DPRK News Apr 27
Greetings to Yugoslav President
Reception given on National Day of Poland
Much ado about "issue of kidnapping" in Japan
8th meeting of Pomminryon north headquarters held
Independence Day of Togo celebrated
36th anniv. of foundation of United Republic of Tanzania marked
Friendly meeting on Independence Day of Syria
U.S. preparations for biological and chemical war assailed
Japanese television for chiming in with Ishihara's outbursts
Daewoo motor trade union goes on strike again
Friendship gathering
Three-point charter of Korea's reunification supported in Congo
Letter to UN Secretary General
Japan urged to own its responsibility
Brisk restoration and preservation of cultural relics in Korea
DPRK closely watches Japan's attitude
Greetings to Yugoslav President
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium
of the DPRK Supreme People's
Assembly, today sent a message of greetings to Slobodan Milosevic,
President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,
on the occasion of its day of constitution.
The message extends warm congratulations to the President, the
government and the people of Yugoslavia on its
day of constitution.
Expressing the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations
between the two countries will further expand and
develop, it wishes the President and the people of Yugoslavia great success
in their efforts for the security,
development and territorial integrity of the country.
Reception given on National Day of Poland
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- Polish charge d'affaires ad interim
Mieczyslaw Dedo hosted a reception at the
embassy on April 26 on the occasion of the National Day.
Present on invitation were Ri In Gyu, vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Ri Song Ho, vice-chairman of the Korean
Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and officials
concerned.
Speeches were made at the reception.
Much ado about "issue of kidnapping" in Japan
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed
commentary assails some political figures and
media of Japan for making much fuss about the issue of "kidnapping."
The commentary dismisses the Japanese reactionary circles' loudmouthed
"issue of kidnapping" in the DPRK as a
sort of provocation and challenge to it.
The commentary goes on:
There can never be even a word of "kidnapping" under the Korean
socialist system that respects and treasures
independence of human beings and human rights more than anything else.
Recalling that Japan, in collusion with the "Intelligence Service" of
South Korea, completely twisted the career of
the head of the DPRK delegation, its partner at the DPRK-Japan talks, to
serve its propaganda purpose, the
commentary notes: The issue of "kidnapping" is, in essence, a product of
"cooperation" between the Japanese and
South Korean authorities.
The ulterior intention of Japan's row over issue of "kidnapping" is to
seek its own profit through the DPRK-Japan
talks.
If Japan goes on like this, the DPRK will be left with no option but to
reconsider its position concerning its
relations with Japan.
Japan's double-dealing tactics is harmful to it and will bring it to
nowhere.
Japan should clarify its real position.
8th meeting of Pomminryon north headquarters held
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- The 8th meeting of the central committee
of the north headquarters of the
National Alliance for the Country's Reunification (Pomminryon) was held in
Pyongyang on April 26.
Present at the meeting were presidium and central committee members of
the Pomminryon north headquarters.
The agenda items of the meeting were "on thoroughly carrying out the
three-point charter of national reunification
in the pro-reunification movement of Pomminryon this year", "on forming the
north side's preparatory committee for
the 11th pan-national rally, the grand pro-reunification festival in the
year 2000" and "on electing presidium and central
committee members of the north headquarters of Pomminryon to fill the vacancy".
The meeting reviewed the achievements made in the activities of the
Pomminryon north headquarters during the
last one year and discussed the issues related to the 11th PNR.
The north side's preparatory committee for the 11th PNR, the grand
pro-reunification festival in 2000, was
inaugurated at the meeting. The committee consists of five members with
vice-chairman An Kyong Ho as its chairman.
The meeting elected presidium and central committee members of the
Pomminryon north headquarters to fill the
vacancy.
Independence Day of Togo celebrated
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- A meeting was held here yesterday to
celebrate the 40th anniversary of the
independence of the Republic of Togo.
Present there were Kim Chol Sik, first vice-president of the Academy of
Social Sciences and chairman of the
Korea-Togo Friendship Association, members of the association and working
people in the city.
A speech was made and a message of greetings to the Togolese President
adopted at the meeting.
36th anniv. of foundation of United Republic of Tanzania marked
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- A meeting was held here yesterday to
celebrate the 36th anniversary of the
foundation of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Present there were Sung Sang Sop, chairman of the central committee of
the Union of Agricultural Workers of
Korea and chairman of the Korea-Tanzania Friendship Association, members of
the association and working people in
the city.
