2025-12-14 KOREAN NEWS

 THE EMBASSY OF THE DEMOCRATIC
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO SWITZERLAND

1. Inaugural Ceremony of Kusong City Hospital Held with Splendor

2. Speech of Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un at Ceremony of Welcoming Return of KPA Overseas Engineers Unit

Inaugural Ceremony of Kusong City Hospital Held with Splendor

Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- The Workers' Party of Korea is powerfully carrying on the regional-industry revolution and the public health revolution, regarding the people's security and the promotion of their wellbeing as the foremost state affair, and the entities for prosperity are being erected one after another on this land thanks to its transparent outlook on people and its spirit of unconditionally serving them.

When the whole country has experienced the stirring changes and rejoiced at the news of the brilliant completion of the second year's task for implementing the Regional Development 20×10 Policy aimed to bring earlier the wonderful future of the construction of the ideal socialist society, Kusong City of North Phyongan Province greeted the day of inaugurating a base for advanced medical service conducive to the promotion of the health of its local people.

The Kusong City Hospital, which has been built thanks to the firm will of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un to make substantial changes in local areas in order to provide the people across the country with more civilized and happy living conditions and enable them to enjoy the benefits of modern healthcare and under his direct guidance, is a proud result brought about by the new era of the regional development.

The inaugural ceremony of the Kusong City Hospital for the Regional Development 20×10 Policy took place with splendor on December 13.

The venue of the ceremony was overflowing with the boundless pride and self-confidence of the builders, who are making their devotion to labor to realize the long-cherished desire of the Party Central Committee, and the great excitement and delight of the people in the city, who would enjoy the benefits of advanced medical service earlier than others under the solicitous care of the Party.

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, attended the ceremony.

When the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un arrived at the venue of the ceremony, all the participants raised stormy cheers of "Hurrah!", shaking the sky and the earth.

They extended their warmest gratitude to Kim Jong Un, looking up to him who is making the great and devoted efforts full of the round-the-clock thoughts and troubles to open up an era of prosperity, in which all the people across the country lead an affluent and civilized life as soon as possible, subordinating all the state affairs to the people's wellbeing.

Present at the ceremony were the participants in the 13th Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the WPK, builders and officials of the Party and power organs and public health institutions and working people in North Phyongan Province and Kusong City.

Ri Il Hwan, member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the WPK Central Committee, made an inaugural address.

Upon authorization of the Party Central Committee, he extended warm thanks to the designers, builders, officials of the relevant fields and working people who have realized with perfect creative practice the Party's long-cherished desire to provide all the people in Kusong City with a wonderful hospital in which the popular character of socialist public health is really embodied.

He also warmly congratulated the citizens of Kusong City who would lead a more civilized life with the completion of the modern hospital and medical workers and employees of the hospital who became the masters of the new workplace.

He referred to the fact that in the wake of the completion of the Kangdong County Hospital which showed the perfect and new appearance of a regional hospital for the first time, the Kusong City Hospital has been successfully built based on the plan and principles of the WPK on the construction of hospital in the new era.

He stressed that the wise leadership of the WPK to lay new foundations for public health in the regions has already brought about world-level changes in different parts of the country in the first year and, in this course, the principle and methodology of the construction of hospitals to be built in all cities and counties have been confirmed and the foundations for vigorously pushing ahead with the modernization of public health with full capability and confidence in it have been laid.

Saying that the days when the good fruition cheered by the people in line with the demand of the times has been made are associated with the great dedication of the great father, he referred with emotion to the devoted efforts made by Kim Jong Un who has laid foundations for building up the public health capabilities one by one, prioritizing it as the sacred cause for the lives and health of the people.

He stressed that the modern hospitals built in different parts of the country are a valuable result of the people-first politics that can be achieved only by our Party and state which have subordinated everything in the state and social life to the promotion of the people's health and wellbeing.

