Dismissing the Japanese imperialists' occupation of Korea as totally illegal, they urged the Japanese authorities to honestly repent of Japan's crime-woven past and make an apology and compensation for its crimes committed against the Korea n people. On display in the exhibition hall are at least 1,000 data on the Japanese imperialists' illegal occupation of Korea and the criminal colonial rule enforced by them. Jong Chang Gyu, director of the history institute of the academy of social sciences, in an inaugural speech called on the people and historians in the north and the south to always heighten vigilance against the Japanese reactionaries' wrong attitude, roundly expose and denounce their past crimes and wage a nationwide joint struggle for Japan's apology and compensation. Ri Jong Hak, director of the Saun Institute of South Korea, in his speech said that the Japanese imperialists are responsible for the misfortune and sufferings the Korean nation is now undergoing. Ri Song Mu, chairman of the South Korean Committee for Editing the National History, in his speech called on the historians in the south and north to study, discuss and cooperate with each other to set right all the distorted aspects of the history of the Japanese imperialists' aggression of Korea.
Today is the tree-planting day.
Rodong Sinmun today carries news of achievements in planting trees with patriotic feelings to cover the country with thick verdure and Minju Joson an editorial calling upon the masses to turn out in the spring tree-planting movement. Minju Joson in the editorial underscores the need to plant many trees in order to beautify the landscape of the country, develop the economy and improve people's living standard, noting that forests are the precious treasure for the prosperity of the country and happiness of the generations to come. The U.S. imperialists committed more than 160 cases of aerial espionage against the DPRK in February, according to a military source. Strategic and tactical reconnaissance planes, command planes and electronic warfare helicopters with different missions made shuttle flights from their bases in South Korea and overseas over the forefront and western coastal areas to spy on major targets in the area of the north's side along the Military Demarcation Line. The ministry of land and environment protection plans to plant hundreds of millions of trees in the period from march to may, taking the country as a whole.