▲ This image of Kim Il Sung University is captured from the North Korean magazine Choson. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

NK university-symposium

N. Korea's top university holds int'l symposium attended only by China, Russia

SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- Kim Il Sung University, North Korea's top university named after the national founder, has held its annual international academic symposium, attended only by researchers and faculty from China and Russia, according to state media Thursday.

"Officials, faculty members, researchers, as well as scholars from Russia and China's education, science research and cultural exchange institutes" attended the symposium held the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The event was divided into three disciplines -- socio-politics, economy and humanities -- under the theme "Autonomy, Equality and Regional Development," and dozens of theses were submitted, the KCNA said.

The international Kim Il Sung University symposium first appeared in North Korean media in 2011 and was held annually until 2018, after which it was no longer mentioned. The report Thursday suggests the university may have resumed the event for the first time in seven years.

Previously, the symposium hosted participants not only from China and Russia but also from the United States, France, Spain and Australia. This year's event, restricted exclusively to participants from China and Russia, appears to be related to the country's current political situation connected to its close alignment with Russia.

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