There took place on October 7 a ceremony for welcoming Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR), who is paying a congratulatory visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on the occasion of the 80 th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK).

Present at the ceremony were Comrades Jo Yong Won, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK, Ri Hi Yong, member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK, Choe Son Hui, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, No Kwang Chol, Minister of National Defence of the DPRK, and other leading officials of the Party, government and armed forces organs, citizens and youth and students in Pyongyang.

The national flags of the DPRK and the LPDR were seen and the guards of honour of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) were lined up at the venue for the ceremony.

Respected Comrade  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, came to the venue for the ceremony.

Comrade Kim Jong Un warmly greeted Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith and had a significant photo taken with him against the background of the national flags of the two countries.

Comrade Kim Jong Un introduced to Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith the leading officials of the Party, government and armed forces organs who came to receive him.

After exchanging greetings with Comrades Vilay Lakhamphong, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the LPRP who is concurrently Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security, Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the LPDR, and other entourage members of the Lao side, he took the reviewing stand with Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith.

A 21-gun salute was fired amid the playing of the national anthems of the LPDR and the DPRK.

Guided by Comrade Kim Jong Un , Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith reviewed the guards of honour of the KPA.

There took place a march-past of the guards of honour of the KPA.

When the ceremony was over, the venue was filled with stormy cheers of “Welcome” and “Friendship”, reflecting the Korean people’s feelings of friendship with the Lao people.

Warmly welcoming Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith who paid a congratulatory visit to the DPRK on the occasion of the 80 th anniversary of the founding of the WPK, Comrade Kim Jong Un expressed his pleasure of meeting him.

Referring to his impressions of visiting Pyongyang again after 14 years, Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith expressed heartfelt thanks to the WPK and the government and people of the DPRK for their warm hospitality.