4 decades have passed since Samora Moises Machel, the first President of the Republic of Mozambique visited our country.

On this meaningful occasion, we once again look back on the history of friendship between Korea and Mozambique which was established and developed under deep attention of the preceding leaders.

In September 1971, Samora Moises Machel visited our country for the first time leading a delegation of the Mozambique Liberation Front Party and met with President Kim Il Sung . He received valuable teachings from President Kim Il Sung about strategic and tactical issues arising in their struggle for national liberation against colonial subjugation and was so charmed by his noble personality of a great man and sense of internationalist obligation.

Even after that, Samora Moises Machel visited Pyongyang on several occasions including the one of March 1975. President Kim Il Sung personally met with him each time and exchanged views on important issues arising in the realization of Mozambique’s national independence. When Mozambique founded an independent sovereign state in June 1975, he saw to it that the DPRK immediately established ambassador-level diplomatic relations with Mozambique.

On July 23 rd , 1984, when President Samora Moises Machel visited our country for the fifth time leading a party and government delegation of Mozambique, President Kim Il Sung met with him and expressed active support and solidarity with the struggle of Mozambiquean people to build a new society. He also rendered generous assistance to them.

President Machel was deeply moved by the noble personality of President Kim Il Sung . He said that President Kim Il Sung is recognized as a statesman of high prestige and a respected politician for his contributions to the struggle for the freedom of the people, equality and peace between nations and countries, and awarded him the first class of the “Eduardo Mondlane Order” in due appreciation of his outstanding achievements.

Today, the DPRK-Mozambique friendly relations forged by the preceding leaders continue to be inherited under the common ideals of independence against imperialism and Non-Alignment.

As a non-permanent member of UNSC in 2023 and 2024, Mozambique is making active efforts to achieve social stability and develop its economy and to establish a fair international order. It remains consistent in its independent and principled stand to defend the interests of the developing countries.

It is our invariable stand to attach importance to and develop the friendly relations with Mozambique which has made its steady development throughout generations and for centuries and to build an international community where independence, equality and genuine justice is achieved together with the Mozambiquean people.

The friendly relations between the two countries with its long-standing history and tradition will, in the future, too, continue to strengthen and develop in accordance with the requirements of the new age and the aspirations of the peoples of the two countries.

Member of Korea-Africa Association Paek Il Hyok