News and 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.)
CPRK Secretariat Issues White Paper Slamming Lee Group's Treachery
Pyongyang, January 12 (KCNA) -- The Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea issued a white paper Thursday to inform the world of the crimes the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors committed last year by pushing the inter-Korean relations to the lowest ebb out of its hideous crimes perpetrated over the last four years since its seizure of power.
According to it, the group totally denied the DPRK's proposal for inter-Korean dialogue.
On Jan. 5 last year the government, political parties and organizations of the DPRK in a joint statement proposed to the south Korean authorities, political parties and organizations to hold wide-ranging dialogue and negotiations.
The puppet authorities, however, groundlessly spoke ill of the DPRK's proposal for dialogue from the outset, saying "there is no sincerity in it and it is no more than tactics of the united front."
Moreover, they flatly turned down the proposal for dialogue by putting up the "dismantlement of nuclear program" and solution to the "Cheonan" warship case and the Yonphyong issue and other unreasonable issues as preconditions.
They went the lengths of turning their faces away from dialogue, impudently decrying even the authority of their dialogue partner.
After being compelled to appear at the preliminary military talks, they persistently insisted on the solution to the warship sinking case and Yonphyong Island incident, deliberately creating complexity. They did not hesitate to commit such reckless act as unilaterally walking out of the venue of the talks.
The Lee group derailed not only Red Cross talks and contacts between the north and the south for solving humanitarian issues but NGO dialogue.
As a result, all cooperation projects between the north and the south were suspended, leaving many non-governmental businesses in south Korea bankrupt or forcing them to stop their operations. The south Koreans who eked out their living through cooperation projects were put on the crossroads of life and death.
The Lee group made abortive the joint national events slated to take place on the anniversaries of the publication of the historic inter-Korean declarations.
It prevented the Council for the Solution of the Issue of the Volunteers Corps from having communication with the north for discussing a joint declaration of women's organizations in the north and the south to be made public on the anniversary of the March First Popular Uprising. It also disallowed the visit of those concerned of the south side funeral committee to Kaesong to receive a message of condolence sent by the DPRK side on the death of Pak Yong Gil, widow of Rev. Mun Ik Hwan.
The crimes of Lee group are proved by the heinous moves to escalate confrontation with fellow countrymen and anti-DPRK smear campaign.
Last year alone, Lee visited the U.S. several times to beg for support to his confrontation policy and openly let loose such reckless remarks that his north policy would remain unchanged despite domestic and foreign criticism.
The group imposed a heavy penalty upon Rev. Han Sang Ryol on charge of violation of the "National Security Law" after keeping him behind bars for more than a year and suppressed the Youth and Students Solidarity for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration and other organizations in south Korea after labeling them as "enemy benefiting organizations".
The group of traitors disconnected more than 90 internet websites branding them as "pro-north ones" and deleted at least 80 000 notices and arrested all those concerned last year.
They kicked off anti-DPRK plots ceaselessly including spy-ring case and incident of assassination group, infusing confrontation atmosphere.
The Lee group's confrontation moves were at maximum late in December last year when the nation suffered the greatest loss.
No sooner had the sad news of the great loss to the nation been released than the group of puppets convened a "state security meeting" and "emergency state affairs meeting" and put Chongwadae and Administration, puppet army and police on "emergency alert guard and duty" leveling the gun at the fellow countrymen shedding tears in great grief. They dared foolishly try to break the single-minded unity of the DPRK talking about "taking counteraction by separating inhabitants from their leadership".
The south Korean authorities and the group of the "Grand National Party" desperately slandered and insulted pictures of the people in the north expressing condolences and totally banned the Pyongyang visits of south Korean opposition parties and organizations of different social standings. Even the south Korean puppet group brutally suppressed south Korean youths and students and civic organizations for expressing condolences in the incense-burning altars installed by themselves.
They let over 30 right-wing conservative organizations flock to the forefront areas along the military demarcation line to scatter anti-DPRK leaflets whose content was hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK and inciting disturbance on the day of bidding last farewell.
