The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a grand rally in Pyongyang's giant
May 1 Stadium Tuesday to commemorate the Chinese Volunteers' entry into the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea from 1950 to 1953.

Kim Jong-il, chairman of the DPRK's National Defense Commission, and visiting Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian attended the event. Also participating in the rally were Kim Yong-nam, president of the presidium of the DPRK's Supreme People's Assembly, Cho Myong-rok, first vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, and Minister of the DPRK People's Armed Force Kim Il-chol.

In an address to the rally, Kim Il-chol praised the Chinese people for sending the Volunteers to aid the Korean people in their struggle against foreign aggressions 50 years ago.

He said that the Korean people and military will never forget the "unselfish" help provided by the Chinese government and people, and the notable exploits achieved by the Chinese Volunteers who fell in action.

Noting that China and the DPRK are neighbors linked by rivers and mountains, Kim Il-chol stressed that continuously strengthening and developing the Sino-DPRK relationship conforms to the basic interests of the two peoples and is of great significance to maintaining peace and security in Asia and the world as a whole.

He believed that the Sino-DPRK friendship will be continuously consolidated and promoted with concerted efforts made by the two peoples.

Delivering a speech at the rally, Chi said that the Chinese People's Volunteers, fighting side by side with the DPRK military and people, gained world-shaking victories against the foreign aggressors.

A veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Chi said, "On this solemn occasion of the 50th anniversary of China's entry into the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, we all yearn for the old generation of late leaders -- Mao Zedong,
Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping and Kim Il-sung -- who had forged and fostered the friendship between China and DPRK, and miss the revolutionary martyrs fell in the action."

The traditional friendship of cooperation between China and DPRK have entered a new stage of development under the solicitude of Jiang Zemin, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, and Kim Jong-il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of the DPRK, and is increasingly displaying its exuberant vitality, Chi noted.

China and the DPRK is surely to continuously develop and cement their traditional friendship and advance the lofty cause of world peace and development, he said.

After the rally by more than 180,000 people, Kim Jong-il and Chi attended a mass performance held in the stadium.

(Xinhua 10/26/2000)