Present there on invitation were Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Pak Ui Chun, minister of Foreign Affairs, Kim Yong Jin, minister of Education, Mun Jae Chol, acting chairman of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and officials concerned.

Staff members of the Cuban embassy were on hand.

The Cuban ambassador, addressing the reception, said that Kim Jong Il is adding luster to the dignity and might of the country by leading the Korean revolution to victory.

The DPRK is growing stronger day by day as it has the strength of the great single-minded unity, he said, stressing that all the achievements made in the DPRK are the fruition of the wise leadership of Kim Jong Il.

Choe Thae Bok in his reply said that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries provided by President Kim Il Sung and Fidel Castro Ruz have been cemented under the deep care of Kim Jong Il and Raul Castro Ruz.

The DPRK will work hard to boost the friendly and cooperative relations with the fraternal Cuban people in the future, too, he added.