Kim Jong Il visits Kumsusan Memorial Palace

    Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il together with commanding officers of the KPA, visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace at this midnight to pay homage to President Kim Il Sung. Kim Jong Il entered the hall where the statue of the president stands.
    He was accompanied by Jo Myong Rok, first vice-chairman of the NDC of the DPRK and director of the General Political Department of the KPA, and Kim Yong Chun, chief of the general staff and Kim Il Chol, minister of the People's Armed Forces, who are vice-chairmen of the NDC and others and the staff members of the supreme command of the KPA.
    He together with commanding officers of the KPA paid high tribute to the statue of the president.
    Then he entered the hall where the president lies in state for perpetuity.
    He together with them paid homage to the president in the deepest reverence.

Congratulatory letter to Kim Jong Il

Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il received a congratulatory letter from the economic and commercial counselors' corps here on the occasion of the 90th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung. The letter was handed to an official concerned by Sergei Lyoushikin, trade counselor of the Russian embassy here who is the doyen of the corps, yesterday.

Gift and congratulatory letter to Kim Jong Il

Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il received a gift and a congratulatory letter from the British American Tobacco, Singapore, on the occasion of the 90th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung. The gift and the letter were handed to an official concerned by visiting Patrick O. Keeffe, general director of the British American Tobacco, Singapore, yesterday.

Gift to Kim Jong Il from Communist Party Of India

Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il was presented with a gift by H. S. Surjeet, general secretary of the central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on the occasion of the 90th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung. THe gift was handed to an official concerned by Suneet Chopra, member of the c.c., the Communist Party of India (marxist) who is a delegate of the party on a visit to the DPRK.

Greetings to Lao prime minister

    Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- Premier Hong Song Nam of the DPRK cabinet sent a message of greetings to his Lao counterpart Boungnang Vorachit.. The message extended warm congratulations to him upon his reappointment as prime minister of the government of Laos.
    In the belief that the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries would continue to consolidate and develop in the future, too, the message sincerely wished him great success in his responsible work for the modernization and industrialization of the country.
    DPRK foreign minister Paek Nam Sun also sent a message of greetings to Somsavath Lengsavath upon his reappointment as deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Laos.

Reception given by WPK Central Committee

    Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea gave a reception at the People's Palace of Culture yesterday in honor of the visiting political party delegations and delegates of different countries on the occasion of the 90th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung. Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the WPK Central Committee, in a speech said that Kim Il Sung who embarked upon the road of revolution in his early years founded the immortal Juche idea to clearly indicate the way of the struggle of the popular masses for independence and hewed out the era of independence through his great revolutionary practice.
    The WPK will in the future, too, further strengthen friendship and unity with all the progressive political parties of the world aspiring after independence and socialism against imperialism and make positive contributions to the common cause for the building of a new, independent and just world in the idea of independence, friendship and peace, he added.
    Then, followed speeches of Muhammad Zouher Mashariqa, vice-president of Syria and member of the national and regional leadership of the Baath Arab Socialist Party of Syria who is heading the delegation of the Baath Arab Socialist Party and the National Progressive Front of Syria, in a speech said that the friendly and cooperative relations between Syria and the DPRK provided by Hafez Al Assad and Kim Il Sung will further strengthen and develop by Bashar Al Assad and leader Kim Jong Il.
    Jorgen Petersen, chairman of the Danish Communist Party (M-L) who is heading a delegation of the party, in a speech said that Kim Il Sung devoted his all to the accomplishment of the human cause of independence and the socialist cause till the last moments of his life as a genuine internationalist.
    A art performance was given at the reception.

Floral basket to Kim Jong Il from Mongolian President

Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il received a floral basket from Mongolian President Natsagiin Bagabandi on the occasion of the 90th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung. The basket was handed to an official concerned by Janchivdorjyn Lombo, Mongolian Ambassador to the DPRK.

Kim Jong Il sends educational aid fund and stipends to children of Koreans in Japan

Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il sent educational aid fund and stipends worth 262,600,000 yen in the Japanese currency for the development of the democratic national education of the General Association of Korean residents in Japan. The educational aid fund and stipends sent by President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in the 148th installment for the children of Koreans in Japan totaled 44,866,563,000 yen in the Japanese currency.

