The Ice Rink on the picturesque banks of the Pothong River in Pyongyang has been wonderfully renovated when the appearance of Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK, is changing into a world-class ideal city where socialist civilization is in full bloom thanks to the far-reaching plan and energetic leadership of the Central Committee of the great Workers’ Party of Korea.

The Ice Rink, which has written its proud history of 40-odd years since it was built as a base for the development of the winter games of the country and the physical training of the working people and youth and children, has turned into a multi-functional sports and cultural complex capable of holding skating events and other indoor sports games and colourful art performances as required by the new era aspiring to the prosperity and civilization along with the great golden age of construction.

An opening ceremony of the renovated Ice Rink was held on August 14 on the occasion of the significant 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation.

Present there were Pak Thae Song, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK and premier of the DPRK Cabinet, Kim Tok Hun, secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK and chairman of the National Sports Guidance Committee, Kim Jong Gwan, vice-premier of the Cabinet, Ri Myong Guk, minister of Finance who doubles as the chairman of the Skating Association, other officials concerned, builders who participated in the renovation project, officials of ministries and national agencies, sportspersons, officials and employees of the Ice Rink and Pyongyang citizens.

Kim Tok Hun made an opening address.

The ice rink completely remodelled into a sports centre with latest interior facilities and a peculiar multi-functional leisure base harmonizing with the eminence of the capital city and modern aesthetic sense, is another outcome of a new era of civilization and rejuvenation where everyone is advancing and everything is developing, the speaker said.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un , who makes sure that all the structures are built as creations representing the aspiration and ideal of the current generation and a new era of socialist cultural development, clearly indicated the orientation and ways for turning the Ice Rink into a centre for sports and cultural life of a new domain and form and energetically led the project for renovating it on a world level, he added.

The Ice Rink is a monument associated with the noble will of Kim Jong Un to glorify it as a wealth for sportspersons and rising generations forever, both in the present and in the future, not merely as a creation in the past times, he said, adding that herein lies the genuine position and absolute height of the Ice Rink which can never be measured by any criteria for modernity or civilization.

The speaker expressed belief that the renovated sports and cultural complex would demonstrate the prosperity and progress of the state and make the people’s life more beautiful, pleasant and colourful, saying that changes should be made also in the work to improve the material and technical foundations of the sports sector in the era of overall development.

A figure skating demonstration was given at the opening ceremony.

The performers showed their excellent ice-skating skills with elegant and soft rhythm, skilful rotation and jumping in colourful numbers such as group performance and ice dancing.

The audience gave applause to the performers who unfolded romantic scenes to the tune of dynamic, light and lyrical melodies.

The figure skating demonstration decorated the opening ceremony, showing the happy present and rosy future of the Korean people who are enjoying a new civilization under the care of the great Party.

KCNA