Members of the Chinese Embassy in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and other representatives paid tribute to Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs in Kangwon Province ahead of China's 13th Martyrs' Day on Wednesday.
Embassy staff lined up in formation at two CPV martyrs' cemeteries in Pyonggang County on Monday, laying flower baskets, bowing their heads in silent tribute, and recalling the martyrs' extraordinary courage and sacrifice.
Chinese Ambassador to the DPRK Wang Yajun recited a eulogy on behalf of all those present, paying deep respects to the CPV martyrs' monumental contributions. A representative of the embassy's military attaché office recited a letter from the squad leader of the "Huang Jiguang Squad" to Martyr Huang Jiguang. Representatives of the embassy's young diplomats and students recited a memorial poem.
The embassy staff and other representatives also visited a CPV martyrs' cemetery in Hoeyang County on Sunday.
China sent 2.9 million CPV soldiers to assist the DPRK during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953), of whom more than 360,000 were killed or injured.
In 2014, China's top legislature adopted a decision to establish Martyrs' Day. Observed on Sept. 30, one day before National Day, the day commemorates those who gave their lives for national independence and prosperity.
Chinese embassy in DPRK pay tribute to CPV martyrs
China's research icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong 2 safely returned to Shanghai on Tuesday, successfully wrapping up the country's 16th Arctic expedition with significant scientific breakthroughs and discoveries.
During the three-month mission, the two vessels completed comprehensive marine environment surveys in the Chukchi sea plateau, the Canada Basin, and the central Arctic Ocean. They made major strides in multidisciplinary investigations of the ice edge zone and integrated three-dimensional air-ice-sea observations.
The expedition revealed an enhanced injection of subsurface warm water from the Pacific Ocean into the Canada Basin and discovered a new massive hydrothermal plume zone in the abyssal depths of the Gakkel Ridge.
The finding of a substantial number of juvenile polar cod in high-latitude ice areas has updated the international understanding of the Arctic ecosystem.
Breakthroughs in geophysical surveys along the Gakkel Ridge yielded a complete record of the lithosphere's electrical structure spanning 25 million years.
Researchers discovered that the bottom boundary of the lithosphere extends almost horizontally at a depth of about 60 kilometers, challenging the traditional plate cooling model's predictions on plate thickening.
"The scale of the expedition and the total volume of tasks reached record highs, yielding fruitful results in new scientific discoveries, theoretical breakthroughs, technology testing, and equipment applications. This provides strong support for gaining a deeper understanding of and effectively responding to climate change, as well as advancing the sustainable development of the Arctic," said Wang Jinhui, leader of China's 16th Arctic expedition team.
The research vessels Jidi and Tansuo-3 are still carrying out their expedition tasks and are expected to return in mid-October.
China's icebreakers return from 16th Arctic expedition with major discoveries