Senior DPRK officials meet Russian guests

Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- Premier of the DPRK cabinet Hong Song Nam met and had a friendly talk with Vladimir Anatoliyevich Yakovlev, mayor of st. Petersburg of Russia, and his party who paid a courtesy call on him at the Mansudae Assembly Hall yesterday. Present there were Ri Kwang Gun, minister of Foreign Trade, Ryang Man Gil, chairman of the Pyongyang City People's Committee, Kung Sok Ung, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, officials concerned and Russian ambassador to the DPRK Andrei Gennadievich Karlov.
Meanwhile, Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, met and had a friendly talk with Anatoly Rakhayev, vice-minister of Cultural of Russia who is a Russian government culture delegate to the 20th April Spring Friendship Art Festival at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on the same day.

Kim Yong Nam meets Iranian delegation

    Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- President Kim Yong Nam of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK met and had a friendly talk with a delegation of the Iran-Korea Friendship Association led by Mohammad Fruzandeh, chairman of the Association and chairman of the Proletarian and Islamic Revolutionary Wounded Organization, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall yesterday. Present there were Ri Won Il, minister of labour who is also chairman of the Korea-iran Friendship Association, Choe Jong Hwan, vice-chairman of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and Jalaleddin Namini Mianji, Iranian ambassador to Korea.
    The head of the delegation said that President Kim Il Sung remains alive in the hearts of humankind. He was deeply moved to see the achievements made by the Korean people in the drive to defend the sovereignty of the country, he added.
    He wished the Korean people greater success in the building of a powerful nation, guided by Kim Jong Il.

Reception given in honour of Russian guests

    Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- The DPRK government hosted a reception at the Mansudae Assembly Hall yesterday in honor of the visiting mayor of st. Petersburg of Russia and his party. Present on invitation were mayor V. A. Yakovlev and his party and Russian ambassador to the DPRK Andrei Gennadievich Karlov and embassy officials.
    Hong Song Nam, premier of the DPRK cabinet, and officials concerned were on hand.
    Ryang Man Gil, chairman of the Pyongyang City People's Committee, in a speech said that the DPRK-Russia relations have entered a stage of the overall development under the close relations and deep care of the top leaders of the two countries. The DPRK, attaching importance to the relations with Russia with a long history and excellent traditions of cooperation, will in the future make positive efforts to multilaterally develop in depth the bilateral friendly and cooperative relations, he added.
    He sincerely wished that everything will continue going well in Russia, a neighboring country of the DPRK, and st. Petersburg will achieve greater success in its work in particular.
    The mayor, speaking at the reception, said that the meetings of Russian President Vladimir Putin and chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission Kim Jong Il, the top leaders of the two countries, laid a solid foundation for the strengthening and development of the Russia-DPRK relations and opened the wide prospect for the mutual visits and contacts of delegations of various levels.
    Through the current visit we will strive to increase cooperation in all fields including foreign trade and economy with Korean partners, he said, warmly congratulating the Korean friends on the Day of the Sun.

Tower of Juche Idea

    Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- Twenty years have passed since the Tower of the Juche Idea, a symbol of Korea, was built. The tower was unveiled on April 15, Juche 71 (1982), the 70th birthday of President Kim Il Sung, to hand down to posterity the immortal Juche idea fathered by him.
    The tower with a plottage of over 300,000 square meters is located on the bank of the River Taedong opposite to Kim Il Sung Square in the heart of Pyongyang.
    It is 170 meters high and composed of pedestal, body and torch.
    On the front and rear of the tower body are the golden letters "Juche" and on top of it is the torch in the shape of burning flame.
    The front of the pedestal is inscribed with a dedicated poem "may the Juche idea shine all over the world". Its arch-shaped wall on the rear is decorated with choice stone pieces of different colors and patterns sent by heads of state, political and public personages, adherents to the Juche idea and others in various countries.
    In front of the tower there is a trio sculptural group of worker, peasant and intellectual as its main theme and on the right and left of it are six subsidiary sculptural groups of different types as sub-themes.
    Two large fountains which can send up 150-meters-high jets of water are seen in the midstream of the Taedong River flowing in front of the tower.
    The tower serves as a monumental edifice of the present times in terms of content and form.
    It has been visited by a total of 1.7 million people in the last two decades, among them a total of 334,000 overseas compatriots and foreigners.