A speech was made and a message of greetings to the Tanzanian President
adopted at the meeting.
Friendly meeting on Independence Day of Syria
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- A friendly meeting was held at
Korea-Syria friendship Pyongyang Junghwa
senior middle school yesterday on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of
the independence of Syria.
Invited to the meeting were Syrian charge d'affaires ad interim Haissam
Saad, officials of the Syrian embassy,
Syrian students studying in Korea and members of the delegation of the
Syrian Arab-Korea Friendship Association on
a visit to Korea.
Present there were officials concerned and teachers and students of the
school.
The participants looked round educational facilities of the school and
enjoyed an art performance given by
students.
They conversed with each other, deepening friendly feelings.
Before the meeting the Syrian guests planted souvenir trees in the campus.
U.S. preparations for biological and chemical war assailed
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- The U.S.'s preparations for a biological
and chemical war have recently entered
a dangerous phase, observes Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary.
It goes on:
The U.S. is getting frantic in their preparations for a biological and
chemical war against the DPRK over its
non-existent "threat of biological and chemical attack."
They organized four chemical units of the U.S. Army under the 2nd
division of the U.S. forces and their 19th
theatre supporting command stationed in South Korea, inoculated their
soldiers in South Korea with anti-anthrax
vaccine and distributed gas masks to the U.S. Troops and families of the
U.S. embassy officials.
This has touched off a high degree of vigilance among the people at
home and abroad as this was something
unprecedented in the history of the U.S. Forces present overseas.
These reckless moves are intended to ignite a new war in Korea and
inflict not only nuclear disaster but biological
and chemical disasters upon the Korean people, the commentary notes, and
goes on:
The U.S. Is the world's biggest possessor of biological and chemical
weapons. Its forces are armed with chemical
bombs of about 90 types.
It has stockpiled at least three million chemical shells.
Yet, it is so clamorous about the DPRK's non-existent "development of
biological and chemical weapons" and
"threat" from it. This is a height of folly.
It is quite clear that its row is nothing but a trick to justify and
escalate their preparations for a biological and
chemical war under this absurd pretext.
These frantic moves of the U.S. only heighten the hatred of the
people's army and people of Korea and their
determination to take revenge upon the enemy and compel them to make every
preparation for counterattack.
The U.S. is well advised to stop the reckless moves for a biological
and chemical war at once.
Japanese television for chiming in with Ishihara's outbursts
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- Tokyo metropolitan governor Ishihara was
recently interviewed by Soichiro
Tahara of the Japanese Asahi TV.
In this program emcee Tahara chimed in with Ishihara's reckless remark
about Sangokujin in Japanese (nationals
of a third country) and let loose an endless string of rubbish that
Sangokujin is not "a phraseology of racial
discrimination," absurdly asserting that the Koreans have badly behaved in
the Japanese society since the end of the
war.
Tahara's outbursts are intolerable and can never escape from
condemnation from the Korean and other peoples of
Asia as they came at a time when the domestic and foreign public is
becoming more critical of Ishihara's reckless
remarks.
Tahara can never be called a mediamen representing justice. He is
nothing but a devoted dog and agent tricked into
the scheme of Ishihara, an ultra-nationalist and a national chauvinist.
These outbursts let loose by Tahara in the TV program go to prove that
the ultra right-wing reactionary forces do
not remain simply potential but remain overtly active and control even some
media and ultra-nationalist tendency
prevails in the society.
Tahara, an ultra-nationalist under the guise of "mediamen," is nothing
but a remnant of the right-wing forces keen
to benumb people's awareness of history and call back the departed soul of
the militarists.
It is by no means fortuitous that Ishihara and Tahara are openly
inciting hostility against the DPRK at a time when
the DPRK-Japan intergovernmental full-dress talks are under way.
This deliberate anti-DPRK diatribe kicked up by the Japanese ultra
right reactionary forces cannot be construed
otherwise than an undesirable action to put a brake on the
intergovernmental talks.
We can never remain a passive onlooker to an endless string of reckless
remarks going against the trend of the
history let loose by Tokyo.
Tahara should make a formal apology for his outbursts.
Otherwise, he is bound to face a stern judgement by the unbiased public.
