Current News Articles
(Note: Here we collect the articles which give us a thinking. We hope you should also read them and think over as we do. However, the views expressed in the articles are not necessarily the same as ours.)
Joint Letter to All Political Parties of Japan
Pyongyang, August 27 (KCNA) -- The Korean Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Labor Party of south Korea Friday released a joint letter addressed to all political parties of Japan on the lapse of a century since the "Korea-Japan Annexation Treaty" was fabricated by Japan to "legalize" its military occupation and colonial rule over Korea.
Japan has not made honest apology and reparation for the enforcement of the 40 odd year-long most barbarous colonial fascist repressive rule and the hideous crimes, including the issue of the "comfort women" for the Imperial Japanese Army, it committed after "legalizing" its military occupation of Korea through the fabrication of the "Korea-Japan Annexation Treaty" and other treaties for aggression, the letter said, and went on:
The statement issued by the present Japanese prime minister on the lapse of a century since the fabrication of the said treaty is another mockery and an act of deceiving the Korean nation as it was a half apology which excluded the northern half of Korea, an apology little short of an empty talk devoid of full reparation and a hypocritical apology, as evidenced by Japan's ceaseless distortion of history, its "claim" to Tok Islets and allowance of the policy of national discrimination against Koreans in Japan.
The war criminal states of Europe are striving to make an honest apology and reparation for such past crimes as inflicting unspeakable misfortune and sufferings upon humankind during World War II. Japan, however, has behaved quite contrary to this. We are of the view that this shows the political and moral backwardness of Japan and runs counter to its interests and security.
We strongly urge all political parties of Japan to fulfill their due historic and moral responsibility and role in making an honest apology and full reparation for the thrice-cursed crimes committed by Japan against the Korean nation in the past and in developing the ties with its neighboring countries in a future-oriented manner in keeping with the requirements of the present times and the common desire of humankind for peace.
Doubts surface on North Korea's role in ship sinking
Some in South Korea dispute the official version of events: that a North Korean torpedo ripped apart the Cheonan.
By Barbara Demick and John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Seoul ? The way U.S. officials see it, there's little mystery behind the most notorious shipwreck in recent Korean history.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls the evidence "overwhelming" that the Cheonan, a South Korean warship that sank in March, was hit by a North Korean torpedo. Vice President Joe Biden has cited the South Korean-led panel investigating the sinking as a model of transparency.
But challenges to the official version of events are coming from an unlikely place: within South Korea.
Armed with dossiers of their own scientific studies and bolstered by conspiracy theories, critics dispute the findings announced May 20 by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, which pointed a finger at Pyongyang.
They also question why Lee made the announcement nearly two months after the ship's sinking, on the very day campaigning opened for fiercely contested local elections. Many accuse the conservative leader of using the deaths of 46 sailors to stir up anti-communist sentiment and sway the vote.
The critics, mostly but not all from the opposition, say it is unlikely that the impoverished North Korean regime could have pulled off a perfectly executed hit against a superior military power, sneaking a submarine into the area and slipping away without detection. They also wonder whether the evidence of a torpedo attack was misinterpreted, or even fabricated.
"I couldn't find the slightest sign of an explosion," said Shin Sang-chul, a former shipbuilding executive-turned-investigative journalist. "The sailors drowned to death. Their bodies were clean. We didn't even find dead fish in the sea."
Shin, who was appointed to the joint investigative panel by the opposition Democratic Party, inspected the damaged ship with other experts April 30. He was removed from the panel shortly afterward, he says, because he had voiced a contrary opinion: that the Cheonan hit ground in the shallow water off the Korean peninsula and then damaged its hull trying to get off a reef.
"It was the equivalent of a simple traffic accident at sea," Shin said.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Shin was removed because of "limited expertise, a lack of objectivity and scientific logic," and that he was "intentionally creating public mistrust" in the investigation.
The doubts about the Cheonan have embarrassed the United States, which will begin joint military exercises Sunday in a show of unity against North Korean aggression. On Friday, an angry North Korea warned that "there will be a physical response" to the maneuvers.
Two South Korean-born U.S. academics have joined the chorus of skepticism, holding a news conference this month in Tokyo to voice their suspicions about the "smoking gun:" a piece of torpedo propeller with a handwritten mark in blue ink reading "No. 1" in Korean.
"You could put that mark on an iPhone and claim it was manufactured in North Korea," scoffed one of the academics, Seunghun Lee, a professor of physics at the University of Virginia.
Lee called the discovery of the propeller fragment five days before the government's news conference suspicious. The salvaged part had more corrosion than would have been expected after just 50 days in the water, yet the blue writing was surprisingly clear, he said.
"The government is lying when they said this was found underwater. I think this is something that was pulled out of a warehouse of old materials to show to the press," Lee said.
South Korean politicians say they've been left in the dark about the investigation.
"We asked for very basic information: interviews with surviving sailors, communication records, the reason the ship was out there," said Choi Moon-soon, an assemblyman with the Democratic Party.
The legislature also has not been allowed to see the full report by the investigative committee, only a five-page synopsis.
