's investment in science was 6.3 percent bigger than the
previous year. Scientists and technicians
successfully solved scientific and technological problems in
microelectronic engineering and mechanical electronics,
thus putting researches into up-to-date science and technology in these
domains at a higher level.
Signal successes were also made in various scientific researches, among
them research into producing
medicines of various kinds by gene engineering.
Last year the DPRK government channelled huge funds into the land
development and construction of
monumental edifices for the prosperity of the country and the happiness of
the people.
The young builders completed the roadbed construction of the whole
section of the 40-odd km
Pyongyang-Nampho Motorway in a matter of one year.
The soldier-builders, people and their helpers turned out in land
leveling and rezoning project in North
Phyongan Province following the completion of the similar project in
Kangwon Province and finished the first stage
project ahead of schedule and are pushing ahead with the second stage
project at the last phase. The working people
in South Hamgyong Province wrought such a miracle as building the modern
Kwangmyongsong saltern on the
seaside of Kumya bay.
The reporter said that such famous mountains and beauty spots as Mt.
Kuwol, Mt. Chilbo and Ryongmun
cavern were converted into more attractive scenic spots and pleasure
grounds last year.
The reporter went on:
Though hard pressed for everything, our people built magnificent
monumental edifices and gave face-lifting to
the land. This is a striking demonstration of their indomitable spirit,
heroism and inexhaustible creative energy.
The DPRK government allocated 14. 6 percent of the total state
budgetary expenditure as military spending to
increase the defence capability of the country last year.
Great efforts were exerted for the development of education, culture,
public health and physical culture and
sports.
Educational institutions at all levels were equipped with modern
facilities through the allocation of huge state
funds thanks to the educational policy of the Worker's Party of Korea. And
huge state funds were also spent for
implementing the WPK's policy of preventive medicine in the field of public
health.
Many successful literary and art works were created in the field of
literature and art. And in the field of sports
heroine jong song ok won the world women's marathon title, glorifying the
country and delighting the nation.
Despite difficult economic situation the Korean people lead an
independent and creative life, receiving such huge
benefits from the state as free education and health care without any taxes
thanks to all the popular policies.
Then the reporter referred to the state budget for the year 2000.
She quoted General Secretary Kim Jong Il as saying:
"This year 2000 is a significant year, the glorious WPK's 55th
anniversary, and a year of general advance to
achieve a decisive turn in the building of a powerful nation."
This year we should firmly adhere to the WPK line of attaching great
importance to ideology, the military and
science and technology and channel big efforts into socialist economic
construction for a leaping advance in building
an economically powerful nation, the reporter said, and continued:
This year the state budget has been worked out in such a way as to
provide a satisfactory financial guarantee for
the endeavors of the Korean people to successfully carry out the tasks for
economic construction, defence building
and socialist cultural construction, the tasks to be fulfilled in building
a powerful nation, and glorify the 55th
anniversary of the WPK as a grand festival of proud victors.
The total state budgetary revenue and expenditure for this year is
20,405,320,000 won respectively, up 3.1
percent in total revenue and up 1.9 percent in total expenditure over last year.
The government of the republic will increase the expenditure for the
national economy this year. Primary efforts
will go to the power and coal industries.
State investment in the power and coal industries is expected to grow
15.4 percent and 12.3 percent over last
year respectively to consolidate the foundation for production in these
domains.
This year innovations will be effected in the production of electricity
and coal, a productive boost at the major
industrial establishments in such key industrial sectors as metal and
chemical industries and railway transport
improved to lay more solid foundations to build an economically powerful
nation.
This year's state investment in agricultural and light industrial
sectors is expected to go up 5 percent and 4
percent respectively over last year.
Allocation of funds for the development of science and technology this
year will be 5.4 percent bigger than last
year.
This year we will complete the Pyongyang-Nampho Motorway before the
55th anniversary of the WPK,
completely finish the land leveling and rezoning project in North Phyongan
Province and dynamically push ahead
with a similar project in South Hwanghae Province and the Kaechon-lake
Thaesong waterway project.
The government of the republic envisages an allocation of 14.5 percent
of its total state budgetary expenditure as
military spending, pursuant to the party's line of attaching great
importance to the military. Huge funds will be
channelled into socialist cultural construction, including education,
culture, public health and physical culture and
sports.
This year, too, the government of the republic will send a large amount
of educational aid fund and stipends for
the children of Korean nationals in Japan.
The state budget for this year is a revolutionary and popular budget
aimed to properly tap and use the country's
financial resources to speed up a general advance for building a powerful
socialist nation and exert big efforts to
improving the people's standard of living.
SPA deputies pay homage to Kim Il Sung
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- Deputies attending the 3rd session of the
10th Supreme People's Assembly
visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace to pay homage to the President Kim Il
Sung.