Daewoo motor trade union goes on strike again
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- The Daewoo Motor Co. Ltd., trade union
called an overall strike again on April
25, a Seoul-based radio reported.
At least 1,000 unionists, enraged at the authorities' arrest of trade
union cadres, held a rally inside the factory in
Puphyong district, Inchon city, and demanded their release, protesting
against the authorities' suppression.
At the dawn of the day the authorities sent police to mount a surprise
attack on the office of the trade union and
walk away at least 20 unionists, including union leaders.
Friendship gathering
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- A friendship gathering was held in
Pyongyang yesterday to mark the 15th
anniversary of formation of the Korea-Switzerland Friendship Association.
Invited to the gathering were Dominique Dreyer, Swiss ambassador to
Korea, embassy official and Rudolf F.
Fankhauser, resident coordinator of the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation of the Federal Department of
Foreign Affairs.
Present there were Hong Son Ok, vice-chairperson of the Korean
Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign
Countries and chairperson of the Korea-Switzerland Friendship Association,
and members of the association.
The participants conversed with each other about the activities of the
association and the issues of further
strengthening friendly relations between the two peoples.
They appreciated an art performance given by schoolchildren, deepening
the feelings of friendship.
Three-point charter of Korea's reunification supported in Congo
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- Meetings were held by the Congolese
Socialist Party and the Congolese
Committee for Supporting the Proposal for Founding the Democratic
Confederal Republic of Koryo to support the
three-point charter of Korea's reunification on the occasion of Sun's Day.
Referring to the contents and justness of the three-point charter of
national reunification set forth by the President
Kim Il Sung and formulated by General Secretary Kim Jong Il, speakers
expressed the belief that the reunification of
Korea will surely be achieved according to the charter.
A letter to Kim Jong Il was adopted at the meeting held by the
Congolese socialist party.
Letter to UN Secretary General
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- Rakotomandimby Selestine, national
chairperson of the Socialist Progressive
Party of Madagascar, sent a letter to the UN Secretary General on April 14
as regards the situation prevailing on the
Korean peninsula.
The letter said that the progressive forces of the world should extend
full support and solidarity to the Korean
people in their struggle for socialism and national reunification.
The UN should take substantial measures for guaranteeing peace and
security on the Korean peninsula, the letter
said. It held that the reunification of Korea should be achieved on the
basis of the three-point charter of national
reunification.
The letter confirmed unconditional support to the proposal for the
independent and peaceful reunification of Korea
and demanded that the UN settle its disgraceful past related to the Korean
war and take a measure substantially helpful
to the reunification of Korea.
Japan urged to own its responsibility
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- The DPRK side proposed for the first time
the issue of compensation for Korean
cultural treasures as one of main agenda items at the 9th intergovernmental
talks between the DPRK and Japan held
here in early April.
As regards the issue of cultural treasures, the DPRK side held that
Japan should formally apologize for destroying
and looting cultural treasures in the past, make adequate material
compensation for the destroyed cultural treasures and
return all the looted cultural relics.
The Japanese vandalized and took away precious Korean national and
cultural treasures in a bid to tamper with and
stamp out the 5,000-year-long history and culture of Korea during their
illegal occupation of Korea that lasted for over
40 years.
In the early period of its occupation, they cooked up "rules" and
"ordinances," etc. for the "preservation" of
historical monuments and relics which provided for their open and legal
looting of Korean cultural relics.
Tombs of Korean kings listed as world treasures were indiscriminately
dug out by them.
In a few years from 1904, they dug out about 2,000 ancient tombs,
including the tomb of a king of Koryo in
Kaesong, on Kanghwa Islet and in Haeju and other areas to rob them of
famous Koryo celadons and gilt bronze
crowns, necklaces, earrings and other treasures.
At least 1,400 ancient tombs along the river taedong were dug out to
loot their treasures in 10 years.
They took away under the name of "study" some 42,020 cultural relics to
be displayed in the "competitive
exhibition to mark the fifth anniversary of administration" in 1915.
The looted treasures such as gold crown, various personal ornaments
Koryo inlaid celadon, bronze mirror,
Buddhist figures, etc. were exhibited in the Ueno museum in Tokyo and Japan
advertised them before the world as
"Japan's national treasures."