"I don't know why they haven't released the report. They are trying to cover up small inconsistencies, and that has cost them credibility," said Kim Chul-woo, a former Defense Ministry official who is now an analyst with the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, a government think tank.
A military oversight body, the Board of Inspection and Audit, has accused senior naval officers of lying and concealing information.
"Military officers deliberately left out or distorted key information in their report to senior officials and the public because they wanted to avoid being held to account for being unprepared," an official of the inspection board was quoted as telling the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.
The Cheonan, a 1,200-ton corvette, sank the night of March 26 about 12 miles off North Korea. The first report issued by Yonhap, the official South Korean news agency, said the ship had been struck by a torpedo, but soon afterward the story changed to say the ship sank after being grounded on a reef.
The military repeated that version for days. The audit board found that sailors on a nearby vessel, the Sokcho, who fired off 35 shots with a 76-millimeter cannon around the time of the sinking, were instructed to say they'd been shooting at a flock of birds, even though at first they had said they'd seen a suspected submarine on radar.
On April 2, as Defense Minister Kim Tae-young was testifying before the National Assembly, a cameraman shooting over his right shoulder managed to capture an image of a handwritten note from the president's office instructing him not to talk about North Korean submarines.
Such inconsistencies and reversals have fueled the suspicions of government critics. U.S. officials, however, say the panel's conclusion is irrefutable.
Rear Adm. Thomas J. Eccles, the senior U.S. representative on the panel, said investigators considered all possibilities: a grounding, an internal explosion, a collision with a mine. But they quickly concluded that the boat was sunk by a bubble-jet torpedo, which exploded underneath the vessel and didn't leave the usual signs of an explosion, he said.
"The pattern of damage was exactly aligned with that kind of weapon," Eccles said in a telephone interview. "Torpedoes these days are designed to drive underneath the target and explode. They use the energy of their explosion to make a bubble that expands and contracts. It is designed to break the back of the ship."
Pyongyang, meanwhile, denies involvement in the sinking and calls the accusation against it a fabrication.
South Koreans themselves appear to be confused: Polls show that more than 20% of the public doesn't believe North Korea sank the Cheonan.
Wi Sung-lac, South Korea's top envoy for North Korean affairs, says the criticism from within has made it difficult to get China and Russia on board to punish Pyongyang for the attack.
"They say, 'But even in your own country, many people don't believe the result,' " Wi said.
FM Spokesman on US Describing "Cheonan" Case as "Violation of AA"
Pyongyang, July 6 (KCNA) -- The DPRK Foreign Ministry spokesman gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA on July 6 as regards the fact that the U.S. is describing the "Cheonan" incident as an "act of violating the Korean Armistice Agreement:
The U.S. has placed the south Korean authorities at the head in its persistent demand that the "Cheonan" incident be discussed at the "Military Armistice Commission", alleging that this incident constitutes the "violation of the Korean Armistice Agreement."
It is a historical fact known to the world that the Korean Armistice Agreement, from the moment of its signature, became subject to a systematic violation and abrogation by the U.S.
The U.S. systematically abrogated essential elements of the Korean Armistice Agreement; It violated Paragraph 60 of the Armistice Agreement stipulating that a political conference of a higher level be held to settle through negotiation the questions of the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Korea and the peaceful settlement of the Korean question. It also went on to violate Paragraph 13 of the AA banning the introduction of equipment for military operation from outside of Korea.
In 1991, the U.S. had made a unilateral decision of designating a puppet army "general" of south Korea, which is neither party to the armistice agreement nor a member of the "United Nations Command", as the senior member of the "UNC" side to the "MAC" and eluded its responsibility from that seat, thus completely paralyzing the MAC.
The U.S. had already destroyed by itself the Armistice Agreement and its mechanism. It does not stand to reason that the US is now trying to take them into the "Cheonan" incident.
Herein lies an ulterior aim sought by the U.S.
As time goes by, growing suspicion about the "results of investigation" announced by the south Korean authorities continues to spread across the world whereas the international community is expressing greater sympathy with our proposal to send an inspection team.
Being cornered, the U.S. and south Korean puppet authorities are playing cheap tricks with the issue of consultation forum in an attempt to block the involvement of our inspection team and blur the truth behind their fabricated plot.
The U.S. wanted to take the advantage of the fact that we do not recognize the "MAC" and came up with the idea of "discussion at the MAC"; however, it is a miscalculation.
The U.S. argues that the incident can be discussed at the "MAC" because there is a "precedent of DPRK-U.S. general-level talks" dealing with violations of the Armistice Agreement.
However, the truth behind the "Cheonan incident" has not been unveiled yet; hence, as of this moment, we cannot even talk about the violation of the Armistice Agreement.
We have already clarified our position as regards this matter; an inspection team of the National Defence Commission must be sent to uncover the truth of the incident; working-level contacts for north-south high-level military talks must be made to this end.
The United Nations Security Council should abide by the principle of objectivity and impartiality so as to distinguish truth from falsehood and take heed of our proposal aimed at giving priority to the work of getting to the bottom of the incident.
KCNA on Hatoyama's Miserable Fate
Pyongyang, June 3 (KCNA) -- Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama resigned on Wednesday.
This was a stern judgment given by the Japanese people and history to him as he unhesitatingly betrayed the people's mindset and yielded to the U.S. to realize his political ambition.
As universally known, he emerged prime minister from the Democratic Party, putting an end to the long history of the Liberal Democratic Party's rule because he advocated "independence" in Japan's policy toward the U.S. and made an exceptional election promise to ensure that the U.S. forces base in Futenma is transferred to an area outside Okinawa Prefecture or outside the country as strongly demanded by the Japanese people including the inhabitants of the prefecture, in particular.
The Japanese people expected him to put his promise into a reality and the international community followed with interest his attitude in the subsequent period.
But Hatoyama betrayed them by reneging on his promise.
As the coalition regime of the Democratic Party showed the sign of stability at its initial stage, he began backing from his "hard-line policy toward the U.S.", making eyes at it.
Such tendency surfaced at the outset of the year as a cowardly behavior intended to stay in the premiership full time by clinging to the coattail of the U.S.
During the election and right after the assumption of his office, he made much fuss in a bid to create the impression that he was breaking with Washington, trumpeting about importance to East Asia based on the "idea of fraternity" and the like. But the public gradually began hearing from him remarks that the "Japan-U.S. alliance is an axis of the Japan security policy" and a spate of other outbursts identical to the pro-U.S. one-sided policy pursued in the period of the LDP's rule.
Such about-turn of Hatoyama hinted at the fact that the DPJ might find itself in a political crisis any time while dithering without its own principle just to please the U.S.
When the U.S. became vociferous about "threat from north Korea," citing the case of the warship "Cheonan," Hatoyama met the U.S. demand over its military base in Futenma as if he had been waiting for this to happen.
Various parts of Japan were swept by waves of demonstrations and rallies demanding the resignation of Hatoyama as he behaved against the people's mindset, yielding to the pressure of the U.S.
The Social-Democratic Party of Japan withdrew from the ruling coalition, and there increased the pressure from the opposition parties, forcing him to step down.
The political pitfall into which Hatoyama fell was, in fact, dug by the U.S. It made an utmost use of Hatoyama who posed a great threat to the U.S.-Japan alliance and the implementation of its Asia policy while asserting what he called "independence". But it compelled him to step down of his own accord in the end.
In the final analysis, he was shot by bullets fired by two sides for having behaved without political independence and creed.
Japan witnessed a frequent replacement of its prime ministers and its political situation was hardly rid of a whirlwind of ceaseless unrest in recent years. This is closely linked with the hostile policy pursued by the Japanese authorities toward the DPRK.
Those prime ministers of Japan including Abe and Aso were compelled without exception to leave their offices before the end of their tenure as they were frantic with the moves to stifle the DPRK and the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan and with militarism in pursuance of the U.S. hostile policy toward it.
This is, by no means, fortuitous. It goes to prove that the hostile policies pursued by them were anachronistic ones going against the wishes of the Japanese people and the trend of history.
Nevertheless, Hatoyama, lost to all sense of decency, so zealously toed the U.S. policy that he volunteered to act a servant of the south Korean puppet regime, lackeys of the U.S.
After the outbreak of the case of "Cheonan" sinking he went the lengths of blustering that "Japan would take the lead in sponsoring a UN Security Council resolution" against the DPRK when requested by south Korea. This suffices to indicate that he had lost his qualification to remain a chief executive of the country.
Pro-U.S. attitude and flunkeyism to it are not the way for Japan to follow.
If one follows flunkeyism, one is bound to become an idiot and if a country takes to flunkeyism, it is bound to go to ruin.
Japan should not forget this truth of history.
US Changes Nuclear Posture -N. Korea and Iran still subject to preemptive attack
Cheong Wooksik, the Representative of Peace Network
The significant part that draws attention from the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which the Obama administration released on April 6th was that it will maintain the option of nuclear preemptive attacks on North Korea and Iran. The NPR declares that "The United States will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons states that are party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and in compliance with their nuclear nonproliferation obligations."
According to this standard, North Korea, which has withdrawn from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and conducted two nuclear tests, and Iran, being paid attention to as one of the countries that violated NPT, remain as the targets of the US preemptive attacks. In other words, it is possible that the United States will take nuclear retaliation against these countries if they attack the US and the US allies or partners with conventional or biological and chemical weapons.
Labeling North Korea and Iran as 'outlier' in the interview with New York Times on April 5th, President Obama made it clear that North Korea and Iran in the current situation will be excluded from the "Negative Security Assurance". Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates came up with the NPR on the 6th and he also clarified the nuclear preemptive attacks stating that all options are on the table regarding these nations.
The Obama administration with the new nuclear strategy has an intention to warn North Korea and Iran with a serious red card in keeping nuclear preemptive attack, which is inherited from the Cold War era. It means to abandon nuclear development and comply with Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) obligations, provided that they want to get out of the nuclear threat. Or else, they need to get prepared with "all options" including the nuclear preemptive attacks from the United States.
