Conference held with splendour in celebration of 80th founding anniversary of SPYL

January 17, 2026

All the people in the DPRK are significantly greeting the 80th founding anniversary of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League in the course of their gigantic advance adding great vitality to the prosperous country pervaded with ardent patriotism and loyalty and soaring passion of the young vanguard in the era of Kim Jong Un.

The Juche-oriented youth organization, which has its origin in the early period of the sacred Korean revolution, was founded on the untrodden path of nation building. Since then, it has always been in its heyday along with the DPRK’s ever-victorious cause. Its proud 80-year history is run through with the miraculous victories and glory it has earned by bringing up the reliable younger generations, staunch successors to the revolution guaranteeing the future of the country and the people, and by giving full play to their great might true to the unique idea of the Workers’ Party of Korea on valuing the youth and under its outstanding leadership.

The WPK and the people extend warm greetings of encouragement and congratulations to the reliable young vanguard thoroughly and purely carrying forward the lifeline of the revolution only with patriotism and loyalty at the stirring time when the dignity and prestige of the era of changes, unprecedented in the history of development of the country, are being dynamically enhanced as never before.

A conference was held with splendour at Kim Il Sung Stadium in the capital city of Pyongyang on January 16 to mark the 80th founding anniversary of the SPYL.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, attended the commemorative event.

When Comrade Kim Jong Un appeared on the platform, all the participants, who had the greatest pleasure to commemorate the significant founding anniversary in the presence of the fatherly Marshal whom they had longed to see even in their dreams, broke into stormy cheers of “Hurrah!”

Youth delegates presented bouquets to him, reflecting the profound reverence of millions of young people for him.

Warmly acknowledging the enthusiastic cheers, he extended greetings to the young people across the country who are performing valuable feats, dedicating all their beautiful hopes and aspirations to the prosperity of the country.

Present at the event were leading officials of the Party, government and armed forces organs, officials of the youth league, officials concerned, participants in the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the SPYL, young servicepersons and youth and students in Pyongyang.

When the conference was declared open, the national anthem of the DPRK was played.

Kim Jong Un made a speech in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the SPYL.

Referring to the significance of celebrating the 80th anniversary of the youth league in the grand way in the lead-up to the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, he paid noble tribute to the glorious struggle history of the Korean youth movement that has invariably supported the revolutionary cause, and extended warm congratulations to all the young people, youth league organizations and their officials, who, with faithfulness to the Party and their country, are leaving lofty and beautiful imprints of their youth at their workplaces, military posts and school campuses.

Since it emerged in the first days of nation building as the banner of unity of young people from all walks of life who were aspiring after a prosperous and powerful nation, the youth league has followed a protracted course while writing the most proud and glorious pages in its chronicles thanks to the faithful and patriotic aspirations cherished, and the powerful strides made, by the ranks of young people, he said, and continued:

The 80-year history of struggle of the youth league is being reviewed in the light of the socialist ideals, noble patriotism, passionate sense of justice and pure spiritual world, which you and all the other young people across the country have now cherished as part of their faith and mental qualities. And this again raises the position and fame of our young Koreans on the highest level.

Linking the proud past of our state with its glorious present and building a rosier future by wonderfully preparing the next generation who will carry forward the baton of the revolution–this is the historic exploits and victory of the Korean youth movement, which cannot be compared with anything else nor be achieved by anyone else.

Your motherly country has decided to confer the Order of Kim Jong Il, a highest order of the state, on the Socialist Patriotic Youth League as an expression of its greatest appreciation of the steady succession to our cause the youth league has ensured by safeguarding its traditions and remaining faithful to its sacred obligations and duty over the past 80 years, he said, adding that he would pin the order of honour on the flag of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League, with the expectation that our resourceful and brave young people would continue to record their shining names and feats in the glorious history of the Party and the country and firmly propel the succession and advance of our revolutionary cause in the future, too.

Saying that the dream of Korea, the future of Korea, is calling our young people, he called for more bravely and dynamically struggling for the eternal prosperity of the motherland, our beautiful tomorrow and the honour of the young people of Korea.

In response to the ardent appeal of the great fatherly leader, the Korean youth raised rousing cheers of “Long live the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea!”

All the participants took an oath of loyalty, looking up to the fatherly Marshal.

The young people pledged to become the first death-defying corps and the first guards in devotedly protecting him, the heroes and patriots powerfully demonstrating the indomitable spirit and dignified appearance of the Korean youth in the struggle for defending the country and achieving the comprehensive national rejuvenation, and the young vanguard of the WPK and true sons and daughters of the motherland dynamically advancing straight forward following the Party only.

Kim Jong Un extended warm encouragement to the young vanguard filled with the ardent single mind to live up to his trust and the will of succession.

The venue of the conference resounded with patriotic songs arousing patriotism and enthusiasm for revolution among the younger generations, who are ensuring the steady continuity of the spirit peculiar to the indomitable Korean people and realizing the great ideal of national prosperity in the van by dint of inexhaustible strength of self-reliance.

The young people sang the songs in praise of the times out of the ardent desire to become youth heroes glorifying the great era of Kim Jong Un, flying high the national flag of the Republic and the flag of the youth league.

Kim Jong Un conferred the Order of Kim Jong Il, the highest order of the DPRK, on the Socialist Patriotic Youth League.

He fixed the order on the flag of the SPYL and awarded its certificate to the chairman of the central committee of the youth league.

Then he met exemplary young people who performed distinguished feats in defending the country and at major workplaces of socialist construction.

He highly praised them for their distinguished deeds of responding to the call of the Party with their boundless loyalty and labour achievements, regarding it as their bounden duty and the greatest honour in their life to devote themselves to the motherland.

He said that the important role and brilliant exploits of the Korean youth and the youth league in accomplishing the cause of the Party from one century into the next and from one decade into the next were, indeed, miraculous and great ones that no others could perform, noting that the young vanguard faithful to the Party has always formed a fortress around the Party leading the revolution to a great upsurge in the face of all challenges and ordeals of history.

The Party Central Committee has also planned and advanced today’s gigantic cause of fully demonstrating before the world the dignity and prestige of the country and developing the whole country in a simultaneous and successive way, believing in none other than the young people, he said, adding it is a source of great pride of our Party, state and people and Korea’s unique power no physical strength can break to have a large contingent of the most revolutionary and patriotic youths.

Expressing his expectations and conviction that all the participants in the event would continue to glorify their reputation as patriotic youth in the van of the general advance for building a prosperous powerful country by giving full play to their youthful wisdom, passion and tremendous strength and spirit as befits the master of Juche Korea without an equal in the world, he had a photo session with them to be recorded long in history.

When the photo session was over, the young people broke into stormy cheers of “Hurrah!” and shouted the slogan of death-defying defence again, looking up to the Marshal.

Kim Jong Un warmly waved back to the young vanguard for a long time.

All the participants, honoured with the great fatherly leader’s warm blessings and encouragement, hardened their pledge to unite firmly as one with patriotism, fully support the socialist motherland and wage a more courageous and vigorous struggle for attaining the grand goal to be set by the Ninth Congress of the WPK and carrying forward to completion the revolutionary cause of Juche.

Only brilliant victory and rosy future are always in store for the Socialist Patriotic Youth League and the Korean youth movement, thanks to the outstanding leadership of the great Party Central Committee which puts the young people on the glory of the times so that they can vigorously display their imposing appearance as the reliable advance group of the WPK.

KCNA

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