Gift to Kim Jong Il from Swiss government
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il was presented with a gift by the government of the Swiss Confederation.
The gift was handed to DPRK foreign minister Paek Nam Sun by Franz Von Daeniken, secretary of state of the federal department of foreign affairs of Switzerland, on a visit to the DPRK.
Russian ensemble gives performance
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- The state academy ensemble of the Ministry of Interior of Russia which came here to participate in the 19th April Spring Friendship Art Festival gave a performance at the Ponghwa Art Theatre on Monday before the opening of the festival.
The ensemble is made up of talented artistes including people's artistes and merited artistes. It raised the curtain with "Song of General Kim Il Sung."
Performers put on the stage choruses and dances and Korean songs full of dynamism and emotion.
They were enthusiastically applauded by the audience for singing well "Song of General Kim Jong Il."
Seeing the performance were Kim Yong Sin, vice-chairman of the festival organizing committee, officials concerned, working people in the city, Russian charge d'affaires ad interim Oleg Dabydov, embassy officials and diplomatic envoys and embassy officials of different countries here.
Floral basket to DPRK embassy from Norodom Sihanouk
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- Cambodian king Norodom Sihanouk sent a floral basket to the DPRK embassy in Phnom Penh on the occasion of Sun's Day, President Kim Il Sung's birth anniversary.
Upon the authorization of the king, a delegation of the royal ministry led by deputy prime minister Kong Sam Ol on Apr. 6 visited the embassy, laid a large floral basket before portraits of Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il and paid tribute to them.
Written on a ribbon hanging from the basket were words "we pray for an eternal life of his excellency generalissimo Kim Il Sung, President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea".
The deputy prime minister said that the king prayed for an eternal life of Kim Il Sung and sincerely hoped that Kim Jong Il would enjoy a long life in good health to wisely lead the Korean people and achieve greater success.
Mongolian art troupe gives performance
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- The Mongolian art troupe, which came here to participate in the 19th April Spring Friendship Art Festival, gave its performance in Pyongyang yesterday prior to the opening of the festival.
It was appreciated by Choe Yun Sik, vice-chairman of the Pyongyang City People's Committee who is vice-chairman of the organizing committee of the festival, officials concerned, Gunsengiin Erdembat, charge d'affaires ad interim of the Mongolian embassy here, members of the Mongolian government cultural delegation and other Mongolian guests.
The art troupe is made up of famous artistes including international concours winners, people's artistes and merited artistes.
The audience was deeply impressed to hear them to sing Korean songs such as chorus and dance "Long live generalissimo Kim Il Sung" and tenor "General on Running White Horse".
Their program also included national dances, male solo and a five-person dance vividly depicting the national custom and tradition of the Mongolian people.
10-day film show opens
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- A 10-day film show opened to commemorate Sun's Day.
In this period, films showing the brilliant revolutionary life and immortal exploits of President Kim Il Sung will be screened in different parts of the country.
Among them are documentary films "Our People's Honour of Holding the Great Leader in High Esteem" and "Leader is the Great Father of Our People" and feature films "Star of Korea", "The Sun of the Nation," etc.
Other documentary films will show the greatness of leader Kim Jong Il who is brilliantly putting into practice the noble intention of the president and the Korean people vigorously advancing under the leadership of Kim Jong Il.
Present at a national opening ceremony held in Pyongyang yesterday were department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Jong Ha Chol, minister of culture Kang Nung Su and others.
Stone craftsmanship
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- Korea boasts of a long history of stonework. various kinds of decorative stone beads were major items in the palaeolithic era, but stonework developed in a diversified way to satisfy the needs of people in the middle age.
The public at the time took a fancy for such stone items as oven, stove, pan, kettle, plate, pipkin for preparing medical decoctions, ink slab, grinder, brush box, cigarette box, make-up box and cup, all of which were made of granite, marble, agalmatolite, crystal and so on.
Ink slab was typical of stone pieces in the modern times.
The contemporary masons apply metal-coating and inlaying techniques to develop the craftsmanship onto a new higher level. Ophiolite, agalmatolite, and marble are major materials.
They are now devoting their talent and energy to produce elaborate stone artifacts.
A one-metre-high stone "bird cage" produced by masons in the mansudae art studio is an epitome of their high skills.
U.S. conditional dialogue refuted
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary assails the present U.S. administration's stand towards dialogue with the DPRK.
Official figures of the bush administration, while talking about the issue of the DPRK's "conventional weapons reduction," are going to impose dialogue upon the DPRK, putting up such pre-conditions as "verification."
Even a man who worked as the director for foreign policy planning of the U.S. state department during the Clinton administration criticized the Bush administration, terming its intention not to "negotiate" with North Korea unless "the issue of verification in North Korea" is settled and North Korea expresses its will to cut down conventional weapons a "very irresponsible attitude."
Dismissing the Bush administration's talk about conditional dialogue as unreasonable, the commentary goes on:
Their putting up such preconditions as "verification" can not be construed otherwise than the disclosure of their intention to push the DPRK-U.S. relations to confrontation.
The Bush administration's policy to stifle the DPRK is getting pronounced as the days go by. The DPRK, therefore, can never allow the administration to put up such pre-conditions. Raising such pre-conditions is, in essence, aimed to totally disarm the DPRK. No pre-conditions are acceptable.
It is foolish, indeed, for the administration to think it can impose such pre-condition upon the DPRK.
The DPRK is not interested in such conditional dialogue.
The U.S. authorities are well advised to clearly understand this and take a proper approach towards the DPRK.
