Among many foreigners who have formed close relations with our people, there is one ordinary Bulgarian woman named Vasilka Nikiforova.
She is none other than the woman who looked after the Korean students studying in Bulgaria in 1950s with devotion. This has earned her love and respect from them. They affectionately called her “mother Vasilka”.
When President Kim Il Sung visited Bulgaria in 1956, Vasilka Nikiforova was honored to have an opportunity of presenting him with a bouquet.
At that time, President Kim Il Sung expressed his gratitude to her for showing deep attention to the life of our students and taking care of them as their true mother.
President Kim Il Sung was on an official good-will visit to Bulgaria in 1984 again. Though he was busy with his tight schedule, he remembered and personally met her and her family. He also had souvenir photograph taken with and gave affectionate gifts to them.
When she gave words of thanks to President Kim Il Sung, he said that today’s meeting was a symbol of good friendly relationship between the two countries. He also said that we are truly one family though we live in different countries.
Vasilka Nikiforova and her family visited our country in September 1985 at the kind invitation of President Kim Il Sung. During their stay, they received warm hospitality from the Korean people and enjoyed every minute of it in good company with them as one family.
Vasilka Nikiforova is different in nationality, language and blood. But she remains forever in memory of the Korean people as one family, sharing our flesh and blood.
