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All the people across the DPRK are greeting the 80th anniversary of their country’s liberation as a great revolutionary auspicious event with great pride and self-confidence as they are dynamically advancing along the road of independence, self-sustenance and self-reliant defence, ushering in a great new era of comprehensive national rejuvenation under the leadership of the ever-victorious Workers’ Party of Korea. A celebration of the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation took place in Pyongyang on August 14. The plaza of the Arch of Triumph, which epitomizes the excitement and joy of the people who became the masters of a new Korea and the immortal revolutionary feats and annals of miracles resplendent in the 80-year history of building the country and defending its sovereign rights, was filled with jubilation of the people who are demonstrating the dignity and might of a powerful country, upholding the country’s strong existence and achieving its steady development with the great revolutionary traditions created in the flames of the anti-Japanese struggle as a precious wealth. Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, attended the celebration. When the respectedComrade Kim Jong Un arrived at the venue of the celebration amid the welcome music, fireworks were set off and a lot of balloons flew to beautifully decorate the sky of significant August. All the participants raised the stormy cheers of “Hurrah!” looking up to the outstanding leader of the Juche revolution who has put their socialist state on the top of the century as the most powerful and dignified country and is dynamically leading the historic cause of realizing the ideals of the people along the road of brilliant victory and glory. Schoolchildren presented fragrant bouquets to Kim Jong Un reflecting the unanimous desire of the people across the country. Other schoolchildren presented bouquets to senior officials of the Party, government and armed forces organs and Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. Present there were members of the central leadership body of the Party, senior officials of ministries and national agencies, descendants of those related to the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle, meritorious persons of socialist patriotism and other officials, working people, youth and students in Pyongyang, service personnel of the Korean People’s Army, and teaching staff and students of the revolutionary schools. Present there at invitation were members of the delegation of the State Duma and the delegation of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation who are on a congratulatory visit to the DPRK on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, the Russian ambassador to the DPRK and his embassy members. Also present there were overseas Korean compatriots staying in their socialist homeland including an expeditionary group of the General Association of Koreans in China for a study tour of the revolutionary battle sites in the area of Mt Paektu. The DPRK national anthem was played solemnly. Choe Ryong Hae, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK, first vice-president of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, made a congratulatory speech. Noting that today the Korean people are greeting the 80th anniversary of their country’s liberation, the first precious victory in the glorious history of the Korean revolution spanning a century and an epoch-making event in 5 000 years of their history, the speaker paid immortal glory and highest tribute to President Kim Il Sung who aroused the people, who had been forced to suffer the disgrace and misfortune of a ruined nation, to the anti-Japanese national salvation struggle, put an end to the colonial rule of the Japanese imperialists, and thus achieved the epochal cause of restoring national sovereignty. He said that the 40-odd years of struggle of the Korean people for the independence of their country teaches the truth that a country and people without correct leadership and strength cannot escape humiliation as a ruined nation and that the lost dignity can be regained and defended only on the strength of the powerful internal forces of the people themselves rallied closely around a great leader. Today our state shows the world a new phase of gigantic advance of further promoting the overall national strength under the wise leadership of the greatComrade Kim Jong Un, he said, stressing that as there are the great people, the advantageous political system embodying the people-first principle and the might united with patriotism, the vigorous prosperity of our state will continue and communism desired by the revolutionary forerunners will be built on this land. Referring to the noble internationalist spirit and distinguished military feats of the service personnel of the Soviet army who fought shoulder to shoulder with the Korean revolutionary army for Korea’s liberation, he said that the unity and comradeship forged at the cost of blood in the struggle for the common cause are fully displayed in the battlefields in the 21st century to frustrate the imperialists’ outrageous arbitrary practices and aggressive moves and are developing into a powerful alliance, which is clear proof of the eternal vitality of the DPRK-Russia friendship. He continued that the revolutionary forerunners who provided the spiritual legacy that makes people rise up in the face of any difficulties and paved the way for victory are continuously encouraging and pushing us towards an uninterrupted advance, calling upon all the people to continue to wage a dynamic struggle for the eternal prosperity and rejuvenation of the country firmly united with the great ideal of patriotism, our state-first principle. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, made a speech. Saying that he was pleased to attend the grand celebration, he read the congratulatory letter sent toComrade Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, byComradeVladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation.