North Korea, no more expectations from Obama?
As far as the Obama's administration policy is concerned, intending to put both North Korea and Iran into the targets of preemptive attack, the upcoming North Korean nuclear issue is being one of the main concerns. North Korea claims that its nuclear weapons are "nuclear deterrence." In light of this, North Korea has a great possibility of claiming "nuclear deterrence" under the pretext of nuclear threat from the US. In this sense, North Korea is very likely to justify "nuclear deterrence" and highly criticize maintaining Obama's key option of preemptive attack. Also, proponents of nuclear armaments as well as military authorities in North Korea are likely to strengthen this position.
The most serious concern is that it is possible for North Korea to give up having expectations on the Obama administration. Having the regime change when President Obama took office, North Korea expected the improvement of the relations between the North and the US. However, Obama's hard-line policies made it difficult for North Korea to anticipate a better situation. Hard policies including the Obama administration's public remark on CON PLAN 5029* (concept plan or operation plan), US-South Korea joint military exercise "Key Resolve", referring North Korea's satellite launch back to UN Security Council, sustaining sanctions on North Korea, and refusing bilateral talks. Moreover, North Korea¡¯s distrust is expected to increase dramatically and even reach the top regarding the option of nuclear preemptive strike of the US.
This whole deteriorated situation is expected to weaken the possibility of the resumption of six-party talks since there was also an incident regarding the explosion of a South Korean Navy ship with an involvement disputed by North Korea. With the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) agreement with Russia and the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), the Obama administration believes to have a great diplomatic confidence in nuclear nonproliferation. Based on this, it is needless to say that North Korea and Iran are highly expected to get harsh criticism in the 'Nuclear Security Summit', which is scheduled to be held on April 12th and 13th in Washington, and NPT meeting in May at the United Nations in New York.
On the basis of this, Washington is moving towards the hard line policy with regards to North Korea and Iran. 'Tough and direct diplomacy' was one of Obama's commitments in Presidential election to resolve North Korea and Iran's nuclear issue. However, we can hardly expect his bold diplomatic strategy and instead he is focusing on pressures and sanctions. The change of Obama¡¯s action is believed to support strengthening NPT by showing a strong will towards the states that abandoned or violated this treaty.
Isn't this the violation of 9.19 Joint Statement?**
It is possible to say that Obama's nuclear preemptive strike threat towards North Korea violates the 2005 September Joint Statement. Since North Korea not only abandoned the NPT in 2003 but also declared possessing nuclear weapons in February 2005 and operated nuclear tests in May 2009, the United States excluded North Korea from the ¡®negative security assurance¡¯, which declares that the US will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.
The problem is that the US strategy can be seen as a violation of Joint Statement of the six party talks that requires North Korea to have "complete and thorough implementation". This Statement includes "The United States affirmed that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with nuclear or conventional weapons". However, this Joint Statement has been agreed after North Korea's withdrawal from NPT and the declaration of possessing of nuclear weapons. Therefore, it can be said that the US administration's maintaining options for nuclear preemptive attack toward North Korea violates this part of the Joint Statement.
In this context, it could be argued that North Korea has to be carved out as an exception for the 'negative security assurance' since North Korea conducted nuclear weapons tests twice. However, if the US keeps the option of nuclear preemptive attack due to the North¡¯s nuclear tests, it will lead to a huge controversy over the US policy which does not acknowledge North Korea as a nation that possesses nuclear weapons.
It is known that the Obama administration has offered 'carrots' along with 'sticks' when it comes to preemptive attacks towards North Korea. The US implies that it will offer 'negative security assurance' only if North Korea lets go of nuclear weapons and returns to the NPT. This can be understood to be somewhat unfair. Both sides are under the 1953 Armistice situation where they are said to be assured security. But now that security is on condition of abandoning nuclear weapons first. From this point of view, there seems a strong probability that North Korea will intensify its nuclear arsenal, criticizing that there's not much difference in Obama's policy from Bush's.
Contrary to the global community's enthusiastic shout for the 'nuclear-free world', it is seriously being worried that there will be an outcry over increasing tension of 'nuclear confrontation' on the Korean peninsula.
----
* CONPLAN 5029 is the US-ROK Combined Forces Command plan in case of the collapse of North Korea.
** The September 19, 2005 Six-Party Talks agreement on denuclearizing of the Korean Peninsula included an end to US hostility to the DPRK
US Moves for Modernizing Nuclear Weapons Blasted
Pyongyang, March 29 (KCNA) -- The United States is set to spend two billion U.S. dollars for modernizing different type nuclear bombs including B-61 now in the process of serial production since 1968 after it was developed in 1963. It is also mulling spending 0.8 billion U.S. dollars for the research and development of new type cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons and channeling the bulk of its defense budget into improving B-52 and others, according to foreign press reports.
Rodong Sinmun Monday observes in a signed commentary in this regard:
The moves stepped up by the U.S. to modernize nuclear weapons at a time when the demands for nuclear disarmament are growing stronger worldwide are a blatant challenge to the desire of humankind for peace and a criminal act of seriously threatening global peace and security.
