DPRK PEOPLE CELEBRATE LUNAR NEW YEAR'S DAY

Pyongyang, January 31 (KCNA) -- The people in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea celebrate the Lunar New Year's Day with beautiful dreams, great ambitions, confidence of future and optimism.

Streets of Pyongyang and local cities and all other parts of the country are bedecked with flags of the Republic, festive boards with letters "Lunar New Year Juche 103" and large-sized electronic displays featuring children make a New Year's bow.

Many people have visited from early morning statues of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il to pay tribute to them. Schoolchildren play diverse folk games, including rope-skipping, shuttlecock and kite-flying at squares and parks in Pyongyang and local areas, including Kim Il Sung Square, plaza of the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium and Hamhung Square.

Song and dance performances and acrobatic pieces are presented at the Pyongyang Grand Theatre, Moranbong Theatre, Pyongyang Circus Theater, among others.  Leisure complexes in various places, including Munsu Water Park, Mirim Riding Club, People's Open-air Ice Rink and RungnaDolphinarium are crowded with people and cheerful laughter is heard from every family.

Every family has prepared rice-cake soup, mung-bean pancake, etc. as dishes for the day. Restaurants are busy serving guests with traditional food and dishes prepared with specialties. Stands along streets are also busy serving different kinds of foodstuffs, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Fireworks were displayed in the skies above Pyongyang and provincial capitals in celebration of the day.

KIM JONG UN VISITS BABY HOME, ORPHANAGE IN PYONGYANG

Pyongyang, February 4 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, visited the baby home and orphanage in Pyongyang.

The first leg of his visit was the orphanage.

When he entered an amusement room of the orphanage, lovely children engrossed in cheerful playing vied with each other to come to his arms. He gently patted children on the cheeks for a while in his arms. He kindly asked them how old they were and if they had any trouble.

The children, touched by the parental love and affection which they had longed for even in dreams, sang before him the song "Thank You, Marshal Kim Jong Un".

Saying that they have nothing to desire more in the world as he provided them with nice dresses in every season and sent them even confectionery, fishes, fruits and honey and they eagerly waited for him, they loudly called him "father!" Going round different places of the orphanage, he acquainted himself in detail with the conditions for upbringing and education and living environment.

The next leg of his visit was the baby home.

At the baby room he, seeing with a smile on his face the sleeping babies, asked when they were born. Watching children playing in the playing room, he let them speak and happily smiled at them.

When seeing triplets, he let them sit on his knees. He recalled that President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il were very pleased whenever they were told about the birth of triplets, saying it was a good sign of prosperity of the country. At the kitchen, he learned about what was served to the children. He was satisfied to know that the children at the baby home were well fed for their growth like those at the orphanage in the light of the science of nutrition.

He said that the children are the king of the country, adding that he would make sure that the children would be provided with 300 grams of fishes per day from this year. He called for supplying not only meat and fish but nutritious dried persimmons to baby homes and orphanages on a regular basis.

Orphans long for affection more than others, he said, stressing the need to bring them up to be clever and upright as their parents failed to do so and let them stoutly grow free from the sorrow of being orphans so that they may be dependable pillars of the country.  Kim Jong Un gave instructions valuable for improving the work of baby homes and orphanages.

Orphans are also successors to our revolution and pillars of the future, he said, stressing that it is the firm determination of our party to build up all baby homes and orphanages across the country at the same level as the revolutionary schools for the children of revolutionary martyrs. Sumptuous meal, warm cradle and excellent educational conditions and environment are a prerequisite to raising children well, he said, adding that the party will build baby home and orphanage of Pyongyang City on the picturesque bank of Taedong River.

Underlining the need to spruce up baby homes and orphanages in provinces and the municipalities, he called for setting an example and generalizing it. He expressed expectation and conviction that nurses and teachers of baby homes and orphanages would put forward children as king of the country and uphold generation after generation Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il's outlook on the rising generations as they showed loving care for children all their lives. Kim Jong Un was accompanied by Kim Phyong Hae, Ri Jae Il, Pak Thae Song, Hwang Pyong So and Ma Won Chun.

KIM JONG UN NOMINATED AS CANDIDATE FOR DEPUTY TO SPA

Pyongyang, February 4 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, supreme commander of the Korean People's Army and supreme leader of the Workers' Party of Korea and the people of the DPRK, was nominated as a candidate for deputy to the 13th Supreme People's Assembly in reflection of the unanimous desire and absolute trust of all the service personnel in him.

A meeting of electorate took place with splendor at Paektusan Constituency No. 111 Monday to nominate Kim Jong Un as a candidate for deputy to the 13th SPA.

Present there were Choe Ryong Hae, Ri Yong Gil, Jang Jong Nam and officials of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces and KPA service personnel.

Vice Marshal of the KPA Choe Ryong Hae, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK and director of the KPA General Political Bureau, made a report.