The Japanese burnt at least 200,000 volumes of ancient books and took
away the true records of the ri dynasty,
which comprise some 1,800 books, and tens of thousands of other books
listed as national treasure.
Terauchi, the first governor-general of Korea, completely destroyed
"Kyungbok-goong Palace" with 4,000 odd
rooms, cultural treasure belonging to the period of the Ri dynasty, under
the pretext of building premises of the
"government-general."
He looted more than 600 cultural relics to put them on display in his
house.
A Japanese antique dealer named Nakada rose to a millionaire by
specializing in the collection of Koryo celadons
from Korea and sale of them to Japan for over 40 years.
Komiya, former senior official of the royal government of the Ri
dynasty, was one of those who became
millionaires by dealing in antiques of Korea.
A lot of Korean historical relics fell into the hands of individuals as
special "gifts" and "private treasures."
The Japanese destruction and plunder of Korean cultural relics were
robberies unprecedented in the history in view
of the period and methods of pillage and the quantity of those looted and
the manner in which they were kept and
handled.
The Japanese government should fulfil its state responsibility for its
obliteration of Korean culture as it was
perpetrated by imperial Japan as its state policy.
Brisk restoration and preservation of cultural relics in Korea
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- April is a "month of protection of
cultural relics" every year in Korea.
This month working people in different parts of the country are
actively pushing ahead with the work to restore
and reconstruct or preserve cultural relics in their original state.
According to information available at the bureau for management and
preservation of cultural relics under the
Ministry of Culture, many buildings, hanging boards, monuments, tombstones,
forts and graves at historical sites such
as Ulmil pavilion and Chilsong gate in Pyongyang, Paeksang pavilion in
Anju, Onmu pavilion in Nyongbyon and
walled town of Jongju were painted, repaired and renovated in a way best
suited to seasonal features.
In South Hwanghae Province, the restoration of Samsong temple on Mt.
Kuwol is nearing completion.
Samsong temple is an ancient temple where people held memorial services
for the three saints, that is Tangun and
his grandfather and father.
The temple consists of 6 buildings.
They boast of peculiar Korean national architecture.
Restoration is also under way on the principle of historicism at
Ryongthong temple in Kaesong.
This temple is directly associated with renowned Korean Buddhist Uichon
(1055-1101).
The temple is divided into a main temple, graves in the northeastern
portion and the northwestern building area.
Scores of buildings are now under construction there in ancient temple
style architecture.
A lot of historical relics such as King Tangun's mausoleum, King
Tongmyong's mausoleum, King Wang Kon's
mausoleum, Pohyon Temple on Mt. Myohyang, Kwangbop Temple on Mt. Taesong,
Songbul temple on Mt.
Jongbang, Inphung pavilion in Kanggye and Thonggun pavilion of Uiju took on
their original appearance thanks to the
policy of the Worker's Party of Korea on preserving national cultural
heritages.
The Korean Central History Museum, history museums in all provinces of
the country and the Korean Folklore
Museum, etc. were built splendidly to convey the resourcefulness and
patriotic soul of the nation to generations to
come.
DPRK closely watches Japan's attitude
Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- Minju Joson today in a signed commentary
urges the Japanese authorities to bar
right-wing reactionaries including Ishihara from making an outright
challenge to the process to improve its relations
with the DPRK and ensure peace and security.
The commentary says:
The Tokyo metropolitan governor asserted that his remarks on
"Sangokujin" (nationals of a third country) were
misrepresented by Japanese media in a bid to get out of the predicament
into which he was thrown by his recent
outbursts. It is nothing but a trite trick to calm down the world's daily
mounting protest and condemnation of him and
shirk the responsibility for the evil consequences entailed by them.
It is a sheer lie that Ishihara's "intention" was misrepresented by media.
His view and intention can never be misinterpreted by Japanese media in
view of both his career and present
attitude.
To tell the truth, Ishihara's idea and feelings as an ultra-nationalist
and chauvinist were accurately represented and
brought to light as they were.
The Japanese authorities should own due responsibility for the
challenge made by such an imbecile as Ishihara to
the process to improve its relations with the DPRK and ensure peace and
security, and take measures to prevent such
ultra right reactionaries from raising their heads again.
The DPRK will closely watch the Japanese authorities' attitude towards
the ultra right reactionaries.
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