Letter-carrying relay groups make for capital
Pyongyang, December 26 (KCNA) -- Loyal letter-carrying relay groups are leaving for Pyongyang to celebrate the 55th birthday of the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il.
Meetings for sending off the groups took place in Hoeryong in the northern tip of Korea, the heroic height 1211, Rajin and lake Samji.
Included in the groups are heroes of the Republic, labour heroes, unassuming men of meritorious service, labour innovators, officials of meritorious service in different fields and soldiers of the people's army loyal to the great leader President Kim Il Sung and the respected general Kim Jong Il.
The people, youth and schoolchildren across the country and soldiers are greeting and sending off the groups.
The groups will arrive in Pyongyang on the February holiday.
Gifts to comrade Kim Jong Il from Cuba
Pyongyang, December 26 (KCNA) -- The great leader comrade Kim Jong Il received gifts from comrade Fidel Castro Ruz, first secretary of the central committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, president of the council of state and president of the council of ministers of Cuba, and comrade Raul Castro Ruz, minister of the revolutionary armed forces of Cuba, on the occasion of the New Year.
The director of the protocol department of the Cuban Foreign Ministry on authorization conveyed them to the DPRK ambassador to Cuba on Dec. 19.
Birthday table to Indonesian
Pyongyang, December 26 (KCNA) -- The great leader comrade Kim Jong Il sent a 60th-birthday table to an Indonesian Gatot Wilotikto who works at Kim Chaek University of Technology as researcher.
It was handed to him by secretary Choe Thae Bok of the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea on Dec. 25.
Living in the DPRK over the past 36 years, he has greatly contributed to the development of the national economy and science and technology of the DPRK by successfully making researches into valuable scientific problems.
He has received the degree of doctor of engineering and a high state decoration and become a well-known scientist in academic circles.
He is an adherent and propagandist of the Juche idea and has contributed to the development of friendly relations between Korea and Indonesia.
A foreigner as he is, he lives without any worries and his sons and daughter graduated from universities and work as medical workers in Korea.
Photo exhibition and film show on 38th anniversary of victory of Cuban revolution
Pyongyang, December 26 (KCNA) -- A photo exhibition and a film show were held Wednesday at the People's Palace of Culture under the cosponsorship of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and the Korea-Cuba Solidarity Committee on the occasion of the 38th anniversary of the victory of the Cuban revolution.
Invited there were Jose Ramon Rodriguez Varona, Cuban amabssador to the DPRK, and his embassy officials.
Ri Jin Su, vice-chairman of the central committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea and vice-chairman of the Korea-Cuba Solidarity Committee, and officials concerned were present there together with people in Pyongyang.
The participants first looked around photos showing achievements of the Cuban people in the defence of the socialist gains and the revolution and construction under the leadership of the party and government of Cuba after the victory of the revolution.
They then saw a Cuban documentary film and a Korean feature film.
Letter-carrying relay groups make for capital
Pyongyang, December 26 (KCNA) -- Loyal letter-carrying relay groups are leaving for Pyongyang to celebrate the 55th birthday of the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il.
Meetings for sending off the groups took place in Hoeryong in the northern tip of Korea, the heroic Height 1211, Rajin and lake Samji.
Included in the groups are heroes of the Republic, labour heroes, unassuming men of meritorious service, labour innovators, officials of meritorious service in different fields and soldiers of the people's army loyal to the great leader President Kim Il Sung and the respected general Kim Jong Il.
The people, youth and schoolchildren across the country and soldiers are greeting and sending off the groups.
The groups will arrive in Pyongyang on the February holiday.
Kilembe branch of Uganda-DPRK Friendship Association formed
Pyongyang, December 26 (KCNA) -- An inaugural ceremony for forming the Kilembe branch of the Uganda-DPRK Friendship Association took place on December 18 on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the election of the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il as supreme commander of the Korean People's Army.
Y. Ngarama, who was elected the chairman of the branch at the ceremony, said in his speech:
"The building of a casting workshop is progressing apace in Uganda in accordance with his excellency Kim Il Sung's plan of south-south cooperation.
"We could have a better understanding of the invincible unity and organisation of the Korean people under the wise leadership of his excellency Kim Jong Il, seeing the devoted efforts of Korean technicians.
"We will repay the deep solicitude of his excellency Kim Jong Il for the Ugandan people by completing the casting workshop at an early date. We actively support the Korean people in their struggle for socialist construction and the reunification of the country and strive for the strengthening of friendship and unity between the two peoples."
A letter to comrade Kim Jong Il was adopted at the ceremony.
Government officials visit new residential quarter
Pyongyang, December 26 (KCNA) -- Workers of the Kangdong Precision Machine Plant in the outskirt of the capital city of Pyongyang built, in a short period, a modernly-equipped 130-odd-family village in a peculiar architectural style on a sloppy hillside by highly displaying the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance.
The village has been called "Unjong village".
The great leader comrade Kim Jong Il visited the village December 15 and highly praised the plant's workers for splendidly building the unique-shaped dwelling houses on their own efforts, and urged the provinces, cities, counties, factories, enterprises and co-op farms throughout the country to actively follow their example.
Kim Yong Nam, Hong Song Nam and other senior officials and officials of the commissions and ministries of the administration council and central institutions visited the "Unjong village".
The officials heard down-to-earth explanations about achievements and experience scored by the plant's working class in improving the standard of the material and cultural life of the employees on their own efforts and about the design and construction method of the hive-shaped cement walls filled with clay.
They saw round exhibits of building materials and fittings of more than a hundred kinds, which were made by the workers of the plant.
Then, they went round the village.
DPRK-Russia agreement on cultural cooperation signed
Pyongyang, December 26 (KCNA) -- An agreement on cultural cooperation between the governments of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Russia was signed in Pyongyang today.
It was signed by vice-chairman Kim Ryong Su of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and Russian ambassador to Korea Yalery Denisov.
Greetings to defence minister of Viet Nam
Pyongyang, December 26 (KCNA) -- Choe Kwang, minister of the People's Armed Forces, sent a message of greetings to Doan Khue, minister of National Defence of Viet Nam, on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Army of Viet Nam.
The message expressed the belief that the relations between the armies of the two countries will be developed on good terms by joint efforts and wished him greater success in his work for increasing the nation's defence capacity.