ID :
38477
Thu, 01/01/2009 - 21:53
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/38477
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea criticizes S. Korea, mum on leader`s health rumor
BEIJING, Jan. 1 Kyodo -
North Korea on Thursday criticized South Korea's leadership for its hard-line
policy toward the country, but struck a notably less confrontational tone with
the United States in a New Year's Day editorial of the official press.
The annual editorial also made no mention of international speculation that
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has suffered a health setback, saying only that
he gave field guidance numerous times during 2008 and that the country is
politically stable.
Run annually since 1995, the New Year's Day editorial maps out the country's
policy for the year in areas such as diplomacy, the economy and defense. It is
published by three newspapers including the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the
Workers' Party of Korea.
''The national reunification movement which had been advancing vigorously ...
faced a grave challenge due to the advent of the conservative authorities in
south Korea last year,'' said the editorial carried by the Korean Central News
Agency.
Relations between the two Koreas have chilled dramatically since South Korean
President Lee Myung Bak's conservative government took office last February.
The South Korean ruling forces ''are hell-bent on inter-Korean confrontation,''
the editorial said.
While joint editorials in recent years have complained of a ''hostile policy''
taken against North Korea by the United States or security threats from what
Pyongyang considers its main rival, this year's piece was notable for the
absence of such remarks.
The editorial, which was issued about three weeks before the inauguration of
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, also did not mention the country's struggle
with ''imperialist forces,'' which is sometimes used to refer to its rivalry
with the United States.
The editorial also did not discuss the country's relations with Japan, as it
has not done for over 10 years.
''Our Party and government, under the ideal of independence, peace and
friendship, will develop relations with the countries friendly towards us,''
the editorial said in one of the few references to the country's foreign
policy.
The editorial said the country is pursuing the denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula, in a move believed to signal that Pyongyang is still committed to
the six-party process for ending North Korea's nuclear programs.
''The independent foreign policy of our Republic to denuclearize the Korean
Peninsula and defend peace and security ... is demonstrating its validity more
fully,'' it said.
The editorial said that in 2008, Kim led the country's ''efforts to build a
powerful nation, by giving full scope to his inexhaustible energy.''
He underwent a ''ceaseless'' series of ''on-the-spot guidance to the army units
and many parts of the country,'' it said.
Speculation that Kim suffered a health setback intensified after he stayed away
from a major celebration in September marking the 60th anniversary of the
nation.
While that also spurred talk about possible succession scenarios, the editorial
said, ''In the present world no other country is more politically stable than
our Republic.''
The editorial also noted economic difficulties in the country, including its
food shortage.
''To relieve scarcity of food is a pressing problem,'' it said. ''We should
concentrate all efforts on hitting this year's target of grain production.''
North Korea's chronic food shortage has suffered further blows in recent years
due to floods and other natural disasters.
==Kyodo
North Korea on Thursday criticized South Korea's leadership for its hard-line
policy toward the country, but struck a notably less confrontational tone with
the United States in a New Year's Day editorial of the official press.
The annual editorial also made no mention of international speculation that
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has suffered a health setback, saying only that
he gave field guidance numerous times during 2008 and that the country is
politically stable.
Run annually since 1995, the New Year's Day editorial maps out the country's
policy for the year in areas such as diplomacy, the economy and defense. It is
published by three newspapers including the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the
Workers' Party of Korea.
''The national reunification movement which had been advancing vigorously ...
faced a grave challenge due to the advent of the conservative authorities in
south Korea last year,'' said the editorial carried by the Korean Central News
Agency.
Relations between the two Koreas have chilled dramatically since South Korean
President Lee Myung Bak's conservative government took office last February.
The South Korean ruling forces ''are hell-bent on inter-Korean confrontation,''
the editorial said.
While joint editorials in recent years have complained of a ''hostile policy''
taken against North Korea by the United States or security threats from what
Pyongyang considers its main rival, this year's piece was notable for the
absence of such remarks.
The editorial, which was issued about three weeks before the inauguration of
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, also did not mention the country's struggle
with ''imperialist forces,'' which is sometimes used to refer to its rivalry
with the United States.
The editorial also did not discuss the country's relations with Japan, as it
has not done for over 10 years.
''Our Party and government, under the ideal of independence, peace and
friendship, will develop relations with the countries friendly towards us,''
the editorial said in one of the few references to the country's foreign
policy.
The editorial said the country is pursuing the denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula, in a move believed to signal that Pyongyang is still committed to
the six-party process for ending North Korea's nuclear programs.
''The independent foreign policy of our Republic to denuclearize the Korean
Peninsula and defend peace and security ... is demonstrating its validity more
fully,'' it said.
The editorial said that in 2008, Kim led the country's ''efforts to build a
powerful nation, by giving full scope to his inexhaustible energy.''
He underwent a ''ceaseless'' series of ''on-the-spot guidance to the army units
and many parts of the country,'' it said.
Speculation that Kim suffered a health setback intensified after he stayed away
from a major celebration in September marking the 60th anniversary of the
nation.
While that also spurred talk about possible succession scenarios, the editorial
said, ''In the present world no other country is more politically stable than
our Republic.''
The editorial also noted economic difficulties in the country, including its
food shortage.
''To relieve scarcity of food is a pressing problem,'' it said. ''We should
concentrate all efforts on hitting this year's target of grain production.''
North Korea's chronic food shortage has suffered further blows in recent years
due to floods and other natural disasters.
==Kyodo