Noting that when the tasks of the public health revolution are boldly and doggedly carried out by taking more steps forward after the present dynamic first step, our public health would clearly represent the genuine image of socialist Korea, he ardently called for devoting the patriotic wisdom and passion with the firm faith in the validity and vitality of the WPK's policies and thus bring earlier the future of a prosperous and powerful country full of laughter and happiness of the people.

Kim Jong Un cut the inauguration tape of the Kusong City Hospital.

Fireworks were displayed and a large number of balloons rose up over the venue of the ceremony to be specially recorded in the dynamic course of making the public health revolution in the new era, beautifully decorating the sky in meaningful December.

All the participants raised enthusiastic cheers with the unbounded pride of holding in high esteem the great leader, who is taking care of all the people across the country with great enthusiasm and affection, taking them to his arms and bestowing more loving care upon them, as the father of the large socialist family and the boundless reverence for him.

Kim Jong Un warmly waved to the participants in the ceremony, wishing the regional people happiness and their families good health.

He went round various places of the hospital.

He said that the Kusong City Hospital is another precious creation which shows the will of the Party to change and strengthen the regions and the steady development to be achieved by the overall public health of the DPRK and, at the same time, makes the meaning of 2025, the first year of the public health revolution, clearer.

Recalling that the December Plenary Meeting of the WPK decided to build modern hospitals in 20 cities and counties simultaneously from next year on the basis of the experience gained in building regional hospitals into model ones this year, he said that it stands out as a pressing issue to put the ranks of medical workers on an advanced level as early as possible and that the talent issue is fundamental to the public health revolution. He added that, to this end, it is important to radically reform the state medical education system to suit the reality of the country and take a revolutionary measure for training specialists in the public health sector.

He stressed the need to push ahead with the work for improving the clinical and technical level and academic qualifications of medical workers in a tactical and offensive manner, indicating the important tasks to be taken by the state.

He also underlined the need to make normative guides and provide a scientific and technological guarantee so that modern medical facilities and equipment can be managed and operated properly.

Saying that the issue related to the operation of hospital is also an important political one for defending the Party's policies and the people's trust in the Party, he stressed that the Kusong City Hospital, one of the model units for modernizing public health, should create a good exemplary experience for the development of regional public health in the course of its operation, too.

Saying that another perfect hospital has been built and its construction is perfectly successful, he highly appreciated the efforts of the builders who proved the vitality of the Party's policy on the development of public health with devoted labor struggle.

Regarding the construction of the city and county hospitals as an essential and the most important task for implementing the regional development policy and powerfully pushing ahead with it are the most right option of our Party and state fully responsible for the lives and health of the people and the way they should surely take without any moment's delay as they have no right to put off, he said, expressing his firm determination and will to build modern hospitals in 20 cities and counties every year and thus build solid foundations for the country's pubic health in the near future.

He stressed that leading cadres and senior officials at all levels including members of the central leadership body of the Party should buckle down to implementing the regional development policy with the viewpoint that everything starts from now and develop all cities and counties across the country in a balanced, accelerated and qualitative way so that every step of the present day would lead to a substantial and comprehensive change in the regional areas and to the realization of the far-reaching ideal of national rejuvenation.

Going round the hospital equipped with modern medical facilities and excellent conditions for medical service, the participants in the ceremony keenly realized the greatness, truth and tremendous vitality of the original ideas and leadership of Kim Jong Un who is accelerating the building of a highly civilized and prospering state through new qualitative changes in regional areas.

The inaugural ceremony of the Kusong City Hospital, which significantly adorns the first year of the historic public health revolution, marked a significant occasion in giving full play to the sky-high spirit and enthusiasm of all the people across the country who are single-mindedly striving to successfully conclude the first-stage pioneering struggle for changes towards the comprehensive development of socialism and greet the Ninth Congress of the WPK as the one of victors and glory.

