Seoul, October 11: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised the legacy of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea ahead of its 80th founding anniversary, as high-level delegations from China, Russia, and Vietnam arrived in Pyongyang to take part in commemorative events.
In a speech delivered at the Party Founding Museum in Pyongyang, Kim paid tribute to his grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung and anti-Japanese fighters for laying the “solid cornerstone” of the party’s enduring strength and success, state media KCNA reported on Thursday.
Reflecting on eight decades of party history, Kim called on North Koreans to renew their “revolutionary obligations and duties” to advance the socialist cause and vowed to preserve the party’s ideological purity and vitality “without decrepitude and discolouration.” He described the museum as a “sacred sanctuary” symbolising the party’s tradition.
Foreign dignitaries in attendance include Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev, and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam. Li was received with a guard of honour at Pyongyang’s airport and said China and North Korea, “as socialist neighbours connected by mountains and rivers, share a profound traditional friendship,” according to China’s foreign ministry.
Vietnam’s To Lam attended a welcome ceremony at a Pyongyang sports centre, marking the first visit by a Vietnamese Communist Party leader to North Korea in nearly two decades. Cooperation agreements are expected to be signed during his visit, according to Vietnamese media.
Russia’s delegation, led by Medvedev — now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council — included Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov and the governor of Russia’s Kursk region, according to TASS. During the visit, the two sides issued a joint statement in which Pyongyang expressed full support for Moscow’s military operations in Ukraine, while Russia thanked North Korea for providing assistance to the Kursk region.
The anniversary celebrations underscore Pyongyang’s efforts to deepen ties with Beijing, Moscow, and Hanoi amid its prolonged isolation and international sanctions. Last month, Kim stood alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s World War Two defeat, in what analysts saw as a bid to boost his diplomatic stature.
South Korean officials have said there are indications that Pyongyang may stage a military parade to mark the anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported.
