North Korea criticizes Seoul's media, politicians

Pyongyang, Feb 4 : North Korea has slammed some South Korean conservative media and politicians for calling an upcoming military parade here as "provocation".

The official daily Rodong Sinmun on Saturday published a signed article on the military parade to be held on February 8 in Pyongyang, on the eve of the opening of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea, Xinhua news agency reported.

The article said that the event will mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army (KPA), and accused some South Korean conservative media and politicians of twisting facts and making irresponsible comments on their neighbour's important event.

"It is a unique idea of the Korean army and people to celebrate the founding date of the KPA and no one has the right to make irresponsible comments on it," it said.

North Korea used to celebrate the military founding day on April 25, which marked the founding of a guerrilla troop by Kim Il Sung in 1930s to fight the Japanese occupiers.

Less than two weeks ago, the nation declared that February 8 will be marked as the founding anniversary of the KPA and the "Army-Building Day," as North Korea's Founding President Kim Il Sung established the regular revolutionary armed forces on February 8, 1948.

In this regard, April 25 will be marked as the founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army.

North Korea and South Korea have agreed to cooperate in the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics to be held during February 9-25 in South Korea, which could bring about a detente on the Korean Peninsula.Russian military plane shot down in Syria
 (03:06)
Moscow, Feb 4 (IANS) A Russian pilot has been killed after his plane was shot down by militants in Syrian province of Idlib, the Russian Defence Ministry has said.

"A Russian Su-25 aircraft crashed during a flight over the Idlib de-escalation area," the ministry said in the statement on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The pilot died in a fight with the terrorists," the statement said, adding that preliminary information showed that the plane was downed by use of a man-portable anti-aircraft missile system.

"The Russian center for reconciliation of opposing sides in Syria and the Turkish side overseeing the Idlib de-escalation area are working to bring the Russian pilot's body home," it said.

The pilot had reported earlier that he ejected by parachute in the area, controlled by Nusra Front militants.