 

Speech of Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un at Ceremony of Welcoming Return of KPA Overseas Engineers Unit

Pyongyang, December 13 (KCNA) -- The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un made a speech at the ceremony of welcoming the return of the overseas engineers unit of the Korean People's Army.

The full text of his speech is as follows:

Dear officers and soldiers of the 528th Regiment of Engineers of the Korean People’s Army,

I warmly welcome all of you, officers and soldiers of the regiment, back to your country. In performing your overseas mission you demonstrated the heroic spirit of our army and its specialized features with credit, and carried out your combat tasks in a responsible manner.

I really appreciate you all for coming back in good health.

Just as you yearned, every moment of the day on the foreign battleground, for all the precious things in your country, everyone in your country have never forgotten their beloved sons even for a moment.

Upon receiving the daily reports about your combats, I was deeply moved by the unyielding mettle you displayed in executing the orders from your Party and country death-defyingly. And each time, my wish grew stronger for every one of you to return safely and gladly.

In retrospect, for me, this can be said to be a year of longing; to the marrow of my bone, I have felt the pain of waiting that I have never experienced before.

One hundred and twenty days have passed since the moment when I had to dispatch you, combatants of this regiment, to the dangerous battleground; every day of this period seemed like a decade, just as when I had been waiting for the combatants of the special operations units, who had been involved in the liberation battles.

As the days went by, I found myself unable to accustom myself to, or get used to, worrying about the safety of the precious sons of this country who were fighting on the foreign battleground.

Now I feel at ease.

I am fairly relieved to see all of you come back like this.

You have fought very bravely.

True to the expectations of the Party, the country and all who are dear to your hearts, you displayed your mettle befitting true combatants, to the admiration of the world. Now you look more robust and dignified, and once again I warmly congratulate you, all the combatants of the regiment of engineers, for returning home with pride.

Comrades,

The 528th Regiment of Engineers is another proud combat unit that justly represents the matchless bravery and powerfulness of our army and its specialized features.

This regiment was formed on May 28 according to the decisions and orders of our Party Central Military Commission to build on the valuable victory in the overseas military operations. Early in August you, engineers of the regiment, left for the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, which your comrades-in-arms had retaken at the cost of their lives, and you achieved brilliant results in the course of performing your combat tasks there.

You fought in a life-and-death situation, braving the grave invisible dangers here and there, and your faith and willpower were tested every step of your way. Despite the harshness of the circumstances on the battleground, our engineers of the regiment never vacillated or hesitated, but all of you were courageous and responsible all the time.

As all of you, both officers and soldiers, displayed mass heroism overcoming unimaginable mental and physical burdens almost every day, you could work a miracle of turning a vast area of danger zone into a safe and secure one in a matter of less than three months, the task which was believed to be impossible to be carried out even in several years.

The cardinal importance of the battle results the regiment achieved this time lies evidently in that they were not feats performed by a few well-trained fighters but the fruition of mass heroism displayed by all the officers and soldiers.

In the rigorous battleground, where even a trifle slip or carelessness was not allowed and where even going to and from the battleground was accompanied by combats, you, caring for your comrades-in-arms first, shielded one another from the bursting shrapnel, and fulfilled your missions unto death even when you were critically wounded. Your ennobling comradeship, matchless self-sacrificing spirit and indomitability deserve everybody’s admiration, I believe.

I was convinced that our regiment of engineers would fight like that as they were ordered by the Party Central Committee.

Your brilliant battle results were also associated with the devoted efforts of the signalmen and medics who accomplished their tasks faithfully risking their lives almost every day.

All the officers and soldiers were equally brave, competent, devoted and heroic, indeed.

The fundamental key to the invincible fighting strength our regiment of engineers demonstrated in the alien battleground lies in the revolutionary fighting spirit that prevailed in the entire unit.

As definite precedence was given to political work, which was conducted in an ingenious, fresh and prompt way to suit the frontline situation, the spiritual and moral merits of our army were fully displayed typically to demonstrate the unconditional implementation of orders, loyalty, patriotism, unity between officers and soldiers, and comradeship.