After dividing countries into a group of countries allowed to have access to nuclear weapons and that of countries not allowed to do so the U.S. asserts that international sanctions and pressure should be slapped against the second group, the commentary notes, and goes on:
Furthermore, the U.S. is shutting its eyes to the moves of its allies and followers for nuclear weaponization and patronize them, while encouraging them behind the scene.
This testifies to the hypocritical nature of the U.S. "initiative for denuclearizing the world".
The U.S. attitude of reneging on the initiative contrary to its commitment is a mockery of the worldwide efforts for nuclear disarmament and a challenge to peace. The above-said initiative only sounds nonsensical as it lacks any feasibility and effect. It will bring the U.S. to nowhere.
It would be well advised to stop the hide-and-seek intended to mislead public opinion by ballyhooing about the above-mentioned initiative.
Should the U.S. persistently rush headlong into a nuclear arms expansion and war of aggression, going against the trend of the times towards disarmament and peace and the demand of mankind, it will not escape international isolation and destruction, warns the commentary.
KCNA Denounces US-S. Korea Military Exercises
Pyongyang, March 2 (KCNA) -- The United States is going to stage together with the puppet army of south Korea large-scale joint military exercises codenamed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle from March 8.
They describe the exercises as "annual ones" and "defensive" in a bid to cover up the dangerous and grave nature of the war maneuvers but this is nothing but sheer sophism which can convince no one.
The projected joint military exercises are nuclear war exercises aimed at mounting a preemptive attack on the DPRK to all intents and purposes.
The military doctrine of the U.S. is one of war calling for a preemptive attack and the U.S. and south Korean puppet armed forces' scenario for a war against the DPRK is a scenario for a nuclear war based on the provision of "extended deterrent".
All their military exercises are pursuant to the above-said war doctrine and scenario.
As a matter of fact, the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle have so far been staged according to the "OPLAN 5027", a scenario for an all-out war to occupy the DPRK by a preemptive attack. Last year the U.S. and the south Korean authorities worked out even a document on the provision of the "extended deterrent" presupposing the use of nukes against the DPRK in contingency.
They do not conceal the fact that "equipment, capability and manpower" will be mobilized in the said joint military exercises to the fullest extent. This, needless to say, means the involvement of even the nuclear war forces in the war maneuvers.
What merits a more serious attention is that the U.S. is set to stage such nuclear war exercises at a time when the international community is growing more vocal than ever before calling for a settlement of the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula.
Obviously this is a deliberate attempt to disturb peace on the peninsula and torpedo the process for its denuclearization.
The U.S. has always stood in the way of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, pursuing only a war to stifle the DPRK, not seeking a solution to the issue on the basis of respect for sovereignty in relations with the latter.
It is open secret that the U.S. administration ruled by the Democratic Party attempted to provoke a war against the DPRK behind the curtain of denuclearization in the 1990s.
The U.S. is still increasing the nuclear threat through such nuclear war exercises as Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, driving the process for the denuclearization of the peninsula to a collapse.
The reality goes to prove that how urgent and crucial the conclusion of a peace treaty and the termination of the hostile relations are for finding a solution to the nuclear issue on the peninsula and how just the DPRK was when it took measures to have access to nuclear deterrent to cope with U.S. constant military threat.
The process for the denuclearization of the peninsula can never take even a step forward as long as the DPRK and the U.S. remain technically at a war and the latter's threat of a nuclear war against the DPRK remains.
Should the U.S. persist in its unrealistic moves to stifle the DPRK in disregard of its realistic proposal, this will only compel it to boost its nuclear deterrent and its delivery means.
DPRK Proposes Talks on Resumption of Tour
Pyongyang, January 14 (KCNA) -- The Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee Thursday sent a notice to the "Ministry of Unification" of south Korea requesting it to hold a north-south working contact for the resumption of tour of Mt. Kumgang and the area of Kaesong.
It is very regrettable that tour of Mt. Kumgang and the area of Kaesong has been suspended for one and a half years, the notice said, proposing holding the north-south working contact for the resumption of tour at Mt. Kumgang Resort on Jan. 26 and 27.
DPRK Slams UN "Human Rights Resolution"
Pyongyang, November 20 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry Friday gave the following answer to the question put by KCNA as regards the "resolution on human rights situation" against the DPRK adopted at a meeting of the Third Committee of the 64th UN General Assembly:
The adoption of the said resolution is nothing but a trite political plot hatched by hostile forces against the DPRK every year.
It should never be overlooked that the U.S., playing a main role, instigated the EU, Japan and its other followers to fake up again a brigandish document defiling the system in the DPRK and infringing upon its sovereignty on the basis of all sorts of lies and fabrications.
The illegal and highhanded nature of the hostile action lies in that the "resolution" was railroaded through the meeting of the above-said committee despite the fact that a universal periodic review on the human rights situation in the DPRK is slated to be made at the UN Human Rights Council in coming December and majority member nations of the UN including the non-aligned countries are strongly opposed to the adoption of a country-specific resolution.
