Ten top news of 2001

The editorial bureau of the radio " the Voice of National Salvation" selected ten top news of the year 2001.

The bureau has complied ten events happened in the inter-Korean relations and domestic affairs.

The following is ten top news of 2001.

1. The great leader Kim Jong Il sent a wreath to the bier of the late Jeung Ju-young.

The great leader Kim Jong Il sent a wreath to the bier of the late Jeung Ju-young, former honorary chairman of the Hyundai Business Group on March 24, expressing his deep condolences over his death.

A mourners' delegation headed by Song Ho-gyeong, vice-chairman of the north Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee laid the wreath before the bier of the deceased.

The head of the delegation conveyed Kim Jong Il's verbal message to the bereaved family.

Members of the bereaved family were moved by the fact that leader Kim Jong Il sent a message of condolence and dispatched the mourners' delegation and asked the head of the delegation to convey their deep thanks to him.

The paternal affection of Kim Jong Il for Jeung Ju-young became a great motive force to inspire all the businessmen in south Korea to make positive efforts for inter-Korean reconciliation, cooperation and reunification and let them keenly feel that Marshal Kim Jong Il is indeed the great father of the nation and sun of reunification.

2. The great leader Kim Jong Il saw a recital of Kim Yon-ja.

The great leader Kim Jong Il saw a recital of Kim Yon-ja who was invited to the April Spring Friendship Art Festival, in Hamhung city, South Hamgyeong Province on April 11and gave a floral basket after the performance.

He received Kim and her suit and hosted a reception that day.

He asked her to come Pyongyang whenever she wants.

The benevolence he bestowed to Kim deeply moved the south Korean artistes and people of different strata and put them in high admiration for Kim Jong Il.

3. Convocations of meetings of south and north Korean workers and peasants.

The May Day meeting of south and north Korean workers was held in Mt. Geumgang, in which they renewed their resolve to promote independent reunification of the country under the banner of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration.

Present there were the delegations of the Federation of Korea Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions of south Korea and the north Korean General Federation of Trade Unions, more than 1,000 in all. The participants vowed to implement the joint declaration.

And the south and north Korean peasants held a meeting for implementation of the joint declaration at Mt. Geumgang on July 18 and 19.

The convocation of reunification festivals by the south and north Korean workers and peasants were the first-ever events after the country's division remarkable in the nation's history. This shows that workers and peasants become the main force of reunification movement.

4. Arrangement of the grand seminar on national reunification.

A grand seminar on national reunification was held at Mt. Geumgang on June 15 to mark the first anniversary of the publication of the joint declaration.

Representatives of political parties and organizations of south and north Korea and overseas Koreans took part in the seminar for the first time after the country's division. The participants vowed to solve reunification problems independently through the concerted efforts of the nation under the banner of the joint declaration.

The grand seminar became a moment to inspire the nation's will and aspiration for independent reunification.

5. The August 15 grand national ceremony for reunification in Pyongyang.

The 2001 grand national festival for reunification was held in Pyongyang on August 15 and 16 on the Liberation Day of the new century with participation of representatives of different political parties and organizations of south and north Korea and overseas Koreans.

In south Korea alone, over 220 political parties and organizations sent their delegations or delegates to the festival held in Pyongyang.

The participants unanimously hardened their resolve to hasten reunification through more energetic struggle under the banner of the joint declaration, advocating the principle of national independence.

But the south Korean government detained some members of the delegation for the writings they left on a visitors' book at Mangyongdae, the birthplace of President Kim Il Sung, in an attempt to dampened the reunification fever of the nation, thus arousing criticism of the nation.

The August 15 grand national festival for reunification was a meeting of national reconciliation and unity which demonstrated the firm will of our nation for reunification. It was also a grand national meeting remarkable in history.

6. Exchange of the third home-visiting groups of separated families and relatives between south and north Korea.

The home town visits of separated families and relatives from south and north Korea were exchanged between Feb. 26 and 28.

They met with their family members and relatives in Seoul and Pyongyang and exchanged greetings.

