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Cabinet Officials on Line of Socialist Economic Construction in Songun Era

KCNA

    Pyongyang, December 25 (KCNA) -- Ro Tu Chol, vice-premier of the Cabinet, Ju Tong Il, minister of Electricity and Coal Industries, and Ri Ju O, minister of Light Industry, referred to the validity and vitality of the line of economic construction of the Workers' Party of Korea in the Songun era given full play this year, when interviewed by a KCNA reporter on the threshold of the hopeful New Year Juche 93 (2004). Ro Tu Chol said that by setting forth the line of economic construction in the Songun era the WPK provided a sure material guarantee for building a great prosperous powerful socialist nation and paved a broad way for demonstrating the dignity and might of the DPRK and making steady progress in the socialist economy to meet the desire and demand of the popular masses.
    This year the U.S. resorted to all sorts of vicious moves to force the DPRK to completely dismantle its nuclear deterrent force though it was built to cope with the U.S. threat, he noted.
    The DPRK, however, reacted to the U.S. ever-more pronounced nuclear threat and pressure with toughest counter-measures such as withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and lifting a ban on the nuclear freeze, he said, adding that these were possible thanks to the DPRK's national defence industry that has been reinforced to successfully manufacture modern offensive and defensive means, its own type military hardware of high performance and combat technical means, pursuant to the line of economic construction in the Songun era.
    The DPRK government, proceeding from the stand to meet the fundamental interests of the revolution, increased this year its defence spending 0.5 percent over last year so as to actively develop the national defence industry though it was hard pressed for everything, he added.
    Ju Tong Il referred to the fact that the DPRK government channeled big efforts into the heavy industry, the key foundation of national defence industry, this year and markedly increased investment in the fuel and power industrial fields over the last year to find a decisive solution to those problems.
    Ri Ju O pointed out that the line of economic construction in the Songun era calls for developing light industry and agriculture simultaneously while giving priority to the development of the national defence industry and thus significantly improve the people's living standard.
    Pursuant to the WPK's new line of economic construction this year the DPRK government made a 12.4 percent bigger investment in the light industry than last year, thus registering great achievements, he said, adding:
    This proves that the line of economic construction in the Songun era is, indeed, the most just one as it makes it possible to most successfully solve the problem of building national defence and economic construction and improving the people's living standard simultaneously.
    The Cabinet officials also noted that it is the need of the new line to push ahead with the economic construction by the Songun political mode.
    They stressed it is beyond doubt that a new surge and a great change will take place in the socialist economic construction only when the army and the people unite as one in thinking and fighting traits and work and fight in a revolutionary and militant manner, true to the WPK's Songun leadership as evidenced by the Songun era.
    Clear is the way the DPRK should follow no matter how desperately the imperialists may try to slander the socialist economic system in the DPRK, they said, contending that it is the only way of building a great prosperous powerful nation to thoroughly implement the line of economic construction in the Songun era whose validity and vitality are fully proven in practice.