ID :
38862
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 09:53
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/38862
The shortlink copeid
N. Korean leader continues military tours in New Year
(ATTN: UPDATES lead, ADDS paras 2,3, 8-10 for Kim's New Year military visits first
since 1995, Seoul ministry spokesman quotes)
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has inspected an
artillery unit, the North's news agency said Monday, continuing military tours as
his first New Year activity in the first such move for more than a decade.
Kim has usually started New Years with visits to industrial sites or where his
father's embalmed body lies.
"It is the first time Kim has visited military units as his New Year activity
since 1995," Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun said.
The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the reclusive leader visited
unit 1489 under the Artillery Command of the Korean People's Army and watched
soldiers conduct firing training. Characteristic of North Korean reports on the
leader, no date was given.
The army "has grown to be the powerful revolutionary armed forces equipped with
all types modern offensive and defensive means," Kim was quoted by KCNA as
telling the unit.
On Friday, the KCNA reported Kim's first New Year activity in the Guard Seoul Ryu
Kyong Su Tank Division 105, a historic place which Kim also visited with his
father and then North Korean leader Kim Il-sung in 1960. North Korea considers
the tank division as the birthplace of Kim's military-first policy, called
"songun" in Korean that puts the military's combat ability and welfare above any
other issues.
In a joint New Year's editorial printed in the nation's newspapers last week,
North Korea renewed its call to prioritize the military. It also affirmed its
commitment to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and vowed to rebuild its frail
industrial infrastructure.
The Unification Ministry spokesman said, "North Korea is taking various follow-up
measures after the New Year joint editorial, but there is no unusual activity
yet."
The spokesman also called on Pyongyang to stop its intensifying mudslinging
against the South. In its New Year's message, Pyongyang called the Seoul
government the "fascist rule of the sycophantic and treacherous conservative
authorities." It refrained from issuing its usual anti-U.S. tirade.
"To make such crude slanderous attacks is a violation of inter-Korean agreements,
in which the two parties agreed to stop mutual propaganda and not to interfere in
each other's domestic politics. We urge North Korea to observe them," the
spokesman said.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
since 1995, Seoul ministry spokesman quotes)
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has inspected an
artillery unit, the North's news agency said Monday, continuing military tours as
his first New Year activity in the first such move for more than a decade.
Kim has usually started New Years with visits to industrial sites or where his
father's embalmed body lies.
"It is the first time Kim has visited military units as his New Year activity
since 1995," Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun said.
The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the reclusive leader visited
unit 1489 under the Artillery Command of the Korean People's Army and watched
soldiers conduct firing training. Characteristic of North Korean reports on the
leader, no date was given.
The army "has grown to be the powerful revolutionary armed forces equipped with
all types modern offensive and defensive means," Kim was quoted by KCNA as
telling the unit.
On Friday, the KCNA reported Kim's first New Year activity in the Guard Seoul Ryu
Kyong Su Tank Division 105, a historic place which Kim also visited with his
father and then North Korean leader Kim Il-sung in 1960. North Korea considers
the tank division as the birthplace of Kim's military-first policy, called
"songun" in Korean that puts the military's combat ability and welfare above any
other issues.
In a joint New Year's editorial printed in the nation's newspapers last week,
North Korea renewed its call to prioritize the military. It also affirmed its
commitment to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and vowed to rebuild its frail
industrial infrastructure.
The Unification Ministry spokesman said, "North Korea is taking various follow-up
measures after the New Year joint editorial, but there is no unusual activity
yet."
The spokesman also called on Pyongyang to stop its intensifying mudslinging
against the South. In its New Year's message, Pyongyang called the Seoul
government the "fascist rule of the sycophantic and treacherous conservative
authorities." It refrained from issuing its usual anti-U.S. tirade.
"To make such crude slanderous attacks is a violation of inter-Korean agreements,
in which the two parties agreed to stop mutual propaganda and not to interfere in
each other's domestic politics. We urge North Korea to observe them," the
spokesman said.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
