The 4th issue of the Russian paper Poditiya carried an article titled "The DPRK relying on self-reliance", which noted that the President advanced the idea of giving full play to the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance at the dawn of the Korean revolution and had thoroughly applied it in all fields.

Under the leadership of Kim Jong Il a brisk drive for modernization is being pushed forward in different fields of the DPRK and innovations are being effected in agriculture, too, the paper said, adding: Many developing countries are learning from the DPRK's experience in socialist construction.

The Polish paper Gazeta Wyborcza on April 15 carried a photo-illustrated article under the headline of "99th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung", which showed the Korean people significantly commemorating the Day of the Sun as the greatest holiday of the nation.