January 30 marks the 54 th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

More than half a century has passed since then, but as a former ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, I still cannot forget the immortal exploits of President Kim Il Sung engraved in the history of the friendship between our two countries.

54 years ago on this day, President Kim Il Sung , the pioneer of the international cause of independence, saw to it that our Republic establishes diplomatic relationship with Equatorial Guinea after only three months of its independence. This became a significant event which wrote the first page of the long history of friendship between the peoples of the DPRK and Equatorial Guinea.

After establishing the diplomatic relations, President Kim Il Sung always paid deep attention and rendered moral and material support to the government and people of Equatorial Guinea in their struggle for building a new society.

In August 1984 and April 1992, President Kim Il Sung personally met with President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who was on his official visit to our country. President Kim Il Sung gave strength and encouragement to him expounding on direction and method for the people of Equatorial Guinea who had turned out in the construction of the new world to develop on their own.

He also powerfully encouraged the people of Equatorial Guinea in the construction of self-supportive economy by sending our qualified specialists in agriculture and architecture and providing them with many resources and goods including cement and steel.

Later, President Obiang met with the DPRK state delegation headed by Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK in May 2016. Charmed by the lofty virtue and noble internationalist obligation of President Kim Il Sung , President Obiang expressed his feeling that whenever they talk about the history of development of the relations of the two countries, the first person who comes into his mind is H.E. Kim Il Sung , President of the Korean People. He said that he could never forget the historic days when President Kim Il Sung warmly received them and gave them precious teachings.

President Obiang repeatedly expresses his endless reverence for President Kim Il Sung , sending floral baskets every year in the name of the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea to the DPRK embassy on important occasions such as the Day of the Sun and the founding day of the DPRK.

The ties of DPRK-Equatorial Guinea friendship – developed in the struggle for a new independent society and invariably continued based on sincerity and obligation – will be everlasting with the passage of time.

I am fully convinced that the relations of friendship and cooperation between the DPRK and Equatorial Guinea based on long history and excellent tradition will continue to strengthen and develop through generations and centuries in line with the requirement of the new era under the attention of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un and President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

Kwak Ji Hwan

Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of

the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea