DPRK to grant amnesty to mark birth anniversaries of leaders

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will grant amnesty to convicts as from February 1 for celebrations of the birth anniversaries of former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, the official news agency KCNA reported Tuesday.

The Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly issued a decree on Thursday concerning amnesty for convicts, said the KCNA.

The year 2012 marked the 100th anniversary of Kim Il-sung's birth and the 70th anniversary of Kim Jong-il's birth.

The cabinet and relevant organs will take relative measures for the integration into society of the convicts to be released, said the KCNA.

The decree said it is the steadfast will of the Workers' Party of Korea(WPK) and the state to embody "the noble benevolent and all-embracing politics of President Kim Il-sung and leader Kim Jong-il" generation by generation.

The DPRK granted amnesty to 150,000 prisoners in 2010 on the 65th anniversary of the founding of the WPK, reports said.