Rise or Bend-Rodong Simun commentary on the satellite launch

Rise or Bend

Our earth satellite, the 2nd version of Kwangmyongsong-3, soared into the space on the 12th of this month.

"Why have you launched an earth satellite again?" asked some people.

In our opinion it is something out of question. Manufacture and launching of a satellite is a right due any country. But we think we have to give an answer to the question as we are in a peculiar situation, now.

We have two roads lying before us -- One is to live in dignity exercising our due rights and the other is to live in servility begging for other's help and fawning on others.

Road of independence or road of dependence? Which of the two shall we take?

Pak Kwang Il, dean of physical faculty of the Kim Il Sung University answers, "So far as they live our people won't deflect from the way of independence. The satellite launching has evinced Korea's faith in independence; it's a demonstration of our strength."

Why have we taken this road, having to stand hunger? Because we had once been forced to come the road of submission, tasting to the dregs all bitters and misery.

We think it necessary to remind you of what happened to the promised delivery of two light water reactors, each with a capacity of 1 million kW, to us by the US by 2003 according to DPRK-U.S. Agreed Framework reached in October 1994 at the expense of freezing our nuclear power facilities which we had been developing independently. But the US remained very passive in carrying out its duty. Shortly after the agreement, we froze our nuclear power facilities was about to finish the work for safe preservation of waste fuel. In the meantime the U.S. was dragging its feet on various pretexts, threatening that it would defer the supply of promised fund and repeal the agreements. The light water reactors have not been sent to us till now.

Money in other's pocket is not worth a slice of bread in our pocket.

We know no country would make a satellite or launch it for us any time we want it, and should any one do it for us, they would compel us to kneel down before them. This is the truth told by the story of above-mentioned two light water reactors.

Jong Yong Hw