The 2024 autumn aesthetic symposium in the urban management sector took place at the Sci-Tech Complex in Pyongyang on November 26 through videoconferencing.

The symposium, held on the theme of "Building of parks and pleasure grounds and a highly-civilized socialist nation", brought together officials, scientists, technicians and others in such relevant fields as urban management, land and environment protection, design, supervision, education and industrial design from Pyongyang and the provinces.

The participants watched a video of the recent successes achieved and deviations revealed in building parks and pleasure grounds in recent years.

Recently, the oungum-making technique has been inscribed as an element of national intangible cultural heritage.

It reflects the achievements made in the course of glorifying the nation’s fine music heritage, while handing down forever the leadership exploits of Chairman Kim Jong Il, who had developed the oungum-making technique so that it can produce unique timbre to meet the modern aesthetic sense by dint of the country’s traditional technique of making musical instruments.

During his military camping in Oun-dong in August 1962 when he was conducting revolutionary activities at Kim Il Sung University, Kim Jong Il personally initiated the making of oungum and named it thus.

Covering an area of more than 100 000 square metres, the Mansudae Art Studio with some ten production units is widely known at home and abroad as a comprehensive fine art studio.

Over the past 65 years, it has left an indelible mark in the history of the development of fine art in the country along with the Chollima Statue symbolizing the heroic spirit and era of miracles of the Korean people, and created many works which serve as the precious cultural assets of the country to enrich the treasure house of Juche fine art.

Typical examples include grand monumental edifices. It is no exaggeration that they are the masterpieces of the times created by the Mansudae Art Studio.

The Habiro Hermitage is a small temple belonging to the Pohyon Temple on Mt Myohyang in the middle part of the Myohyang Mountains in the northwestern part of the DPRK.

It consists of the main hall, the Poryon observatory, Chilsong and Sansin pavilions and others.

The Poryon observatory, which had been on a high rock opposite the hermitage, was rebuilt in the present place after being destroyed by a flood in 1915. 

A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry denounced the US’ interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela on November 23.

Commenting on the US State Secretary’s recent remark that his country recognized an anti-government figure of Venezuela as “president-elect”, the spokesman decried it as interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela and as an act running counter to international law and the UN Charter.

He emphasized that Iran supports legitimate Venezuelan President Maduro. 

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry sent official letters to the United Nations, the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on November 23 in connection with the possibility of Israel’s attack against Iraq.

The letters called on the international community to direct efforts toward stopping Israel’s moves to escalate tension in the region and getting the Zionist regime to respect international law and conventions.

The Foreign Ministry in a statement related to this said that Israel’s recent demand that the UN Security Council pressurize the Iraqi government into making the anti-Israeli resistance forces stop their activities is part of the systematic scheme to invent an excuse for escalating the regional dispute.

Kim Yo Jong, deputy department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued the following press statement on November 26:

On November 26, various kinds of political agitation leaflets and dirty things sent by the ROK scum were dropped again in different areas near the southern border of the DPRK.

The security organs in the areas have blocked the relevant districts and are conducting the search, gathering and disposal of them.

A youth open-air theatre has newly been built in Rason Municipality of the DPRK.

This comprehensive and modern theatre, with an auditorium, a stage, hobby group rooms, acoustic equipment and illuminators, is located in a scenic spot in Rajin District. It will serve as another base for extracurricular education and cultural and emotional life for youth and students and working people in the municipality.

An inauguration ceremony of the theatre took place on the spot on November 25.

The 2024 sports contest of disabled persons and amateurs took place at the Handball Gymnasium on Chongchun Street in Pyongyang from November 14 to 25.

The contest brought together more than 600 persons with disabilities and amateurs in Pyongyang. There were table-tennis games, divided into four categories, and tennis and badminton games, divided into three categories.

During the contest, the players fully showed the optimistic life they are leading under the care of the Workers' Party of Korea and the state's policy of protecting the disabled, demonstrating the skills they have cultivated during their brisk sports activities.