A banquet was given for labour innovators and meritorious persons from various fields across the country at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang on September 9. They were specially invited to the celebrations of the 76th founding anniversary of the DPRK, our great country.

Jo Chun Ryong and Pak Thae Song, secretaries of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, and Han Kwang Sang, department director of the Central Committee of the WPK, sat together with them.

The banquet hall was full of boundless gratitude to the great WPK and socialist system which value ordinary citizens who are devoting themselves at their posts and workplaces as the cornerstones and pillars of the country.

The national anthem of the DPRK was played.

Pak Thae Song made a speech at the banquet.

Upon authorization of the Party and the government, he warmly congratulated labour innovators and meritorious persons who made distinguished feats in the vanguard of the struggle for bolstering up the national defence capability, developing the economy and improving the people's living standards and took part in the celebrations of the national day this year.

He stressed that the pioneers who have firmly supported the prosperity of the DPRK and the advance of the revolution on major fronts of socialist construction with utmost sincerity for the Party and the leader, the country and its people, and the genuine people who cannot live even a moment away from patriotism and have never thought of their destiny and life and their families' apart from their conscience and service dedicated to the country are the models of the times who deserve boundless blessing by the country and its people.

He expressed belief that the socialist DPRK, which is supported by the noble spirit of sacrifice to devote their all to the happiness of the rising generations and the prosperous future of the state, not for today's enjoyment, and by the unyielding spirit of service to firmly defend their workplaces and posts despite ordeals, would surely achieve the ideal of comprehensive national rejuvenation and demonstrate its dignity as a genuine people's country.

All the participants were filled with ardent determination to glorify their patriotic lives as those who personify and display the Chollima spirit of the new era, the new spirit of the times, in the vanguard of the advance for great upsurge under the guidance of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un who is setting the building of an ideal society of the working people as the goal and leading it to victory.