Attending it were Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, officials in the fields of architecture and press and architects, delegations of different countries, international organizations and overseas compatriots and representatives and staff members of foreign embassies here.

The participants laid a floral basket before the marble statue of President Kim Il Sung at the house to pay tribute to him.

Addressing the ceremony, Mun Jae Chol, acting chairman of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and chairman of the organizing committee of the Pyongyang International Scientific and Technological Book Exhibition, said that the exhibition would offer a good opportunity to get better understanding of the global history and recent trend of architectural development and develop the exchange and cooperation in architecture among countries.

He Jingtang, vice-president of the Architectural Society of China, said in a congratulatory speech that the exhibition, opened with a large attendance, proves that the DPRK government has attached importance and big efforts to the architectural development.

He expressed belief that the Korean people would achieve rapid development in architecture in the future, too, closely rallied around General Secretary Kim Jong Il.

At the end of the ceremony, the participants looked round architectural books and data presented to the exhibition by more than 20 organizations of the DPRK, China, Russia, Germany, Indonesia, France and Poland, international bodies and overseas compatriots.