Another crime is that the group of traitors escalated the reckless confrontation and war moves.
Last year the group created the crisis of grave military clashes and seriously endangered the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the region.
It committed such unprecedentedly hideous provocations as daringly insulting the supreme leadership of the DPRK one after another last year.
All the facts show that the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors is the number one group of maniacs keen on confrontation and war, the white paper said, warning that the group will face only merciless punishment.
KPA Supreme Command Warns S. Korean Military Not to Act Rashly
Pyongyang, November 24 (KCNA) -- The Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army announced the following report on Thursday as regards the anti-DPRK war exercises launched by the south Korean military on five islands and their surrounding waters in the West Sea of Korea:
The puppet military warmongers of south Korea, keen in confrontation with fellow countrymen, kicked off large-scale anti-DPRK war rehearsal on the five islands and their surrounding waters in the West Sea of Korea at 13:00 Wednesday.
Involved in the rehearsal are the puppet Joint Chiefs of Staff, Command for Defense of Islands in Northwest Sea, Naval Force Operation Command, Air Force Operation Command and other commanding bodies, strike flying corps, fleets of warships, artillery units and other huge armed forces.
Some of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces present in south Korea took part in it.
The military warmongers dared to announce that the rehearsal is aimed to remind the DPRK of victims and lesson from the Yonphyong Island Shelling and review their "perfect readiness for counteraction." It is also intended to show their will to decisively punish "not only the base of provocation but also commanding posts of all echelons including supporters in the north" with the combined forces of three services in case the DPRK starts a military action, they asserted.
As for last year's Yonphyong Island shelling, it was a legitimate self-defensive step against the provocateurs who dared to make a clumsy fire on the inviolable territorial waters of the DPRK despite its army's advance warning.
This being a hard reality, they launched the anti-DPRK war rehearsal far from drawing due lesson on the first anniversary of the shelling. It is little short of a new political and military provocation to the army and people of the DPRK.
Such disgusting behavior by the military warmongers, who go recklessly without knowing about the present trend of situation and their domestic condition, will arouse criticism and ridicules from among the people at home and abroad.
They should not forget the lesson taught by the Yonphyong Island Shelling one year ago.
They should be mindful that If they dare to impair the dignity of the DPRK again and fire one bullet or shell toward its inviolable territorial waters, sky and land, the deluge of fire on Yonphyong Island will lead to that in Chongwadae and the sea of fire in Chongwadae to the deluge of fire sweeping away the stronghold of the group of traitors.
The DPRK revolutionary armed forces are in full readiness to go into a decisive battle to counter any military provocation.
30th Yun I Sang Concert Opens
Pyongyang, September 27 (KCNA) -- The 30th Yun I Sang Concert opened.
Its premiere was given in the Yun I Sang Concert Hall Wednesday.
Among the audience were Minister of Culture An Tong Chun, Vice Director of the Yun I Sang Music Institute Hong Song Hwa, officials concerned, creators and artistes of national art troupes, teachers and students in the field of art education.
Widow of Yun and his daughter, overseas Koreans staying in the socialist homeland also enjoyed the premiere.
The orchestra of the institute and a German flutist put on the stage colorful numbers including orchestral music "Don't Advance, Night of Pyongyang", fur kammer ensemble "Piece Concertante" and symphonic poem "Engel in Flammen".
The concert will be given till Sept. 29.
Japan's Claim to Tok Islets Has No Validity
Pyongyang, August 9 (KCNA) -- Japan, in the latest "Defense White Paper", asserts that Korea's Tok Islets belong to its territory.
From the legal point of view, it is clear to everyone that Japan's claim to the islets is groundless.
In the prime minister's Decree No. 24 and Finance Ministry's Order No. 4 issued in 1951, Japan proclaimed that Tok Islets are excluded from the country's islands. When they were revised in 1960 and 1968, Japan left this passage unchanged.
The facts show that the Japanese government actually recognized the legal status of Tok Islets as territory of Korea as mentioned in international documents, and codified it.
Viewed from international law, the islets are the legitimate territory of Korea. It has been evidenced by many historical records that when Korea discovered the islets, they remained ownerless.