One should keep one's hands clean before pointing accusing fingers to others.
The U.S. is committing every day such human rights abuses as invading sovereign states under the pretext of "a war on terrorism" and brutally killing innocent civilians and other Western countries are plagued with all sorts of human rights abuses and social evils such as maltreatment of minorities and natives, racial discrimination, murder and prostitution. Are they entitled to dare take issue with other countries' human rights performance so shamelessly?
Japan has not yet redeemed hideous human rights abuses it perpetrated in Korea last century such as the massacre of more than a million Koreans, the forcible drafting of at least 8.4 million Korean workers and the act of forcing 200,000 Korean women into sexual slavery for the Imperial Japanese Army. No matter how vociferous it wants to become it has no right whatsoever to say anything about human rights.
The DPRK categorically and totally rejects as it did in the past any "resolution" fabricated by the U.S. and its followers to do harm to the ideology and system in the DPRK chosen by its people as part of their interference in its internal affairs under the pretext of "championing human rights."
Human rights mean sovereign rights and the latter keeps every nation alive.
One cannot think of enjoying genuine human rights and their protection without being provided with a guarantee for national sovereignty. This is the truth proven by the present reality of international relations.
The UN Charter recognizes the right to self-determination, the right of choice and the principle of non-interference in other's internal affairs.
No country in the world has the right to force its own socio-political system upon other country and it can never do so.
Successful Conclusion of This Year's Campaign for Great Surge Called for
Pyongyang, September 23 (KCNA) -- All the party members and other working people are called upon to continue giving spurs to the on-going general advance with the same vim and vigor with which they emerged victors in the 150-day campaign, single-mindedly united around General Secretary Kim Jong Il, and thus strikingly demonstrate once again the revolutionary spirit of heroic Korea dynamically advancing toward the eminence of a great prosperous and powerful nation with the speed of Songun Chollima. This appeal is made by leading newspapers Wednesday in editorials.
Rodong Sinmun notes that the shining victory won in the 150-day campaign helped the DPRK take a fresh giant stride forward in building a thriving nation and opened up a brighter prospect before the nation.
It goes on:¡¡During the 150-day campaign the Korean people fully displayed boundless loyalty in thoroughly carrying out the leader's idea and intention and the party's line and policies with one and the same thought and purpose and such inexhaustible mental power as implementing them in a do-or-die spirit. This period witnessed heroic struggles through which they fully displayed the invincible stamina of Songun Korea by turning impossibility into possibility and bringing about epoch-making changes.
The 150-day campaign clearly testified to the fact that the party's intention and determination were entirely just and only victory and glory are in store for the Korean people making a steady advance while struggling with the above-said mental power.
The shining victory won in the 150-day campaign is a precious fruition of the energetic and tested guidance of Kim Jong Il.
It is the traditional revolutionary mode and fighting spirit of the Korean people to effect uninterrupted innovations and make steady progress for greater victory, not remaining complacent with the achievements already made.
The Workers' Party of Korea is calling on all the people to wage a 100-day campaign.
All the party members and other working people should make greater leaping advances on all fronts with confidence and optimism about sure victory and thus provide without fail this year a sure guarantee for the final victory in the drive for building a thriving nation.
They are sure to win in the 100-day campaign as long as there are the tested and experienced leadership of the great party, matchless military capability, the unbreakable single-minded unity, the foundation of the powerful self-supporting national economy and a large contingent of those strong in thinking and mental power.
Minju Joson calls upon all the officials and working people to dynamically conduct the 100-day campaign confident of victory and thus glorify this year as a year of great changes and a year of historic leaping advances without fail, the year which will witness a landmark turn in building a thriving nation.
North Korea Wants Peace, not War by Herald Hakwon Sunoo, Phd.
Chairman Kim Jong-Il of North Korea expects to be secured in power the next few decades. Whether one likes it or not, Kim is firmly entrenched and here to stay. His economy is not doing as well as he desires, but it is in no danger of collapsing as some outsiders speculate. He faces no organized internal opposition and is unlikely to face any in the foreseeable future. His security forces are massive, effective and unconditionally loyal to him.
What chance is there then to reconcile between South and North Korea? Is he the same revolutionary as his father, Kim Il-Sung, five decades ago? The answer is clearly no. Kim Il-Sung advocated armed revolution and vowed to help any revolutionary activities in South Korea until the end of 1960`s, but today such a policy toward South Korea has been completely reversed with the declaration of the July 4th North-South Joint Communique in 1972.
Kim Jong-Il has established normal relations with more than 100 non-communist countries including 13 out of 15 belonging to the European Union; He wants to normalize North Korea`s relationship with the United States.
Unfortunately, the U.S. government has ignored North Korea until the last year of former President Bill Clinton`s administration. The Bush administration maintained that nothing has changed in North Korea. Such inflexibililty makes no sense in view of the changing situation in Korea.
Late President Kim Il-Sung proposed a reduction of armed forces on July 23, 1987, in an effort to open up a decisive phase in easing the tension on the Korean Peninsula. He declared that they would reduce 100,000 soldiers by the end of 1987 "to open up a practical breakthrough for the military cut down on the Korean Peninsula."
