Pyongyang Kim Won Gyun Conservatory has reproduced this opera of Russia, which was put on the stage in 1958, as required by the new century.

Kim Jong Il highly praised the teachers and students of the conservatory for having produced the good opera of high artistry with the innovative eye of the new century and creative way and work style dating back to the 1970s, and gave thanks to them.

It is a great success that young students of the conservatory have smoothly carried out the difficult task for reproducing a foreign classical opera by fully displaying their artistic skills as high as the professionals', he said, expressing great satisfaction over the fact that the Juche art has been given steady continuity.

Noting that "Evgeni Onegin", a classical opera of Russia, is still of realistic significance, he stressed the need to make a large number of people to come including youths watch the opera.

He said that the Korean people, who are dynamically advancing toward the world with high national pride and honor of having such world-famous cultural assets as the five revolutionary operas and being members of a soon-to-be-built great prosperous and powerful nation, should get better understanding of the world culture. Then he advanced the important tasks that would serve as guidelines in further developing the Juche art.

The audience included Kim Yong Chun, vice-chairman of the NDC and minister of the People's Armed Forces, Kim Jong Gak, member of the NDC and first deputy director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, and other commanding officers of the army, Secretaries Choe Thae Bok and Kim Ki Nam, Department Directors Kim Kyong Hui, Jang Song Thaek and Kim Yang Gon and other leading officials of the WPK Central Committee and Kang Sok Ju, first vice-minister of Foreign Affairs.

Among them were also Valery Sukhinin, Russian ambassador to the DPRK, and diplomats of his embassy.