Mick Hartley

From the Korean Central News Agency:

The New Year’s Day of Juche 96 (2007) has come. From the early morning, streams of the Korean people visit statues of the great President Kim Il Sung, the eternal sun of Juche, with floral baskets and bunches of flowers to make a New Year’s bow to him.

Officers and men of the Korean People’s Army, working people of all strata and school youth and children in Pyongyang visit his statue on Mansu Hill with the pride of having adorned the year 2006 with great labor successes. They are full of optimism and firm resolution to perform feats in the hopeful New Year.

Pyongyang is garbed in festive attire.

The streets of the city are festooned with such large slogans as “We Extend New Year’s Greeting to the Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il”, “We Sincerely Wish the Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il Good Health” and “Let Us Add Brilliance to the Korean-style Socialism with Might of Single-minded Unity” and celebration boards including “New Year 2007” and others. Fluttering on flag poles are the flags of the DPRK….

The working people of all walks of life, school youth and children in the capital city are hardening their mind to vigorously advance forward toward a new victory under the Songun revolutionary leadership of Kim Jong Il this year, too.

In other DPRK news:

Senior party, army and state officials and people from all walks of life visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace on Monday to pay homage to President Kim Il Sung on the occasion of the New Year Juche 96 (2007). The senior party, army and state officials, chairpersons of the friendly parties, Cabinet members and leading officials of party, armed forces and power organs, public organizations, ministries and national institutions entered the hall where the statue of the President stands.

And this, just in:

Baskets of flowers were placed before the statues of President Kim Il Sung on the occasion of the New Year Juche 96 (2007). Servicepersons, working people from all walks of life and school youth and children in Pyongyang visited the statue of the President on Mansu Hill.

Seen before the statue was a floral basket from Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army.

Amid the playing of floral basket-laying music, baskets of flowers, as well as bouquets and flowers, were laid before the statue in the name of party, military and power organs, social bodies, ministries, national institutions, KPA units and institutions of different levels, industrial establishments, farms and schools and others in the city. Also placed was a floral basket in the name of the Pyongyang mission of the Anti-imperialist National Democratic Front.

Written on the ribbons of the baskets were such letters as “The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung will live forever” and “The great revolutionary exploits of the respected leader Generalissimo Kim Il Sung will be everlasting!”

All the visitors made deep bows before the statue in humble reverence for the President.