TODAY'S NEWS (January.15.2001 Juche 90) [CONTENTS] * Press unionists of S. Korea demonstrate * Rodong Sinmun on Korean people's outlook on future * Video tape showing greatness of Kim Jong Il * Congratulations to Ghanaian President * Joint New Year editorial supported abroad * Demolition of concrete wall demanded * WPK's stand on its foreign relations reiterated * New Year's greetings offered to people first For Spanish-speaking people * primer saludo de fiesta de ano nuevo a pueblo ------------------------------------------------------ Press unionists of S. Korea demonstrate Pyongyang, January 15 (KCNA) -- At least 200 unionists of the Kukmin Ilbo Trade Union branch and the "National Federation of Press Trade Unions" staged a demonstration in front of the building of Kukmin Ilbo office on January 10 in protest against the measure to turn it into an evening paper and change its printing method, according to South Korean Yonhap News (internet). The trade union branch in a statement demanded the repeal of the measure, stating that this measure may result in a drastic manpower cutdown and the worsening of working conditions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rodong Sinmun on Korean people's outlook on future Pyongyang, January 15 (KCNA) -- The Korean people have struggled with outlook on future. This outlook on future is clarified in the work "Let us live today not for the present but for the future" published by leader Kim Jong Il. Rodong Sinmun yesterday devoted an article to the fifth anniversary of its publication (January 14, 1996). Expounded in the work is the idea that everyone should devote himself to the future of the homeland and the happiness of the generations to come though he fails to enjoy a happy life, and should live and work always optimistically full of firm confidence in the victory of the revolution, the article said, and went on: A revolutionary should live today not for the present but for the future as taught by Kim Jong Il. The revolutionary people should have a noble outlook on future. Revolution is a struggle for the future. Only when the people have outlook on future can they advance along the road of revolution to the last and defend and glorify socialism in any adversity. The Korean people experienced unprecedented ordeals and difficulties in the past years. The imperialists' moves to stifle Korean-style socialism reached the extremes and natural disasters continued. The Korean people had to overcome food shortage and untold hardships beyond imagination. And they had to proceed to production and construction under the condition in which they were hard pressed for everything. But they did not hesitate nor waver in the "arduous march." as they had outlook on future, they cast in their lot with the country in hard trials and displayed devotedness and self-sacrificing spirit to defend and glorify socialism. They are now working hard under the uplifted banner of faith "let's always be cheerful although our path is thorny " ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Video tape showing greatness of Kim Jong Il Pyongyang, January 15 (KCNA) -- Copies of video tape showing the greatness of leader Kim Jong Il were widely disseminated in Pusan, Inchon, Kwangju and other places of South Korea, according to Seoul-based radio Voice of National Salvation. Recorded on the video tape titled "the image of great man" were portraits and pictures of Kim Jong Il inspecting factories, enterprises and units of the Korean People's Army and receiving public figures from foreign countries. The video tape showed Kim Jong Il meeting with President Kim Dae Jung and his party and people across South Korea expressing deep respects for him while seeing various newspapers, magazines and TV screens carrying his pictures. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Congratulations to Ghanaian President Pyongyang, January 15 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, on Jan. 12 sent a congratulatory message to John Agyekum Kufuor on his election as president of Ghana. He in the message extended warm congratulations to him on his election as Ghanaian President and said that his election is an expression of great expectation of the Ghanaian people for him. Expressing belief that the good friendly and cooperative relations that exist between the two countries would continue to develop, Kim sincerely wished the president success in his responsible work for the prosperity of the country. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Joint New Year editorial supported abroad Pyongyang, January 15 (KCNA) -- The party of the Congress for Independence of Madagascar, the Socialist Progressive Party, the United Party of Struggle, the Militant Action Party for Sovereignty of Madagascar, the Party for Defence of Popular Rights, the Workers and Peasants Struggle Party of Madagascar, the Madagascar-Korea Friendship and Solidarity Committee and the Malagasy National Committee for the Study of the Juche Idea issued a joint statement on January 8 in support of the joint New Year editorial published in the DPRK. The statement said it instills great encouragement and confidence into them that the cause of independence has been firmly defended and socialism has won one victory after another in the DPRK. It expressed full support to the Korean people in their struggle to build a powerful socialist nation. Noting that Korea's reunification should be achieved by federal formula on the principle of national independence and great national unity in the spirit of the historic June 15 north-south joint declaration, it stressed: The joint declaration is a proclamation of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity--the three principles of national reunification--and a landmark of Korea's reunification in the 21st century. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Demolition of concrete wall demanded Pyongyang, January 15 (KCNA) -- Friedebert Kollmann, chairman of the Austrian Jurists' Committee for the Defence of Democracy and Human Rights in South Korea, released a statement on January 2 demanding the demolition of the concrete wall. Recalling that last year witnessed significant events in the movement for Korea's reunification, the statement said that the holding of the north-south summit and the adoption of the north-south joint declaration opened up a bright prospect for the peaceful reunification of Korea. He called for pulling down the concrete wall, noting that now is the time to remove all kinds of physical hurdles in the way of reunification such as the concrete wall. The world peace-loving people and governments should pay deserved attention to the unreasonable existence of the wall and lift up voices demanding its immediate removal. He extended full support and solidarity to the DPRK government and people in their efforts for the demolition of the wall and an earlier achievement of the country's reunification according to the north-south joint declaration. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WPK's stand on its foreign relations reiterated Pyongyang, January 15 (KCNA) -- The Workers' Party of Korea has made consistent efforts to materialize the idea of independence, peace and friendship as it represents its intrinsic nature, wishes of the Korean people, demands of humankind and the requirements of the times, says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article. It says: The WPK has firmly maintained the principle of independence, among other things, in its external relations. It has settled all the problems arising in the field according to its independent decisions and judgement in the interests of the Korean people and worked out policies and line and implemented them from an independent stand. The WPK and the DPRK government have respected other countries' sovereignty and resolutely opposed all attempts and moves to violate others' sovereignty and interests and interfere in their internal affairs and extended positive support to the just cause of all peoples advocating independence. The WPK has worked hard to ensure security and peace in Asia including the Korean peninsula and the rest of the world in order to fulfil its high responsibility for the destiny of the Korean nation and humankind and its noble mission for peace. The Korean people have waged a vigorous struggle to ensure lasting peace on the Korean peninsula, frustrating the imperialists' every move for aggression, guided by the philosophy that peace can be ensured only with arms and pursuant to the policy of giving priority to military affairs. It is the consistent stand of the wpk to unite with the world people advocating independence and develop friendly and cooperative relations with them. It pays deep attention to developing friendly relations with the progressive countries in the world including socialist countries and non-aligned countries in the idea of friendship. The WPK will improve relations with all the countries that respect the DPRK's sovereignty and wage a resolute struggle against any move obstructive to the unity of the anti-imperialist forces for independence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ New Year's greetings offered to people first Pyongyang, January 15 (KCNA) -- Schoolchildren began their new year artistic performance with offering New Year's greetings to fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. Since old times, it has become a traditional custom of the Korean nation to offer New Year's greetings to the elders. As the Korean people have exceptionally strong worship of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il, they used to offer new year's greetings first to them, cherishing the great honour and happiness of holding them in high esteem as the fathers of the nation. This was a usual practice at each new year artistic performance of schoolchidren. But this practice was not followed at the recent New Year artistic performance of schoolchildren. New Year's greetings were presented first to fathers and mothers. there is a touching story about this. After acquainting himself with the preparations for the performance at the end of last year, Kim Jong Il told the organizers that schoolchildren should first offer New Year's greetings to the people who have performed labour feats in socialist construction, away from the practice. People thus received New Year's greetings before their leader did. He has made an endless trip for on-site-guidance to promote the people's wellbeing, always saying that the Korean people are the best, he is blessed with people, the greatest happiness, and nothing should be spared for such excellent people. At the time people were receiving new year's greetings and schoolchildren singing and dancing on the New Year's day he inspected an army unit defending the people's security and the children's happiness. Singing "general on way to front while children on way to camp" can, therefore, be heard from all parts of the country. It is the true picture of the Korean society that the people and their leader form a harmonious whole as he is blessed with people and they are blessed with an illustrious leader. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For Spanish-speaking people ------------------------------------------------------------------------ primer saludo de fiesta de ano nuevo a pueblo pyongyang, 15 de enero (atcc) -- en el acto de escolares y ninos por el nuevo ano 90 (2001) de la era juche los ninos rindieron su primer saludo a los padres, hermanos y hermanas. desde las antiguedades, segun la costumbre propia de la nacion coreana, los inferiores hacen reverencia a sus superiores con motivo del primer dia del ano nuevo. el pueblo coreano trata con sublime veneracion a su lider y su dirigente. por eso rinde cada ano primer saludo de fiesta de ano nuevo al gran lider presidente kim il sung y al respetado dirigente kim jong il, con el honor y felicidad infinitos de vivir enalteciendolos como padre de la nacion. tal costumbre convertida en un ambiente de toda la sociedad no es excepcional tampoco en el acto de los escolares y ninos por el ano nuevo. pero en el acto por el nuevo ano 2001 los escolares y ninos hicieron reverencia a sus padres antes que a su dirigente a quien enaltecen como padre de todo el pais. he ahi un motivo. a finales del ano pasado, al enterarse de los preparativos de la funcion artistica de ano nuevo de los escolares y ninos, el dirigente kim jong il enseno cordialmente que independientemente de la costumbre anterior estos deben saludar primeramente a sus padres quienes realizan hazanas laborales en la construccion socialista. el dirigente kim jong il al decir que el nuestro es un pueblo excelente, el mismo disfruta de la mayor fortuna de tener a un gran pueblo y no hay que escatimar nada para este no cesa de tomar el camino de la direccion sobre el terreno para el fomento del bienestar del pueblo. tambien el primer dia del presente ano hizo que el pueblo recibiera el primer saludo y continuo el camino de su direccion sobre el terreno a la unidad del ejercito para la tranquilidad del pueblo y la felicidad de los ninos precisamente cuando estos bailaban y cantaban. por eso en toda la extension del pais, resuena la cancion de los ninos "el general al frente y los ninos al campamento". asi el lider se siente orgulloso de la fortuna de tener al gran pueblo y este canta la fortuna de enaltecer al gran lider. he aqui la autentica fisonomia de la sociedad coreana con la unidad monolitica del lider y el pueblo. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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