After being formally embraced by Silla in 512, the islets have been governed by the successive governments of Korea.
The Korean feudal government issued the king's Ordinance No. 41 in October 1900 to proclaim that Tok Islets are part of the Korean territory and informed foreign legations in the country of the ordinance.
At that time Japan, the United States, Britain, China, Russia and all other countries did not raise objection to the ordinance.
After the end of the Second World War, the Tokyo-based supreme command of the allied powers was a legitimate body, viewed from international law, so all documents adopted by it had the same force as international law at that time.
The command issued Order No. 677 in January 1946 stipulating that Ullung, Tok and Jeju islands are excluded from the Japanese territory.
In another Order No. 1033 issued in June 1946, the command did not allow Japanese vessels and their crew to approach near Tok Islets.
In an agreement on old Japan's territory, the allied nations decided to transfer the sovereignty over the Korean peninsula and its neighboring islands to Korea and stipulated the islands include Jeju, Komun, Ullung and Tok.
Japan's moves to seize Tok Islets are criminal acts and a violation of the fourth paragraph of the second article of the UN charter prohibiting infringement upon other countries' inviolability of territory.
Japan should feel responsible for the violation of international law.
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KCNA Blasts Japan's Claim to Tok Islets
Pyongyang, August 5 (KCNA) -- The Japan Defence Ministry published a white paper in which the Tok Islets are described as part of Japan's territory at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
This is a wanton violation of the dignity and sovereignty of the Korean nation.
The islets are part of the inviolable territory of Korea as they have been ruled by Koreans throughout their long history after they came into their possession.
This fact has been clearly proved not only by state documents of Korea and its historical data but by historical materials of Japan. In January of 1696 the Edo Government of Japan recognized the fact that Ullung Island and Tok Islets belonged to Korea and issued an instruction banning Japanese' entry into waters off Ullung Island. On March 20, 1877 Tomomi Iwakura of the Taiseikan, the then supreme mechanism of the Japanese government, issued an instruction to the Ministry of Home Affairs informing it that the above-said island and islets had nothing to do with Japan. These facts also go to prove that Tok Islets have not been part of the territory of Japan from a historical viewpoint.
Explicitly speaking, the islets are not the territory to be disputed because of ambiguous ownership.
Nevertheless, the Japanese reactionaries are persistently claiming that they are part of the territory of Japan. This once again clearly proves that they are the impudent guys who stoop to any infamy to realize their ambition for territorial expansion.
Clear is the aim sought by them in raising a claim to the islets so persistently and shamelessly. They seek to deliberately build up public opinion supportive of their claim and internationalize the issue in a bid to spark the territorial dispute and create conditions and environment for staging a comeback to Korea.
Japan openly described the islets as its territory not only in its diplomatic blue paper but in history textbooks, maps and other books for the education of young Japanese which have been distributed inside and outside it. Not content with this, It let dozens of Japanese shift their domicile of origin to the islets this year. Those who claim to be Dietmen attempted to visit Ullung Island. All these are part of their moves.
Japan's claim to Tok Islets is aimed to convince its people that the islets are part of its territory in a bid to prepare them to be ready for a future war for territorial expansion, ie aggression of Korea. It is nothing but a crafty artifice to float story about Japan's dominion over the islets in the international community and legalize and justify its moves for grabbing the islets.
Japan is making far-fetched assertion that the inviolable territory of other country belongs to its territory. This is a reckless act which can be committed only by the Japanese reactionaries steeped in the wild ambition for overseas expansion to the marrow of their bones.
Neither concession nor compromise is allowed over a territorial issue.
The army and people of the DPRK will never tolerate any moves of Japan to grab the islets.
There can never be Japan's dominion over the islets.
KCNA Commentary Accuses Japan of Its Territorial Ambition
Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- Japan is running wilder to realize its ambition for territorial expansion.
It will reportedly hold an exhibition titled "Japan's Sea-Islets to be defended" in downtown Tokyo.
