The Korean Central News Agency on December 23 released a report on the fact that the flood-hit areas of North Phyongan, Jagang and Ryanggang provinces have turned into ideal socialist villages.

According to the report, more than 15 000 modern multi- and single-storey dwelling houses and nurseries, kindergartens, schools, hospitals, clinics and others were newly built, more than 6 000 dwelling houses repaired and the Amnok River embankment project, river improvement and railway, road and bridge rehabilitation were pushed forward in a little over four months to spruce up the appearance of northwestern part of the country beyond recognition and, thereby, miracles were wrought in the history of construction.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un energetically led the whole course of the rehabilitation project, with his extraordinary resolution and steadfast will that it is the Party that the people who suffered disaster will trust and rely on the most, and that he can never disappoint their expectations and betray their trust which is as good as his life at any cost.

New houses with characters peculiar to the mountainous area have been built at the Township Stockbreeding Farm and the Jiam Stockbreeding Farm in Phyonggang County of Kangwon Province.

A ceremony for moving into new houses took place on the spot.

Present there were Kim Myong Chol, secretary of the Kangwon Provincial Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, officials and working people in the county, and agricultural workers who would move into new houses.

The garment exhibition-2024 opened with due ceremony at the Okryu Exhibition House in Pyongyang on December 22.

The exhibition is aimed at creating more diverse designs of clothes and steadily developing the clothes processing techniques and improving the level of display and the method of service.

On display at the venue for the exhibition are more than 37 000 pieces of women's dresses, men's dresses, children's clothes and national clothes of 20 kinds and favourite goods made by over 200 garment production units across the country including the Ministry of Light Industry, the Ponghwa Trade Bureau and South Phyongan Province.

This year, too, a nationwide land management campaign was carried out vigorously in the DPRK.

Tree seeds for afforestation were secured and many forests newly created across the country. 

The forest guidance bureau under the Ministry of Land and Environment Protection mapped out a detailed plan for the collection of seeds according to tree species and intensified guidance over the correct implementation of the plan.

During their military occupation of Korea in the last century (1905-1945), the Japanese imperialists cooked up all sorts of draconian laws to ruthlessly suppress and eliminate the independence movement of the Korean people.

As the anti-Japanese struggle of the Koreans further intensified in the mid-1930s, they enacted and announced the “law on probation of Korean political offenders” as “decree” No. 16 to watch, control and oppress Korean communists, patriots and fighters for independence.

The law, which was enforced from December 1936, was a retrogressively revised version of the “law on probation of political offenders” which had already been in force in Japan.

A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry rejected a “report on Chinese military capabilities” which was issued by the US Department of Defense in a press conference on December 19.

Noting that like previous ones, the report is full of prejudices contrary to the fact, he said that the aim is to seek an excuse of maintaining military supremacy.

China demands that the US discontinue the act of annually issuing such irresponsible report by discarding the Cold War mentality and hegemony-seeking logic, he stressed.

An expert of the Chinese disease prevention control centre asserted that over 30 kinds of pathogens might cause respiratory infection at the press briefing of the National Health Commission of China on December 20.

More than ten kinds of them, including flu virus, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus and rhinovirus, are reportedly major pathogens prevalent at present.

Mentioning that winter is a season with a high incidence of respiratory diseases and the incidence in the season is two or three times higher than in other season, he said that pathogens which cause respiratory infection under the influence of climate, temperature and others also show regional features.

The northwestern part of the DPRK, which has been splendidly turned into the fairyland where the true nature of Korean-style socialism and its rosy future are epitomized, is enlivened with auspicious events of moving into new house. The inhabitants and schoolchildren from the flood-hit areas who stayed in Pyongyang left for their hometowns, picturing in their mind their native places that have undergone a radical change.

The days they had spent in the capital city under the highest hospitality and service were the ones in which they keenly felt the true image of the motherly Party sharing joy and sorrow with the people who suffered pain. The days were also the ones of precious experience in which they deeply cherished how the blessed life, happiness and beautiful future of the people are defended and brought into bloom.

They tearfully received the loving care of the respected Marshal Kim Jong Un, who provided the children with school uniforms and things and new clothes according to seasons with thoughtful mind, not satisfied with the work for children, and spent happy and pleasant days of rest at the lodgings where all conditions are fully provided, places for visit and bases for leisure activities in the capital city and scenic spots across the country. In those days, they more keenly realized that our socialist house holding Kim Jong Un in high esteem as the benevolent father is the bosom of destiny and the cradle of life.

A joint online seminar "Leader in the era of independence" and an online photo exhibition "Dedication to the building of a prosperous country" were held by Brazilian political parties and organizations on December 15 to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the demise of Chairman Kim Jong Il.

Present there were personages of political parties and organizations, including the Brazilian Communist Party, the Brazilian Center for Peace and Solidarity with Peoples, the Brazilian Center for the Study of Songun Politics and the Brazilian Branch of the Korean Friendship Association, and members of the organization for the study of the Juche idea.

Speeches were made at the events.