Family members and relatives of south Korea were very much surprised at the fact that their kinsmen who defected to the north became leading officials, scientists and writers.

And those who defected to the south were deeply moved in Pyongyang by the fact that their family members and relatives have lived happily, suffering no discrimination.

Members of the home-visiting groups and their family members and relatives expressed thanks to Kim Jong Il who provided them with the chance of meeting again and highly praised his benevolent politics.

7. Holding of the 5th inter-Korean ministerial talks and deadlock of the 6th talks.

At the 5th inter-Korean ministerial talks held in Seoul between Sep. 15 and 18 south and north Korea agreed on various problems including development of dialogue and cooperation and exchange of the fourth visiting groups of separated families and relatives.

But the south side issued an emergency alert order and aggravated the situation under the pretext of the September 11 terrorist attack in the United States and committed anti-national acts contrary to the spirit of the joint declaration. So the exchange of the visiting groups of separated families and relatives and implementation of other items agreed at the 5th inter-Korean ministerial talks were halted.

The 6th ministerial talks for implementation of the items agreed at the 5th talks were held at Mt. Geumgang on Nov. 9. But the talks were deadlocked because the south side turned down a draft agreed at the working-level contacts and left the venue unilaterally to deadlock the talks.

The inter-Korean dialogue was deadlocked and the situation tensed due to the anti-north Korea moves of the south Korean government pursuing Washington's hard-line policy toward the north.

Facts show who want reconciliation, cooperation, unity and reunification and who oppose them.

8. A large-scale national rally of south Koreans of all walks of life.

A large national rally was held at the Jongmyo Park, Seoul on December 2 under the slogans of "no opening of the rice market", "no neo-liberalistic business restructuring", "achievement of the people's rights to live and peace" and "opposition to the United States". The rally was sponsored by the national solidarity for democracy and rights of the people to live.

Present there were more than 30,000 workers, peasants, paupers and students from Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungcheong and Jeju Provinces and Youngnam and Homan areas.

The participants shouted that the people who have suffered pains by the anti-people and ant-democratic forces can achieve rights to live and independent and peaceful reunification of the country when they unite. They said that the United States is the ringleader of misfortunes and sufferings south Korean people underwent.

The rally demonstrated the firm will of the people to terminate the US colonial rule over south Korea, remove the anti-democratic and anti-reunification forces, achieve democracy and civil rights and hasten reunification.

9. Struggle against the missile defense system of the United States.

About 40 civic organizations including the National Alliance for Democracy and Reunification and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions formed a joint measure committee against the US missile defense system and for peace on April 9. They held rallies and demonstrations in front of the Yongsan Garrison and in downtown Seoul to express their opposition to the missile defense system, test of interceptor missiles, south Korea visit by the US Secretary of State, increase of expenses for the US military presence in south Korea and dispatch of south Korean troops to Afghanistan. The participants demanded return of the US military bases in this land.

Over 400 members of the joint measure committee held a rally on July 27, criticizing US Secretary of State Powel's visit to south Korea. The National Alliance for Democracy and Reunification issued a statement that day, opposing the south Korea visit by the state secretary of the United States, the worst country of gangsters that promotes the project of missile defense system.

The anti-US struggle that has been strenuously conducted this year dealt a great blow to the hard-line policy of the Bush administration toward north Korea and its war provocation.

10. Struggle against Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to south Korea.

Political parties and organizations including the South Headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification, the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils, the KCTU, the FKTU and the Democratic Labor Party held anti-Japanese rallies, burnt Japanese flags and staged demonstrations across south Korea, strongly rejecting Koizumi's visit.

The participants criticized Japan's distortion of history textbooks, Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine and Japan's rehabilitation of militarism and pressed Tokyo to make apology and compensation for its past colonial rule over Korea.

For fear of powerful anti-Japanese struggle of the people, Koizumi canceled a program of visiting the National Assembly and hurriedly flew back to his country.

He visited this land to calm down the anti-Japanese feelings of the people and ease strained south Korea-Japan relations but was chased out of this land.