Kimilsungia-kimjongilia exhibition and 4th kimilsungia show open

    Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- The kimilsungia-kimjongilia exhibition and the 4th kimilsungia show were opened to the public in Pyongyang with due ceremony yesterday. The exhibition with a total floor space of over 12,000 square meters, has been built on the bank of Taedong River on a peculiar style and modern basis to host national and international flower shows.
    Displayed at the 4th kimilsungia show hall are over 5.500 kimilsungias and kimjongilias and other species of beautiful flowers cultivated by working people from all walks of life, servicemen and school youth and children.
    There are also kimilsungias from different countries and foreign embassies here.
    Present at the ceremony were Kim Yong Nam, Jo Myong Rok, Hong Song Nam and other senior party and state officials and officials concerned.
    Overseas compatriots on a visit to the socialist homeland on the occasion of the Day of the Sun including the delegation of Koreans in Japan, the delegation of the joint secretariat of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification, the delegation of the General Association of Korean Residents in China and the delegation of Koreans in the United States, and foreign delegations staying in the DPRK to participate in the show were also present.
    Invited to the ceremony were the ambassador and staff members of the Indonesian embassy here and foreigners.
    Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Jong Ha Chol made an opening address at the ceremony, which was followed by a congratulatory speech of vice-minister of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia Sri Hastanto.
    Then the participants looked round the show hall.

"Arirang" performance held

    Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- The mass gymnastic and artistic performance "Arirang" involving 100.000 people was held at the May Day Stadium on April 14 to commemorate the 90th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung. The stadium was decorated with ornaments describing kimilsungias and kimjongilias, letters "90th anniversary" and various electronic display instruments.
    Seeing the performance were Kim Yong Nam, Hong Song Nam and other senior party and state officials, leading officials of the party, armed forces and power organs, ministries, national institutions and public organizations, former Unconverted Long-Term Prisoners who are called pro-reunification patriots, servicemen of the Korean People's Army and working people in Pyongyang.
    Also seeing it were the delegation of Koreans in Japan and delegations of Koreans in different regions and overseas compatriots staying here to commemorate the 90th birth anniversary of the president.
    Present on invitation were foreign political party delegations and delegates, delegations and delegates of the Juche idea study organizations and friendly organizations from different countries, delegates of international organizations, diplomatic envoys and embassy officials here and foreigners.
    The letters "immortality" with kimilsungia and "glory" and congratulation" with kimjongilia appeared on the background, firecrackers fizzled, the bright sun rose and sea of dances rolled in on the floor of the stadium.
    The mass gymnastic and artistic performance "Arirang," a monumental masterpiece of the 21st century, consists of various acts including "Arirang", "Arirang nation", "army-based Arirang", "Arirang rainbow" and "Arirang for reunification".
    At the end of the performance, firecrackers burst forth again and seas of dances and flowers rolled in.

Foreigners hold colorful functions at Kumsusan Memorial Palace

    Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- Representatives of organizations for friendship and solidarity with the Korean people in different countries and of international organizations staying in the DPRK visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace where President Kim Il Sung lies in state for perpetuity yesterday on the occasion of the Day of the Sun. The guests paid their deep respects to the president in reverence for him.
    And they looked round with deep emotion orders and medals he received from various countries and came into the mourning hall that makes them look back upon the days when the Koreans and the world progressives had writhed in deep grief over his demise.
    Then they met in front of the portrait of the president with beaming smile in his face to express their resolution.
    At the meeting, speeches were made by Masagazu Yokobori, secretary general of the Japan-Korea society for scientific and educational interchange, Humberto Ortiz Flores, manager of the Voluntad Publishing House of Ecuador, and Vassilka Nikiforova, chief of the "Kim Il Sung Library" in Bulgaria.
    A resolution was red out there.
    The resolution noted that they would remember and praise the precious life and exploits of the president century by century and make every possible effort to build an independent and peaceful, new world, free from domination, subordination, aggression and war, under the banner of the great juche idea fathered by him.
    It also declared they would hold in high esteem leader Kim Jong Il who is identical to Kim Il Sung, as the sun of the 21st century and do their utmost to defend and embody his idea and leadership.
    After the meeting, they looked round with keen interest the train and car the president used for his field guidance and foreign tour and in the last period of his life.
    They also had a commemorative tree planting at the arboretum around the palace. They handed to an official concerned saplings from Friendship and Solidarity Organizations in different countries.

Greetings to Lao President

Pyongyang, April 15 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a congratulatory message to Khamtay Siphandone on April 12 on his election as Lao President at the first session of the fifth Lao People's National Assembly. Kim, in the message, expressed belief that the traditional friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries would continue to strengthen and develop in the common interests of the two peoples and the socialist cause and sincerely wished him good health and happiness and greater success in his work for the prosperity of the country.