Similar exhibitions aimed to assert Japan's territorial claim to Tok Islets had been held within Shimane Prefecture before. This time Japan is set to hold it in Tokyo, openly displaying the diorama of the islets, their map and the paper permitting Japanese to tour them, moves betraying its wild territorial ambition.
What should not be overlooked is that Japan does not hide the purpose of the exhibition, saying it is aimed to implant the territorial ambition into the Japanese.
Recently the Japanese reactionaries kicked up a row, "protesting" against a south Korean passenger plane's test flight over Tok Islets. They banned Japanese officials' use of the plane and are mulling the Liberal Democratic Party assemblymen's visit to Ullung Island. These are interpreted as the moves to realize their territorial ambition.
By grabbing the islets the Japanese reactionaries seek to use them for staging a comeback to Korea and other Asian countries and monopolizing economic interests including aquatic and seabed resources abundant in waters off the islets.
It is for this purpose that Japan is imbuing its citizens and young people with the ambition to seize Tok Islets. The said exhibition is aimed to serve the same purpose.
The Japanese reactionaries' moves to grab the islets, inalienable parts of Korea's territory from historical, geographical and international legal points of view, are a wanton violation of the sovereignty of Korea and they can never be tolerated under any circumstances.
Japan's disclosure of its ambition for territorial aggrandizement at a time when it is troubled with complicated domestic situation will only reveal its true colors as inveterate aggressor.
Japan had better drop its territorial claim, not forgetting the bitter lesson of defeat drawn from its past history of aggression.
Lee Myung Bak Group Can Never Evade Responsibility for Bringing Inter-Korean Relations to Collapse: Spokesman for NDC
Pyongyang, June 1 (KCNA) -- The Lee Myung Bak group of traitors on May 19 let a guy claiming to be a spokesman for Chongwadae spread rumor that the "true intention" reflected in Lee's "Berlin proposal" was conveyed to the DPRK side at a secret contact made between the north and the south of Korea in Beijing recently. A spokesman for the DPRK National Defence Commission Wednesday gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA as regards this:
The above-said group is master hands at fabrications as they cook up lies and deny what they have done and hooligans who renege on the promises made to the nation like a pair of old shoes.
This is clearly evidenced by the "Cheonan" sinking case and Yonphyong Island shelling case.
It is a sheer lie that at the Beijing secret contact the south side briefed the DPRK side on the "real intention" reflected in the "Berlin proposal" made by traitor Lee.
Now that the Lee group let the spokesman for Chongwadae open to public the above-mentioned secret contact first on the basis of fabrications and is busy floating nonsensical stories, the DPRK side has no option but to clarify it as it happened.
Finding it hard to evade the responsibility for having driven the inter-Korean relations to catastrophe, the Lee group was aware that the crisis in the closing period of its rule might further deepen due to the situation. Hence, entering April the group made repeated requests to "hold a secret contact for the 'summit talks,' saying it would no more talk about 'Cheonan' warship sinking case and Yonphyong Island shelling case."
And it made poor excuses that what matters is that Lee's "policy towards the north" is "misunderstood" by the north and the south, in fact, stands for the improvement of the north-south relations.
Kim Chon Sik, chief of the policy room of the puppet ministry of unification, Hong Chang Hwa, director of the intelligence service, and Kim Thae Hyo, senior presidential secretary for foreign strategy of secretariat of Chongwadae, and others came out to the venue of the secret contact that started on May 9. They, however, began playing jugglery to wrest apology from the DPRK side, asserting that the above-said cases were "mountains to be crossed with wisdom" for the improvement of the south-north relations. This was a breach of the promise made to the DPRK side earlier.
When it declared that it was preposterous to say the word "apology" over the cases with which it had nothing to do and just measures for self-defence, they asked it to put forth "a compromise proposal" to be declared before the world, the proposal which cannot be interpreted as apology, when viewed by the north side but as apology when viewed by the south side. They implored the north to "make a little concession".
