This coming April 15 is a significant day marking 56th anniversary of the first meeting between President Kim Il Sung and Norodom Sihanouk, the Great King of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

The Great King Norodom Sihanouk was an outstanding leader of the Cambodian people and father of the nation who safeguarded independence and sovereignty of the country and devoted his all for national unity and prosperity. He was a close friend of the Korean people as well as a prominent statesman of the world who, as one of the founders of the Non-aligned Movement, had rendered distinguished services to accomplishing the cause of independence of mankind.

The great President Kim Il Sung conducted energetic external activities with leaders of Asian and African countries after attending the commemorative event of 10th anniversary of the Asia-Africa Conference (Bandung Conference) which took place in Indonesia in April 1965.

Among them, there was also Norodom Sihanouk, the Great King of Cambodia.

After hearing a report that the Great King Norodom Sihanouk will arrive to participate in the commemorative event of 10th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, the great President personally went to the Airport and had the first meaningful meeting with him.

The meeting between the great President and the Great King Norodom Sihanouk on this day marked a historic milestone which laid the cornerstone of friendship, solidarity and cooperative relations between the peoples of the DPRK and Cambodia.

Since then, the great President, setting a great store by the moral obligation, consistently bestowed all benevolent affections on him regardless of the time whether he worked as Head of State or led his overseas life as an ordinary citizen.

The Great King Norodom Sihanouk, so charmed by the great President’s image of a great man born of heaven and his lofty humanity, cherished deep in his heart a boundless feeling of reverence towards the great President and put all his efforts to support the Korean people for their cause of independent national reunification on many occasions of his external activities and in the international arena during his tenure as Head of State.

He had already handed over his title of the King of the Kingdom of Cambodia to his son when he visited the DPRK in May 2006. But Chairman Kim Jong Il saw to it that he was received at the level of Head of State, and personally met him and took all necessary measures to make sure that he enjoys a good time without the least inconvenience during his stay.

The Great King Norodom Sihanouk, so moved by noble personality and high moral repute of Chairman Kim Jong Il who had shown tender loving care to him with the same feeling and moral obligation as it had been the time when President Kim Il Sung was alive, paid greatest respect to him who is gifted with unusual wisdom and insight.

True to the lofty intention of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il , Comrade Kim Jong Un , President of the State Affairs of the DPRK, pays close attention to further developing and strengthening the friendly and cooperative relations with Cambodia.

It is an unwavering position of the DPRK to invariably develop the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation with Cambodia which were forged, strengthened and developed by the preceding leaders.

We will continue to exert all efforts to develop the friendly and cooperative relations with Cambodia onto a new higher stage without being affected by any change of situation and as required by the new era.

Korea-Asia Association