They paid humble homage to the statue of the President and then mounted
the grand staircase to make a bow to
him who lies in state for perpetuity.
They looked round the orders and medals awarded to him by different
countries, bronze sculptures carved in
relief in the waiters hall, a train used by him for on-site guidance and
foreign visits and a car he used in the last
period of his life.
On Monday they laid a basket of flowers before the statue of the
President on Mansu Hill.
Greetings to Guinean President
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium
of the DPRK Supreme People's
Assembly, on Monday sent a message of greetings to Lansana Conte, President
of the Republic of Guinea, on the
occasion of the 16th anniversary of the proclamation of the second republic
in Guinea.
The message extended warm congratulations to the Guinean President and
people on the anniversary.
It sincerely wished the President greater success in his work for the
country's peace and stability and the
socio-economic development and expressed the belief that the good friendly
and cooperative relations between the
two countries would further be strengthened.
DPRK FM and his party leave for Colombia
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- Paek Nam Sun, Foreign Minister of the
DPRK, and his party left here today to
participate in a meeting of foreign ministers of non-aligned countries,
which is to be held in Colombia.
Korean Peninsula Energy Developement
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- The negotiating delegation of the Korean
Peninsula Energy Development
Organization (KEDO), which came here for the signing of a protocol related
to the implementation of an agreement
on the light water reactors provision concluded by the DPRK and KEDO, left
here today by air.
Japanese delegation feted
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- The DPRK government today hosted a
reception for the Japanese government
delegation.
Invited there were members of the delegation headed by Kojiro Takano,
ambassador of the Japanese Foreign
Ministry for negotiations on the establishment of diplomatic ties between
Japan and the DPRK who came here to
participate in the 9th intergovernmental full-dress talks between the two
countries.
Head of the DPRK government delegation Jong Thae Hwa, roving ambassador
of the Foreign Ministry, and
officials concerned were present there.
Independence Day of Senegal marked
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- A meeting was held here yesterday to mark
the 40th anniversary of the
independence of Senegal.
Present there were Choe Hui Jong, chairman of the Korea-Senegal
Friendship Association, members of the
association and working people in the city.
A speech was made and a message of greetings to the President of
Senegal was adopted at the meeting.
Brief biography of Kim Il Sung published
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- The Worker's Party of Korea Publishing
House brought out the "Brief
Biography of the Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung" on the occasion of his
88th birth anniversary.
The brief biography newly supplemented and compiled by the history
institute of the WPK Central Committee
is divided into twelve periods.
The history of his revolutionary activities is a glorious revolutionary
history of a gifted thinker and theoretician,
outstanding statesman, rare military strategist, man possessed of
outstanding leadership art and a benevolent father
of the people.
The biography contains the immortal exploits performed by the President
for the Korean and world revolution
for a long time until he died at his post.
He was born into a revolutionary and patriotic family, embarked on the
road of revolution in his teens, led the
underground revolutionary struggle, two revolutionary wars, two stages of
social revolution and several stages of
socialist construction to victory and successfully resolved the issue of
succession to the revolutionary cause.
Anniversary of Kim Il Sung's work commemorated
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today dedicates a signed
article to the 10th anniversary of the
publication of the famous work of the President Kim Il Sung "On Effectively
Managing Economy in Keeping with
the Nature of the Socialist Economy" on April 4, Juche 79 (1990).
The President in the work elucidated the questions of principle arising
in improving the economic management
in conformity with the nature of the socialist economy.
The article says:
The work serves as a powerful ideological and theoretical weapon and an
immortal banner whereby the officials
and working people in the DPRK could hold fast to the principle of
management of the socialist economy without
the slightest hesitation and vacillation in the 90s when the country's
economic situation was very difficult.
The great significance of the work lies, first of all, in that it
proved the vitality and superiority of the
Korean-style economic management, encouraging the Korean people to defend
the principle of management of the
socialist economy with firm confidence.
The President in the work made a perfect theoretical and practical
clarification of the validity of the Worker's
Party of Korea's line of the economic construction and its theory of the
economic management, and explained with
well-grounded logic that socialism could successfully be built if the
economy is managed and operated as required
by the Taean work system under the uplifted banner of the three revolutions.
The Korean people, therefore, have managed the economy in keeping with
the nature of the socialist economy
with the steadfast faith even in the period of the "arduous march" and the
forced march when the economic condition
was very difficult.
The work advanced concrete tasks to successfully build the economy
under the changed circumstances, thus
powerfully demonstrating the vitality of management of the socialist
economy. This is another significance of the
work.
The President in the work said that the main way of putting the
production on a normal footing under the new
circumstance is to give definite priority to the production of goods of
first- and second-stage processing and
indicated one by one the ways of effective planning in the domain of
production and organize and guide the
production under a meticulous plan.