When the DPRK side told them to go back to Seoul at once, saying it is not necessary to discuss the issue of the summit talks in which unreasonable "apology" raised as a pre-condition, they tried hard to keep the contact going on at any cost, saying that it would not be long before Lee Myung Bak's tenure of office would end, the present authorities are hard pressed for time and it is more favorable to push forward the inter-Korean relations by joining hands with the conservative forces, in stead of doing so with the progressive forces.
Noting that a program for all events for the opening of the "summit talks" has already been worked out, they said that depending on the settlement of the issues of the two cases, they expected to open ministerial talks for the "summit talks" late in May to announce agreed points, hold the first round of the "summit talks”± in Panmunjom late in June, the second one in Pyongyang two months later and the third round of the "summit talks" during the summit for nuclear security slated to take place in March next year. They earnestly begged the DPRK side to take this embarrassing situation into consideration.
When the DPRK side clarified its steadfast stand that such summit talks cannot take place as long as the south side insists on the hostile policy towards the DPRK, persistently claiming that the north should "dismantle its nukes first" and calling for "an apology" for the two cases, they asked it to express at least "regret" at the two cases, proposed meeting in Malaysia again to conclude the discussion of this issue and urged it to rapidly push forward the arrangements for opening the "summit talks". They went the lengths of showing off enveloped money to lure someone but suffered shame.
The puppet group asked the DPRK side to keep secret what was said at the secret contact, saying the situation in south Korea is complicated unlike that in the north and if that is known to the south, it will entail adverse consequences. They repeatedly asked the north side to keep secret the accounts of the contact as nobody knows about this except Hyon In Thaek, minister of Unification, the director of the intelligence service and the presidential secretary-general who looked after the secret contact at the personal instruction of "President" Lee and those sent to Beijing for the contact.
It was these guys who first opened to the public the misrepresented accounts of the secret Beijing contact in an attempt to propagandize the "justice" of the "Berlin proposal."
This is the whole story about the secret contact that the spokesman for Chongwadae claimed the real intention reflected in the proposal was conveyed to the north before and after May 19.
Had the Lee group have the true intention to improve the north-south relations, it should not have let loose such reckless remarks as what it called "Berlin proposal" and refrained from perpetrating such perfidy as opening to the public the misrepresented accounts of the secret contact.
All facts glaringly show what desperate efforts the Lee is making to shirk the responsibility for having driven the north-south relations to collapse in the closing period of its rule.
For all his desperate efforts the traitor cannot evade the responsibility for the crimes committed against the nation and reunification for three years in power.
The DPRK will make every possible effort to ensure peace, reunification and stability on the Korean Peninsula but it will no longer deal with the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors which meanly behaves, uttering incoherent words to achieve its sinister political aim.
Rodong Sinmun Blasts US for Talking about "Nuclear and Missile Threat" from DPRK
Pyongyang, April 29 (KCNA) -- The U.S. keeps talking about "nuclear and missile threat" and "danger of provocation" from the DPRK and crying out for strong counter-measures.
Rodong Sinmun Friday observes in a bylined commentary in this regard:
"The ballistic missile and nuclear threat" touted by the United States is nothing but sophism to justify its exercises for a war against the DPRK and scheme to step up its arms buildup.
Lurking behind this is a sinister intention of the U.S. bellicose forces to bring the situation of the Korean Peninsula to an extreme phase.
If brass hats of the U.S. military had wished to convince the participants in U.S. congressional hearings of who is to chiefly blame for this threat, they should have clarified, to begin with, whom the huge forces in south Korea, the Pacific and the U.S. mainland targeted against and what they were after, the commentary notes, and goes on:
The U.S. is the arch criminal perpetrating provocations and posing threats to the peninsula.
It is entirely just for the DPRK to bolster up its war deterrent to cope with the tense situation prevailing on the peninsula where a war may break out any moment due to the U.S. imperialists.
The DPRK's capability for self-defence is not for threatening anyone. Whoever does not intend to provoke the DPRK needs not to worry about it.
The U.S. warlike forces would be well advised to properly know who their rival is and drop their reckless war scenario against the DPRK, away from their anachronistic Cold War-minded way of thinking.
Protest Letter to Minister of Unification and President of Red Cross of South Korea
Pyongyang, March 9 (KCNA) -- The family members of 31 inhabitants detained by the south Korean authorities sent a letter of protest Wednesday to the minister of "Unification" and the president of Red Cross of south Korea.
The following is the full text of the letter:
We are the family members of the 31 inhabitants who have been detained by the south Korean side since they went adrift due to bad weather after going to the waters of West Sea to gather shellfish on February 5.
Our mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters left their houses with smiles on their faces after making a promise to come back soon as usual. So we were greatly surprised to hear the news that they went adrift to south Korea unexpectedly and were detained there.
We have eagerly waited for the south Korean authorities to send them back soon on the principle of noble Red Cross humanitarianism. But they have not yet returned home though a month has passed since then.
Nobody believes the south Korean authorities”Ē assertion that four of them expressed the "will to defect."
All of them grew up in happiness under the care of the DPRK. They are hard-working people, making sincere efforts with affection for their families.
No one knows about this better than us kinsmen.
They went adrift after going out to the sea with no other aim but to gather shellfish.
The south Korean authorities had also recognized this and made it public.
Nevertheless, the south Korean authorities have held them in custody for nearly a month and are not willing to send four of them back under the pretext that they expressed the "will to defect". We think this is totally unfair.
All of us who are close neighbors and comrades fully vouch for the above-said four persons as we shared will and feelings with their family members.
We do not wish to become "separated families", a product of tragic national division.
It is a very unjust and resentful thing hard to image that parents should be forced to separate from their children and husbands from their wives in peacetime, not in wartime.
It is nonsensical for them to come back via Panmunjom far away from their hometown after discarding their serviceable ship though they may come back soon by ship.
We lodge a strong protest with the south Korean authorities against this unfair attitude and urge them to enable the 31 members of our families to come back as early as possible along the sea route taken by their ship.
We, at the same time, expect that you will not block the face-to-face meeting of the four persons with their families and allow the former to come out for it.
It is our belief that neither confirmation by a third person nor any video can recognize the said persons”Ē will and only a direct meeting with them will make all the facts clear.
We once again strongly demand the south Korean authorities unconditionally and immediately send all the 31 detained inhabitants back home where their families are waiting for them, if they have elementary conscience, compatriotism and humanitarian spirit.
KCNA Urges Japan to Behave Itself
Pyongyang, January 11 (KCNA) -- A diplomatic document declassified by the Japanese Foreign Ministry recently disclosed the fact that Sato, prime minister in 1969, proposed the U.S. himself that Japan would provide a rear base to south Korea in "contingency" on the Korean Peninsula.
He said at the talks with the U.S. secretary of State at that time that "if there came a formal request from south Korea on this matter, it was his intention to let not only bases in Okinawa but those in other parts of Japan provide logistic support to south Korea."
This discloses the invariable scenario of the Japanese reactionaries for staging a comeback to Korea as it provided a glimpse into the successive Japanese rulers' wild ambitions to invade Korea.
In the 1950s when the U.S. imperialist aggression forces launched a brigandish war against the young DPRK Japan offered its territory as logistic and sortie bases for them.
Officers of the Imperial Japanese Army provided to the "UN Command" explanations and detailed maps not only on the military strongholds in the DPRK, harbors, factories, schools, hospitals but also on the type of every facility and voltage used there to help the U.S. forces in their military operations.
Japan was not recovered from the aftermath of its defeat in the war but spared no human and material assistance to the U.S. imperialists during their aggression against the DPRK.
Japan, having such precedent, is keen to launch reinvasion in the new century under the U.S. war umbrella in a sinister bid to fish in troubled waters.
This is evidenced by the following fact: Japan is contemplating revising the "Japan-U.S. Defence Cooperation Guidelines" to hurl its "Self-Defence Forces" into the Korean front in "contingency" on the Korean Peninsula under the motto of "closer alliance" with the U.S.
In case the U.S. ignites another Korean war, Japan is set to take part in it as a force of aggression.
Japan had better draw a lesson from its history and behave itself.