The DPRK-Russia Friendship Hospital will be built at the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area – the scenic Myongsasimni shore of the East Sea of Korea – amid active many-sided exchanges and cooperation for providing the peoples of the two countries with substantial welfare by further strengthening the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the DPRK and Russia.

The construction of the hospital, an important agreement made at the historic DPRK-Russia Pyongyang Summit, marked another milestone in deepening friendship and fraternity between the peoples of the two countries and a significant occasion in proving the development of the bilateral friendly relations which are being remarkably developed on a new high stage.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the DPRK-Russia Friendship Hospital took place in Wonsan City on April 22 amid the deep interest and expectation of the governments and peoples of the two countries.

Present at the ceremony were Comrade Kim Tok Hun, First Vice-Premier of the Cabinet of the DPRK, Comrade Kim Tu Won, Minister of Public Health, Comrade Yun Jong Ho, Minister of External Economic Relations who is Chairman of the DPRK side to the DPRK-Russia Inter-Governmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology, Comrade Ju Mun Jin, Chairman of the Kangwon Provincial People's Committee, Comrade Kim Jong Gyu, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, officials concerned, builders and working people in Wonsan City.

Present there were Comrade Mikhail Murashuko, Minister of Health, Comrade Aleksandr Kozlov, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology and Chairman of the Russian side to the DPRK-Russia Inter-Governmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology and other members of the Russian government delegation, members of the embassy of the Russian Federation in Pyongyang and Comrade Oleg Kosheev, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Chongjin.

The national anthems of the Russian Federation and the DPRK were played.

Congratulatory speeches and remarks were made at the ceremony.

Comrade Kim Tu Won extended warm congratulations on behalf of the DPRK government to the designers and builders of the hospital, and friends of the two countries who devoted positive efforts and sincerity to the successful start of the construction of the DPRK-Russia Friendship Hospital.

Today, the DPRK-Russia friendly relations have been developed into an invincible strategic alliance under the special care of the top leaders of the two countries, and gigantic and meaningful joint plans for the prosperity of the states and the promotion of the welfare of the two peoples have been pushed forward vigorously, adding pleasure and joy to all, he said.

The completion of the hospital will inject vitality into the beautiful life of not only the people in the region but also the visitors to the world-class tourist resort, he said.

He stressed that the DPRK-Russia Friendship Hospital will be built as a monumental edifice for unity and cooperation and an advanced health center with excellent treatment environment and medical service system to further bring the flower garden of friendship into full bloom.

Comrade Mikhail Murashuko warmly congratulated the participants in the ceremony for the construction of the hospital on behalf of the government of the Russian Federation, saying that today's event is not merely to lay the foundation of the hospital but to lay the foundation for long-term and beneficial cooperation in the field of public health of the two countries.

The construction of the friendship hospital is of special significance as it is an event of implementing the agreement reached by Comrade Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and Comrade Kim Jong Un , President of the State Affairs of the DPRK, at the historic meeting, he said, adding that this is a clear example of the steady development of cooperation between the two countries.

Hoping that the successes in the construction of the hospital and the training of medical workers will be achieved, he expressed belief that the hospital will contribute to the promotion of the people's health and symbolize the solid friendly relations between Russia and the DPRK.

Referring to the fact that the joint plan for the construction of the friendship hospital has been drawn up and is to be put into practice, Comrade Aleksandr Kozlov said that the patients will receive good treatment at the modern hospital to be built at the tourist resort of the DPRK visited by many tourists at home and abroad.

The friendly and good-neighborly relations between the Russian Federation and the DPRK are based on equality, mutual respect and trust, he said, adding that the current ground-breaking ceremony proves that the Russia-DPRK border is not a wall but an open door for friends.

He congratulated the participants in the ground-breaking ceremony once again and expressed the will to successfully push ahead with the vast cooperation between the two countries in the future.

Leading officials of the governments of the two countries dug the first spadeful of earth to signal the start of construction.