He said the path covered by the DPRK under the leadership of the Songun commander of Mt. Paektu is a sacred path in which it emerged victorious by dint of the spirit, pluck and gut of the supreme commander, and a gigantic path in which it created world-startling miracles and innovations.

Through their life experience the KPA service personnel keenly felt that the bright future of Songun Korea and the victory of building a thriving socialist nation, the lifelong desire and wish of the great Generalissimos, are guaranteed only when they follow the supreme commander.

He courteously proposed nominating Kim Jong Un as a candidate for deputy to the SPA of Paektusan Constituency No. 111 for the election of deputies to the 13th SPA carrying the unanimous desire and warm wishes of all the service personnel.

Ri Yong Gil, chief of the KPA General Staff, Jang Jong Nam, minister of the People's Armed Forces, and other speakers expressed full support and approval for the proposal for nominating Kim Jong Un as a candidate for deputy to the SPA.

The meeting solemnly declared that Kim Jong Un was nominated as a candidate for deputy to the SPA of Paektusan Constituency No. 111 for the election of deputies to the 13th SPA according to the unanimous desire and warm support and approval of all the electorate.

A letter to Kim Jong Un was adopted at the meeting.

KIM JONG IL’S EXPLOITS PERFORMED FOR THE CAUSE OF SOCIALISM

Chairman Kim Jong Il (1942-2011) of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea performed immortal exploits for the cause of socialism. The greatest of his exploits is that he staunchly defended the destiny of socialism. The campaign for defending socialism in the end of the 20th century was the grimmest struggle the human history has ever recorded.

Availing themselves of the collapse of socialism in several countries the imperialists made a fuss about the end of socialism itself. The imperialists and the renegades of socialism resorted to despicable smear campaigns against socialism to justify their argument on the end of socialism. And they directed the spearhead of their offensive to Korea that remained as a bulwark of socialism.

At this critical juncture Chairman Kim Jong Il clarified the scientific accuracy and truth of socialism and the inevitability of its victory through his energetic ideological and theoretical activities, dealing a resolute counterattack to the imperialists’ manoeuvres against socialism.

He published a series of works including The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party, Abuses of Socialism Are Intolerable and Socialism Is a Science so as to lay bare the absurdity of the slanders and abuses of the imperialists.

Thanks to his painstaking ideological and theoretical activities the scientific accuracy and truth of socialism could be clarified once again and the world progressive people were convinced of the justness of socialism and the inevitability of its victory. Chairman Kim Jong Il established and administered Songun politics in an all-round way in order to safeguard socialism in Korea against the general offensive of the imperialists.

He defined Songun-based revolutionary line and Songun politics as the strategic line and invincible political mode of socialism that should be held fast to as long as the imperialists exist and carry on aggressive manoeuvres. He smashed the imperialists’ moves to stifle Korea and defended the bulwark of socialism and the destiny of the country and nation in the period of the harshest trials on the strength of the Korean People’s Army and by giving top priority to the strengthening of the country’s military might.

Another major exploit of Chairman Kim Jong Il consists in having ushered in a new era of upsurge in the cause of socialism.

April 1992 saw the publication of the Pyongyang declaration titled Let Us Defend and Advance the Cause of Socialism that was signed by about 70 political parties of the world aspiring after socialism. It was a historical event that put the world socialist movement on a new track.

VOA commented that the Pyongyang declaration had proclaimed a new start of the international communist movement of the late 20th century and the 21st century; the bell to be rung in Pyongyang in future would unite the communists and greatly inspire them to revive the communist cause on a worldwide scale just as the sound of the bell from Kremlin had strong influence on communists.

Under the banner of the Pyongyang declaration the socialist cause could overcome temporary crisis and make a new advance and the world political trend took a sharp turn. Latin America, once called a quiet backyard of the US, seethed with the aspiration after socialism.

Encouraged by Korea’s Songun politics, anti-imperialist, independent countries and those aspiring after socialism are crushing the imperialists’ manoeuvres for domination and interference by giving precedence to military affairs.

The reality in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea that is mercilessly smashing all manners of challenges and threats of the imperialists and staunchly safeguarding the cause of socialism, is infusing confidence and courage into the world progressive people who are aspiring after socialism.

Chairman Kim Jong Il resolutely crushed the imperialists’ offensives against socialism holding aloft the banner of Songun and at the same time, energetically led the Korean people’s effort for building a thriving socialist country. Under his leadership Korea, even in such a difficult situation, continued to enforce the free medical care, free educational system and other socialist policies and built a number of monumental structures for the well-being of the people, thus bringing the desires of the people into full bloom.

The great achievements Chairman Kim Jong Il made for the cause of socialism are now carried forward by Kim Jong Un with credit. The immortal exploits Kim Jong Il performed for the cause of socialism will be etched forever in the hearts of the progressive peoples the world over.