Today the independent national economy of the DPRK has paid off
profusely despite the imperialists'
intensified moves for isolating and stifling it. It is a springboard from
which the Korean people can reach a higher
stage of building an economically powerful country.
Achievements in medical science and technology
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- The 6th National Invention and New
Technology Exhibition in the field of
public health took place in Korea recently.
According to Kim Myong Dok, director of the science and technology
department of the Ministry of Public
Health, exhibited there were new kinds of medicines, medical apparatuses
and methods of diagnosis and medical
treatment, more than 5,200 pieces in all. Among those exhibits highly
appreciated were achievements made in laying
a foundation for industrializing the production of preventive hepatitis-b
vaccine by a new gene engineering method
and a new type of syringe without a needle displayed by the medical biology
institute and the medical appliances
institute under the Academy of Medical Science.
The blood condition memorizing alloy screw and a guiding device from
Kim Man Yu Hospital, new
homeostatic, pain killer and Koryo antibiotic ophthalmic from the Pyongyang
Maternity Hospital and 18 kinds of
medicines and potato glucose from the academy of medical science, south
Hamgyong and Jagang provinces were
recognized as something greatly helpful to clinical treatment.
Artificial blood vessel, artificial dura, scaler, freezing treatment
apparatus and micro operation apparatus were
also appreciated as something new and valuable.
Also displayed there were new and reasonable treatment methods and
diagrams and models for scientific
diagnosis of diseases and education.
All these achievements in medical science are ascribable to the devoted
service made by scientists and
technicians in the field of public health for the people at the difficult
time when the country is hard pressed for
everything.
400-hectare saltern under construction
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- A 400-hectare saltern is now under
construction in the Odaejin area of North
Hamgyong Province on the northeastern coast of Korea.
It is a large and multi-staged saltern, consisting of evaporation and
crystallizing ponds, 40 hectares of amassing
yards, 30,000 m-long transportation road, salt-water supply channels and
drainage systems. It will fully meet the
local demands when completed.
Due to the strenuous efforts of the builders, pond-leveling,
ground-hardening and gravel disposal are now
nearing completion.
The project is a follow-up to General Secretary Kim Jong Il's November
Juche 87 (1998) on-the-spot
instruction to build a saltern in the province and meet the local demands.
World follows DPRK-Japan talks
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- Japan's liquidation of its past is a short
cut to the establishment of diplomatic
relations between the DPRK and Japan and a major point and task of the
bilateral talks, says Rodong Sinmun today
in a signed commentary on the 9th DPRK-Japan intergovernmental talks which
will begin in Pyongyang on
Tuesday.
The DPRK-Japan talks are not intended for argument, the news analyst of
the paper says, and continues:
The purport and purpose of the talks are to make the two countries near
and close neighbors, not near but
faraway ones, by undoing deep-rooted complicated knots which have existed
in the history of Japan, the assailant,
and the DPRK, the victim, and converting the abnormal relations between the
two neighbors which have existed as
sworn enemies into ties of good neighborliness.
The stand of the DPRK is that both sides should focus on the debate on
a key matter with a sincere attitude, and
thus settle it.
By the key matter the DPRK means Japan's liquidation of its past
wrongdoings against the DPRK.
The DPRK and Japan are now near but faraway countries and remain sworn
enemies. This is attributable to
Japan's refusal to liquidate its past.
The DPRK-Japan talks should focus on the debate about the issue of
liquidating Japan's past and be oriented to
its settlement.
Everything depends on with what will and stand the Japanese side
approaches the talks with the DPRK. The
DPRK is of the view that it is important for Japan to approach the talks
with a sincere stand and will to put the
bilateral relations on the orbit of normalization in such a way as to solve
the issue of liquidating its past at an early
date and then settle other matters on the basis of this.
The DPRK-Japan talks are not for the sake of one side.
Moreover, both sides should not hold the talks, reading other's face.
The talks are for the sake of both sides. They are needed to meet the
aspiration and requirement of the two
peoples.
The lesson taught by the past DPRK-Japan talks shows that the talks
will be useless and produce only
undesirable results if they fail to make any progress due to a verbal spat.
Special committee for political reform organized
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- The "citizens solidarity for general
election" organized a permanent special
committee for political reform on March 30 and began its activities,
according to Seoul-based Yonhap News.
The committee groups at least 30 professors and policy experts of civil
organizations.
The organization declared that it would welcome more experts of
different sectors to the committee to review
and estimate the results of anti-candidate campaign and the "election" and
conduct activities for political reform even
after the "election."
The committee is conducting a signature campaign for introducing a
legislation on political reform and a system
of people's recall of "national assemblymen" in reflection of demands of
people from all walks of life.
