Present there on invitation were Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, Pak Ui Chun, minister of Foreign Affairs, Choe Chang Sik, minister of Public Health who doubles as chairman of the Central Committee of the DPRK-China Friendship Association, and others and anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters and officials concerned.

The ambassador said in his speech that the Korean revolutionaries led by President Kim Il Sung recorded together with Chinese comrades a brilliant epic in the struggle against the Japanese aggressors.

He noted that General Secretary Kim Jong Il paid an unofficial visit to China at a time when the traditional Sino-Korean friendship is greeting a new phase after standing all tests of history.

The Chinese side together with the DPRK side will firmly protect and develop the Sino-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations and carry forward the blood-sealed deep friendship and thus bring welfare to the peoples of the two countries and positively contribute to preserving peace, stability and progress in the region, he stressed.

Pak Ui Chun said in his speech that President Kim Il Sung together with Chinese revolutionaries of the elder generation made long journeys of bloody anti-Japanese struggle, thus providing a brilliant history and excellent tradition of the DPRK-China friendship.

The historic China visit paid by lKim Jong Il again provided an occasion of demonstrating internally and externally that the friendly relations between the two countries are unbreakable even under the complicated situation and twists and turns as it was a landmark event of weighty significance in boosting the DPRK-China friendship, he noted.

We will as ever continue to make efforts with Chinese comrades to develop on a higher level the traditional DPRK-China friendly relations forged in the crucible of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle, he stressed.