Pyongyang, April 9 (KCNA) -- State academic degrees and titles were awarded to intellectuals.

Present at the awarding ceremony, held on April 8, were Vice-Premier Jon Sung Guk and intellectuals.

The title of candidate academician went to Dean of a faculty O Chon Il, Head of a department Yu Chol Jun and Section Chief Kim Nam Chol of Kim Il Sung University, Official Choe Chol of University of National Economy and Director of an institute Hong Chol Hwa of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Professorship was awarded to Pak Kyong Il, head of a department of Kim Il Sung University, O Hui Nam, teacher of the university, Kim Kuk Mo, vice department director of Kim Chaek University of Technology, Kang Hyon Mi, head of a department of Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies, and Ri Sok Ryong, rector of the Unjong area postgraduate school of the State Academy of Sciences.

Doctoral degrees were conferred on 54 persons including Pak Kyong Hui, teacher of the Central Cadres Training School of the Workers' Party of Korea, Pak Un Hak, head of a department of Kim Hyong Jik University of Education, and Kim Hye Yong, rector of Hyesan Teacher Training College.

True to our Party's idea of attaching importance to science and technology, they made research successes conducive to the development of the country's economy and the improvement of the people's standard of living and made positive contributions to the education of the rising generation. -0-