What impressed me particularly were the performances given by company art groups in humble barracks on the holidays of September 9 and October 10, and the soldiers singing revolutionary songs on their way to the battleground and reciting the poems of their creation and writing letters to their home towns and villages at breaks of the mine-clearing hours.

Such a way of life could hardly be seen in such deadly circumstances unless they are men of optimism who are strong in faith and will as they are entirely filled with affection and respect for their Party, their country, their home towns and their parents and siblings and are firmly convinced of their victorious cause.

No other armies could imitate our service personnel’s ennobling ideological mentality of considering it a source of their honour instead of death to sacrifice themselves for their country, nor could they produce at any exorbitant cost mass heroism, a powerful weapon unique to our army.

The armed villains of the West, armed with whatever latest military hardware they are, cannot match this revolutionary army with an unfathomable spiritual depth.

It is regrettable that I cannot enumerate now all the combat feats performed by the hundreds of officers and soldiers of the regiment of engineers.

However, these feats will shine forever in the history of our army’s overseas military operations as well as in the history of the unit of engineers.

Comrades,

You left your homeland without much fanfare on receiving the order of the Party, but you have returned with something really great that adds to the glory of your country, your fellow people and army.

Your regiment accomplished the order unto death, but there was no reward or remuneration for it. Yet, it has earned the most valuable thing in the world that cannot be bartered for anything else.

That is the trust and confidence of the Party, the country and the people in our army.

Our army should expect nothing other than the trust of the Party, the country and the people.

By displaying an unrivalled fighting spirit and writing legendary tales in your combat records, you have faithfully and wonderfully lived up to the trust and confidence of your Party, your state and your fellow people in you.

The regiment of engineers has once again etched in history and highlighted in front of the world the unique mightiness of our army that has held ideological and spiritual perfectness, the core of which is the absolute loyalty to the Workers’ Party of Korea, as a banner of making itself a strong army. Herein lies the special significance of the feats performed by the regiment.

I, in the name of the Party and the country, extend thanks to all the officers and soldiers of the 528th Regiment of Engineers, who, by displaying matchless mass heroism and indomitable fighting mettle, carried out to the death the combat order issued by the Party and fully demonstrated once again the prestige of our state and the fame of the Korean People’s Army.

Comrades,

The priceless blood and sweat the regiment shed and the invaluable sacrifice it made in the course of perfectly carrying out the combat order of the Party will never remain in vain.

The immortal feats and exploits you performed will shine forever along with the fame of our powerful state and army and with our socialist country that will prosper infinitely.

Except the heartrending loss of nine lives, all the officers and soldiers of the regiment have returned to the motherland, and I express my thanks to you for this.

All the officers and soldiers of the armed forces of our Republic will regard the fighting spirit and exploits of the 528th Regiment of Engineers as another model. And your parents, siblings, wives and children, and the teachers of your alma maters will feel greatly proud of you.

I really feel proud of you, ranks of stalwart soldiers, and your powerful combat unit.

I hope that in the future, too, you will continue to perform brilliant exploits on the sacred road of safeguarding our great state and people.

The motherland decided to confer the Order of Freedom and Independence on your regiment in order to highly appreciate and add eternal glory to its bravery and brilliant combat feats.

In addition, it decided to award the title of Hero of the DPRK, Order of the National Flag 1st Class and Order of Soldier’s Honour 1st Class to the nine engineers who, to our regret, fell in the course of carrying out their combat orders.

Today I, upon authorization of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the Republic, will confer the Order of Freedom and Independence 1st Class on the colours of your regiment, its banner of victory and glory, and fix the orders on the portraits of our fallen comrades-in-arms.

I express my gratitude and pay ennobling respect to you, who are always faithful to your country, for your devoted service.

Long live the heroic Korean People’s Army!