KCNA news links

• Even if I'm right about Kim Jong-il's China trip signaling an intention to impose Chinese-style reforms, the Dear Leader wants the country and especially the military to know that his songun (sŏn'gun, or "military first") policy is still firmly in place.

• The North Koreans have given back the fishermen "engaged in illegal fishing operation" who were intercepted on August 8. They were forgiven for the "intolerable infringement on the sovereignty of the DPRK" on the basis of "compatriotic and humanitarian points of view." The fishermen apologized for their transgression, of course, which shows again that (in cases involving "foreigners" at least) the North and South aren't so far apart.

• The "president of the State of Palestine" sent KJI a floral basket on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the DPRK. Lots of other leaders did, too, but none of them are heads-of-state of a state whose state as a state is usually not stated by other states.

• We've always been on the brink of war with Southkorea.