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Banquet Given for Roh Moo Hyun

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

   Pyongyang, October 2 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, and Pak Kwan O, chairman of the Pyongyang City People's Committee, hosted a banquet at the Mokran House Tuesday in honor of south Korean President Roh Moo Hyun and his party on a visit to Pyongyang.
    Present there on invitation together with Roh Moo Hyun were Minister of Finance and Economy Kwon O Gyu, Minister of Science and Technology Kim U Sik, Minister of Unification Ri Jae Jong, Minister of National Defence Kim Jang Su, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Im Sang Gyu, Minister of Health and Welfare Pyon Jae Jin, Director of the National Intelligence Service Kim Man Bok and other suite members.
    On hand were Choe Thae Bok, chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly, Ro Tu Chol, vice-premier of the Cabinet, Kim Yong Dae, chairman of the Central Committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party, officials of power bodies, working people's organizations, ministries and national institutions and officials concerned.
    Kim Yong Nam in a speech made at the banquet recalled that the meeting of the top leaders of the north and the south that took place in Pyongyang seven years ago to produce the June 15 joint declaration marked a historic event that demonstrated to the world the will of the Korean nation for reunification, saying that the idea of "By our nation itself" is a common desire of the nation as it indicates the way of achieving reconciliation, unity, reunification and prosperity.
    We are faced with a sacred task of further developing the inter-Korean relations to open up a new phase of national reunification, he noted, adding it is a noble mission for all members of the nation to fulfil the task.
    Saying that attaching importance to the nation and pooling efforts guarantee a prospect of reunification and prosperity, he expressed the expectation that the current meeting of the top leaders of the north and south would bring fresh hope and happiness to all Koreans desirous of national reunification.
    Roh Moo Hyun in a speech expressed sincere thanks for the warm welcome accorded to him and his party by compatriots in the north.
    I realized once again that the land of Korea, though partitioned, still retains its appearance as one and the same country and the compatriots in the north are of the same nation, he said, referring to the efforts exerted by the south and the north to build confidence over the past seven years since the publication of the June 15 joint declaration.
    He expressed the expectation that promoting confidence would serve as a foundation for consolidating peace on the Korean Peninsula and carving out the future of prosperity common to the nation and this meeting would mark an occasion to do so.
    He prayed for peace and prosperity on the peninsula where reconciliation and cooperation have become a trend and eternal development of the nation.
    He wished Chairman of the National Defence Commission Kim Jong Il good health.