President Kim Il Sung, who paid importance to the training of foreign language experts in the building of a new country, founded a university of foreign studies, the first of its kind in the country, in November, Juche 38 (1949).

He provided all educational conditions to the university so that it could continue teaching without letup in the period of the hard-fought war, in the period of postwar rehabilitation and construction and in the period of the socialist construction. And he visited Pyongyang School of Foreign Languages under the university and had a souvenir photograph taken with its teaching staff and students.

True to the noble intention of the President, General Secretary Kim Jong Il saw to it that the university vigorously carries forward its proud history. He has given important teachings on several hundred occasions in the past and indicated in detail the orientation and contents of education of foreign languages and the management and operation of the university.

The university, which taught only one foreign language at the time of foundation, has developed into a comprehensive base for teaching foreign languages with four faculties, 46 departments and laboratories, a doctoral institute, simultaneous-interpretation institute, information centre, etc.

The university honored with "Order of Kim Il Sung" has produced more than 30 heroes and personnel with academic degrees or titles including professors and doctors over last six decades. Tens of thousands of its graduates have made a great contribution to the prosperity and development of the country in various fields.

It has also edited various kinds of grand and pocket dictionaries and books, rendering great services for developing foreign language education.

Students of the university and school finished first and were awarded with the best prizes and the first class diplomas in the 5th, 6th, 11th and 12th International Russian Olympic Contests of Students, in the 5th and 6th World Student Chinese Language Contests and the 1st World Chinese Contest of Middle School Students.