He also proposed to hold a multinational disarmament negotiation in Geneva in March 1988 with the participation of the both Koreas and the United States to discuss the practical aspects of the serious issues. The statement said that the U.S. should withdraw all its forces, including nuclear weapons and dismantle its military bases in South Korea "when the military forces of the north and south are reduced to 100,000."
To confirm the military cut down in the north and south and the withdrawal of U. S. troops, it called for phased inspection by a neutral nation. If North Korea is willing to discuss a peaceful settlement in Korea and reduction of her troops, how does it serve the interests and objectives of the United States to refuse? Yet the U.S. refuses, for reasons that have not clearly been explained to the public.
The United States policy toward North Korea could be more rational, productive and peaceful rather than emotional and destructive as the situation exists today. Chairman Kim is willing and anxious to deal with South Korea and the U.S. as shown during the Clinton administration and the meeting with Kim Dae Jung of South Korea in Pyongyang in 1990.
Agreeing to terms on the issues would not be easy, but the differences are by no means insurmountable. Any policy would be better than America`s current policy which is archaic, sterile and fails to produce any peaceful results in northeast Asia.
The ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People`s Republic of Korea declared often a nuclear-free peace zone on the Korean Peninsula. The government suggested that the U.S. government should take practical steps to commit themselves to stop the introduction of new nuclear weapons and means of their delivery into South Korea.
The North Korea regime expressed hope that all countries will take effective steps to ensure and guarantee the nuclear-free peace portion of the Korean peninsula in order to prevent the conversion of the peninsula into nuclear war site and embroilment of Asia and rest of the world in a nuclear holocaust. The American government must implement the 1994 Geneva Agreed Framework between the U.S. and North Korea. The agreement includes that the U.S. will not use violent forces against North Korea, will support the unification of North and South Korea, and build two light water reactor power plants for peace purposes.
Instead, the new Obama administration -which is reaching out to the Muslim world and elsewhere with peace-loving intentions-is pursuing a dangerous course of war no different than his predecessor in Korea. Peace-loving Americans ought to stop such war oriented policies and establish peace in Korea, the last remaining divided nation on earth.
The author is distinguished professor emeritus of Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. He has published 25 Books that have been published in English, French, Japanese and Korean. [News Source : minjok.com 2009-08-06]
All Koreans Called upon to Open Decisive Phase for National Reunification
Pyongyang, June 15 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the North Side Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration released a statement on Monday, nine years after its publication.
Referring to the fact that the joint declaration adopted in the historic north-south summit meeting on June 15, 2000, is a milestone of national reunification, the statement said that it serves as an immortal banner as it dynamically arouses all the Koreans to the efforts for carving out the destiny of the nation and realizing the cause of reunification.
Thanks to the adoption of the June 15 joint declaration the inter-Korean relations characterized by distrust and confrontation, which had persisted for more than half a century, have turned into those of reconciliation, unity and cooperation and a new era of "By our nation itself" and a fresh history of independent reunification were ushered in this land, the statement noted, and went on:
Great progress has been made in the movement for national reunification and in the inter-Korean relations amid the warm enthusiasm of the whole nation for reunification and the meeting of the top leaders of the north and the south was provided again in October 2007, in particular, which adopted the October 4 declaration, a programme for implementing the June 15 joint declaration, opening a new prospect for reunification.
The dynamic advance of the independent reunification movement under the banner of "By our nation itself" faced a serious obstacle after the emergence of the Lee Myung Bak regime in south Korea.
The grave circumstance prevailing in the Korean Peninsula clearly shows once again that peace and reunification of the country can be attained only when a do-or-die struggle is conducted against the confrontation and war moves of the anti-reunification forces, internal and external.
The statement warmly called upon all the Koreans at home and abroad to thoroughly preserve and implement the historic inter-Korean declarations, united close as one under the banner of "By our nation itself," and thus open a decisive phase for the country's reunification.
KCNA on Japan's Rightist Trend
Pyongyang, May 21 (KCNA) -- The conservative rightist trend is rampant in Japan at present.
The influence of the Japanese rightist forces finds a vivid expression in the issue of visit to "Yasukuni Shrine."
The LDP, a group of ultra-rightists of Japan, said in its "action program" for 2009 that it should carry forward the visit to "Yasukuni Shrine" as a responsible conservative political party.
It is zealously egging the prime minister on to visit the shrine in every way.
It asserts that it is a natural duty of the leader of Japan to pay respects to the departed soul of those who died for the sake of the country and he should continue paying a visit to it.
It is zealously encouraging the prime minister in his visit to it by wooing the rightist forces within the party to bluster that the prime minister's visit is a domestic issue and for him to visit the shrine despite the pressure at home and abroad is of great significance.
Pursuant to it, Prime Minister Aso recently presented potted branches of commemorative trees to "Yasukuni Shrine" on his behalf.
On May 11 former Prime Minister Abe said that there should be an environment so that the prime minister might legitimately visit "Yasukuni Shrine."
