One day in mid-August Juche 62 (1973), President Kim Il Sung gave instructions on the occasions of the 25^th anniversary of the founding of the DPRK, checked on preparing for service to foreign guests coming to the event.

   An official pointed out the visiting places and proposed the armchairs and carpet for furnishing those places.

   The President thought for a while and said that you were now proposing armchairs and carpets to furnish our cooperative farms in western style and your proposal was not right. He continued that we should guide the foreign guests to a room of Korean style to sit on the floor. He taught in details how to fix up the room, mentioning that it would be enough to repaper the floor and walls of a room, place some Korean cushions around and put some packs of cigarettes on a lacquered table.

   Afterwards, the officials decorated the places in our own style as taught by the President and greeted foreign guests. After taking off their shoes, sitting cross-legged and tasting Korean foods on a traditional hypocaust floor, the foreigners were so impressed with the Korean hospitality to the guests they could not receive anywhere in the world, and repeatedly said “Thank you”, “Very impressive”.

   Listening to the reflection of their sincerity, the officials looked back seriously on their mistakes in the past and got to realize that Korean style reflecting our own style and the feeling of our people’s life is the best.

   In late January Juche 82 (1993), nearly 20 years from then, the President looked at the souvenirs for foreigners, recalled those days and said to the officials that we could afford to delight the guests only when bring them to Korean style but we were now serving the guests in western style with humble skills, not satisfying them. He stressed again that we should treat foreigners in our style, for in western style we could not give satisfaction to the westerners who had been accustomed to their life for thousands of years.

   Indeed, the instructions of the President that guest hospitality should be given in our own style were precious teachings to encourage our officials to have high national pride and courage that Korean style was the best and widely promote excellent folk customs and practices to the foreigners to glorify it to the world.