S. Korean warmonger's reckless remarks
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- Jo Song Thae, "Minister of National
Defense" of South Korea, at a "monthly
meeting" with bosses of the "Ministry of National Defense" and the "joint
chiefs of staff headquarters" and at a
recent "commemoration of the 32nd anniversary of the homeland reserve
forces" cried out for "keeping themselves
combat ready to cope with threat and provocation from the north."
In this regard Minju Joson today in a signed commentary says:
The DPRK put forward the army-first idea without hesitation and has
paid due attention to increasing its defense
capability because of the U.S. And the South Korean warmongers' massive
reinforcement of forces and their
adventurous war exercises to bring the situation to the brink of war in a
bid to invade the north according to the
scenario for the second Korean war of aggression.
The South Korean ruling quarters' talk about the non-existent "threat"
and "provocation" by someone is nothing
but sophism to justify their preparations to invade the north.
It is also a cunning trick to arrest the people's anti-"government"
struggle now gaining momentum in South
Korea.
The South Korean ruling quarters in the grip of a serious ruling crisis
are busy spreading the rumor of "threat
from the north" in a bid to fan up confrontation with the north among South
Korean people and divert elsewhere
their bitter hatred against them.
However, they are seriously mistaken if they think they can mislead
public opinion and achieve their foul aims
with such a poor trick.
The South Korean rulers should stop all their vicious moves to deceive
and flout people and hide their
preparations for a war of aggression against the north.
Japanese delegation to DPRK-Japan full-dress talks arrives
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- A Japanese government delegation led by
Kojiro Takano, ambassador of the
Japanese Foreign Ministry for negotiations on the establishment of
diplomatic ties between Japan and the DPRK,
arrived here today to participate in the ninth intergovernmental full-dress
talks between the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea and Japan.
It was greeted at the airport by head of the DPRK government delegation
Jong Thae Hwa, roving ambassador
of the Foreign Ministry, and officials concerned.
Also arriving were journalists of leading Japanese media accompanying
the delegation.
U.S. urged to drop ridiculous plan
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary
blasts the U.S. bellicose forces
for scheming to erect a "cenotaph" to American soldiers who died in the
Korean War, while distributing "posters
marking half centenary of the Korean War."
Dismissing this as something that can be done only by despicable and
foolish elements who are accustomed to
doing harm to others and justifying their crimes with lies and
fabrications, the commentary notes:
The U.S. provoked the Korean War against the Korean people only to
suffer a bitter defeat and face worldwide
condemnation as aggressors.
The U.S. bellicose forces' talk about "commemoration" is aimed to play
down their defeat in the Korean War
and tone down the daily mounting anti-U.S. sentiment in South Korea.
They also seek to fan up anti-DPRK sentiment in the American society
and use its young and middle-aged
people as a shock force in igniting a new war against the DPRK.
The U.S. ambition for aggression on the DPRK remains unchanged. It has
massively deployed nuclear and
other weapons of mass destruction, sophisticated offensive weapons and
equipment in and around South Korea.
Its aerial espionage against the DPRK is being escalated.
These developments reminiscent of those on the eve of war clearly prove
that the U.S. warmongers' moves to
provoke a war against the DPRK have entered a very dangerous phase.
The Korean people and the people's army are fully prepared for any
confrontation.
The U.S. is well advised to properly judge its opponent and behave itself.
Sri Lanka national symposium on self-reliance
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- A national symposium of Sri Lanka on
self-reliance, the right way of national
prosperity, was held on March 26 to mark the President Kim Il Sung's birth
anniversary.
The symposium stressed that Kim Il Sung founded the immortal Juche idea
in his early years and creditably
built man-centered socialism of Korean style by applying the Juche idea in
the DPRK under the banner of
self-reliance and the revolutionary banner of independence, self-supporting
and self-reliance in national defense.
Self-reliance is the only way out, a reporter and speakers said, and
went on:
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is firmly advancing along the
road of socialism though socialism
collapsed in the former Soviet Union and other east European countries.
This is the result of self-reliance under the
banner of the Juche idea.
The reality of the DPRK clearly proves that the President's idea of
independence is very just and absolutely
right.
The people of Sri Lanka is the master of Sri Lanka and they know well
the reality of Sri Lanka.
They called upon the people to strive hard for the prosperity of the
country, bearing deep in mind that the road
of self-reliance is the right way of carving out the destiny of the country
and the nation.
A letter to the great leader Kim Jong Il was adopted at the symposium.
The letter said the Juche idea founded by the President is the beacon
of hope and the banner of struggle
indicating that self-reliance for those people who are building a new
society is the right way of carving out the
destiny of the country and the nation and achieving prosperity.
The letter expressed the belief that the brave Korean people under the
wise guidance of General Secretary Kim
Jong Il will achieve greater success in the building of a powerful
socialist country, firmly maintaining the line of
attaching importance to ideology, the military and science and technology
under the uplifted banner of the Juche idea
and self-reliance.
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