Endless militarist remarks are heard from Japan and the reckless moves of the ultra-right conservative groups openly denying, distorting and whitewashing the past history of aggression are being connived at, allowed and patronized there.
To lay a political and military foundation for overseas aggression is the most important issue for the Japanese rightist elements whose primary goal is militarization.
Their priority task is to train a large number of innocent youngsters in such a manner as to be capable of carrying out a war of aggression in future by taking advantage of the neo-fascist atmosphere mounting throughout the society.
The influence of the rightist forces is growing stronger in Japan as the days go by.
The rightist conservatives who have emerged hardcore and leading forces of the political circle are keen to realize their ambition they failed to do in the past, holding sway over the political mainstream in Japan. This cannot be construed otherwise than a very grave development.
Incumbent Prime Minister Aso strong in the rightist tendency has frequently denied the past history of aggression before and after he took office.
Recently he described the Pacific war ignited by the Japanese imperialists as the "greater East Asia war." Under the Aso regime the textbook for secondary schoolers distorting history passed through the government's screening on April 9.
The said history textbook describes the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592 as "dispatch of troops", not as aggression, and the Pacific war as the "greater East Asia war."
Mlitarism has already become a main source of Asian aggression in Japan influenced by the rightist conservative political view as it has a dangerous political and military impact, far from remaining a departed soul.
In recent years the Japanese Diet has deliberated and adopted various kinds of military laws and regulations or revised ones almost every year, thus establishing in the main a legal system including a legislation for wartime mobilization. As a result, the conversion of Japan into a military power has already become part of the state strategic system.
Japan has steadily increased the military spending and developed highly scientific and technological equipment, thereby bolstering up the "Self-Defense Forces" as the armed forces fully capable of conducting operations and fighting a real war.
Japan dispatched destroyers of the "Maritime Self-Defense Force" to the waters off Somalia on the basis of the enlarged interpretation of the "law on SDF" under the pretext of performing its "international duty" and "ensuring the security" in the international sea route. On May 18 it sent an advance party to dispatch P-3C of the MSDF there in a bid to get it start fulfilling its real duty overseas.
The military muscle of Japan is rapidly increasing as it has already grown strong as a result of huge military spending and the backing of the rightist forces at home.
It is clear that militarist Japan may launch reinvasion any time.
The danger of Japan's veer to Right lies in the revival of militarism.
The revived Japanese militarism, the second war force, may plunge not only Asia but the rest of the world into a horrible war disaster again.
This is the reason why the international community should heighten the vigilance against the rightist trend of thought in Japan and strictly guard against it.
The Real Threats to Peace in Korea: Washington and Tokyo
Statement from the Party for Socialism and Liberation
The response of U.S. and Japanese authorities to the reported North Korean satellite launch is the height of imperial hypocrisy. Ostensibly to protect its country from potential debris falling from the North Korean satellite rocket launch, Japan has mobilized two missile-equipped destroyers into the Sea of Japan, and initiated its full missile defense system. The U.S. and South Korea have called a test rocket launch a "major provocation" and are preparing military deployments of their own. Both the U.S. and Japan are threatening to intensify or prolong sanctions on North Korea.
The Pentagon deployed the USS John Stennis warship for military exercises off the coast of Korea just two weeks ago.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stated that a missile launch "for any purpose is a provocative act." According to Washington, then, North Korea is banned from having its own satellites, unless, perhaps, they can get the U.S. to launch them on their behalf. This is absurd and unabashed imperial arrogance. North Korea, for its part, says it will interpret any physical interference with its rocket test as an act of war.
Just this month, the U.S. carried out its yearly military training exercise off the coast of Korea with 26,000 U.S. servicemen, including 13,100 stationed outside South Korea. The Pentagon also mobilized a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy's 3rd Fleet and a few Aegis destroyers for the exercise. The fact that the U.S. military is constantly thumping its chest in the Pacific, and in nearly every other corner of the world, is never made into an international scandal.
The Pentagon maintains 9,962 nuclear warheads, and performs an unknown number of test launches with the most advanced military weaponry in the world. But these are no mere tests. With this military might, the United States has launched war of aggression after war of aggression, illegal covert action after illegal covert action. Yet somehow, hypocritically, Washington retains the title of the "responsible" military power, while North Korea is portrayed as an aggressor nation for taking such threats seriously -- for having dared to even test their comparatively small arsenal.
Not a day goes by without North Korea being badgered and threatened, in some form or another, by its former colonizers. Japan, despite the supposed disarmament that followed World War II, is again a fully armed nation. North Korea is a country that full understands the horrors that can be inflicted by the U.S. military machine. Before its revolution, it experienced the full brutality of Japanese colonialism. It has experienced isolation, encirclement, and numerous brink-of-war showdowns with imperialism. It does not take war lightly and has no interest in it as an offensive tactic.
Korea, like Vietnam, was maintained as a cruelly divided nation by U.S. imperialism. The U.S. re-invaded Korea in 1950. According to the 1967 Encyclopedia Brittanica, more than 5 million Koreans died between 1950 and the July 1953 armistice that halted ope