Dental material research institute set up
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- A dental material research institute has been set up at the general dental hospital under the DPRK Ministry of Public Health.
The institute will study scientific and technological matters to produce various dental materials for the best dental treatment of people.
It boasts of a tooth setting and form laboratory, artificial tooth laboratory, plastic material laboratory, chemical material laboratory, metal material laboratory and physical chemistry laboratory.
Supply departments for production have been established. An experimental factory will be built in future.
The institute is staffed by teachers and postgraduates of Kim Il Sung University, Kim Chaek University of Technology and Pyongyang University of Medicine.
They are studying modern dental facilities and dental materials and technology. At the same time, they are pushing forward their research work to raise plastic teeth, dental rubber, plaster work and other products up to international standard.
Foreign delegations and artistes here
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- Delegations, delegates and artistes from different countries and overseas Korean artistes arrived here to participate in the 19th April Spring Friendship Art Festival.
The foreign delegations and delegates included government cultural delegations from China, Vietnam, Mongolia, Syria and Tajikistan, a Hong Kong, China, cultural delegation, delegations of the Chinese Wuhan International Acrobatics Festival Organizing Committee and the Chinese Wuqiao International Acrobatics Festival Organizing Committee, a delegation of the UNESCO, and cultural delegates from Indonesia and Cambodia.
Also arriving were the Chinese art troupe and acrobatic troupe, the state academy ensemble of the Ministry of Interior of Russia, a Russian acrobatic troupe, a troupe of Russian famous actors and actresses, a Romanian art troupe, a Mongolian art troupe, a troupe of Mongolian famous actors and actresses, a Mongolian acrobatic troupe, a Syrian soloist, a Cuban art troupe, a Kazakh art troupe, a Kazakh acrobat, an Argentinian artist, an Italian art troupe, an Indonesian art troupe, an art troupe of the Japan-Korea Society for Musical and Artistic Interchange, a Nepalese art troupe, a troupe of German players, a German musicians group, a Malaysian musical company, a Moldovan musical company, a U.S. friendship musical company, a Mexican traditional musical company, a Bulgarian musicians' group, a Belarussian art troupe, a Swedish acrobats' group, a Slovak folk musical company, a Singaporean dancers' group, a Cambodian soloist, a Cambodian acrobat, a French art troupe, a French magicians' group, a Finnish acrobats group, an Armenian musical company, an Azerbaijani musical company, an Austrian musicians' group, an Uzbek art troupe, an Ukrainian art troupe, the Guruh Sukarno art troupe of Indonesia, an Indian dancers' group, a Spanish art troupe, a Vietnamese musicians' group, a Cuban acrobat, a Tajik musical company, a Polish acrobats' group, an art troupe of Koreans in Japan, an art troupe of Koreans in China, an art troupe of the International United Confederation of Koreans, an art troupe of Koreans in the U.S. and South Korean singer Kim Ryon Ja in Japan and her party.
Delegations from Yanbian of China, Mongolia, Nepal, Moldova and the International United Confederation of Koreans and a Russian delegate arrived here to participate in the fourth aesthetic symposium on the present times and national art.
19th April Art Festival opens
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- The 19th April Spring Friendship Art Festival opened at the 6,000-seat theatre of the April 25 House of Culture today.
Pyongyang, a venue of the festival, is wrapped in festive mood and streets are beautifully decorated.
The festival has been held every year with the attendance of foreign artistes since Juche 71 (1982) to commemorate Sun's Day, the birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung.
Present at the opening ceremony were premier of the cabinet Hong Song Nam, vice-president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Yang Hyong Sop, other senior officials and working people and artistes in the city.
Also present were foreign government cultural delegations and delegates, foreign and overseas Korean artistes, foreign diplomatic envoys and embassy officials, foreign guests and overseas Koreans.
Jang Chol, chairman of the festival organizing committee, in his opening speech said that the participants in the festival would adorn the first Sun's Day of the new century more significantly with their national music, artistic and acrobatic pieces, artistic pieces reflecting their reverence for Kim Il Sung in particular.
Hong Song Nam, premier of the cabinet, in his congratulatory address said that those who had participated in the preceding April Spring Friendship Art Festivals fully proved the validity and vitality of the idea of independence, peace and friendship and tended the flower garden of culture and art, thus greatly contributing to the development of human culture in the 20th century.
He called on the world progressive artistes who value justice and peace to fully meet the need of the times and follow the trend of history in which humankind wishes to live and develop free from all forms of domination and subjugation.
The DPRK government will consistently pursue its foreign policy based on independence, peace and friendship to meet the requirements of the new century and develop friendly and cultural relations with all countries which are friendly toward the DPRK on the principle of equality and mutual benefit, he added.
Then followed the speeches of Chang Keren, vice-minister of culture of China who is heading the Chinese government cultural delegation, Viktor Eliseev who is heading the state academy ensembly of the Ministry of Interior of Russia and Alberto Joya who is heading a Cuban art troupe.
Korean artistes gave a performance at the end of the ceremony.
Prior to the ceremony, the participants marched along the route from the arch of triumph to the April 25 House of Culture, receiving a warm welcome from many working people and school youth and children.
Credentials to Kim Yong Nam
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, received credentials from Esteban Lobaina Romero, new Cuban ambassador e.p. to the DPRK, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
Kung Sok Ung, vice-minister of foreign affairs, was present.
After receiving the credentials, Kim had a talk with the ambassador.
Czechoslovak Communist Party delegation here
Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the Czechoslovak Communist Party headed by Miroslav Stepan, general secretary of its central committee, arrived in Pyongyang today by air to commemorate Sun's Day, the birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung.