REPORT ON MEETING OF POLITICAL BUREAU OF C.C., WPK

Pyongyang, December 31 (KCNA) -- A meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was held here on Friday.

Present there were members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and members and alternate members of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the WPK.

The meeting courteously proclaimed that the dear respected Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, assumed the supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army according to the behest of leader Kim Jong Il on October 8, Juche 100 (2011).

All the participants stood up to welcome him with enthusiastic applause.

The meeting adopted the decision of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the WPK "On Effecting a Great Surge in Building a Thriving Nation True to the Behests of the Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il".

The decision said that the army and people of the DPRK are overcome with pain and grief over so early demise of Kim Jong Il to their regret and are renewing their firm pledge to carry forward and accomplish the cause of building a thriving socialist nation and the revolutionary cause of Juche under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, at the behest of Kim Jong Il.

Born as a son of guerrillas in Mt. Paektu, the holy mountain of revolution and grown up to be a great revolutionary, Kim Jong Il suffered all sorts of the most unbearable hardships in the world for the prosperity of the country and its people's happiness for decades since he made a historic declaration that he would glorify Korea all over the world on Ryongnam Hill in his early years. He breathed his last at work on a train while making the most arduous forced march till the last moments of his life.

He formulated the revolutionary ideas of President Kim Il Sung as an integral system of Juche-based ideas, theories and method and comprehensively developed them in depth as required by the era and the developing revolution. He strengthened and developed the WPK, army and state into the party, army and state of the President under the uplifted banner of modeling the whole society on the Juche idea and put the dignity of the nation and state power on the highest level.

It was under his wise leadership that the WPK could display its might as an invincible party which firmly established a monolithic ideological system and achieved a harmonious whole with the popular masses, our revolutionary armed forces could demonstrate its might as a matchless revolutionary army of Mt. Paektu, the world-startling miracles and changes could be created in economic construction and a new era of literary and art renaissance in the 20th century could be ushered in.

Kim Jong Il, the supreme incarnation of the revolutionary moral obligation, set a noble example in accomplishing the cause of perpetuating the memory of the President, the cause unprecedented in the human history of politics, thus making sure that his noble and august name and his immortal revolutionary career and feats always shed rays along with the eternal history of Juche Korea.

He honorably defended the socialist gains, the precious legacies of the President, by dint of Songun despite the collapse of the world socialist system, the great loss to the nation, the vicious offensive of the imperialist allied forces to stifle the DPRK and severe natural disasters. He performed undying feats by turning the DPRK into an invincible political and ideological power united single-mindedly and a powerful nuclear weapons state and a state capable of launching satellites which no enemy dares provoke.

In the era of Kim Jong Il the DPRK emerged a great independent power which no one dares provoke after putting a final end to the history of all sorts of foreign aggression and intervention and embarked upon the road of pushing forward the building of a socialist economic power in all fields with a sure political and military guarantee.

The decision noted that Kim Jong Il, the genius of creation and construction, unrolled a grandiose blueprint for building an economic power, foreseeing victory in future in the grim days of the struggle for defending socialism, and wisely led an all-people general onward movement to carry it out.

On the basis of his lucid insight into the trend of economic development in the 21st century he explored the untrodden path of the CNC-based industrialization in the days of the Arduous March, the forced march and worked heart and soul to realize it. Thanks to his clairvoyant foresight and wise leadership, an exciting gun roar was sounded for the industrial revolution in the new century and the DPRK's economy was transferred into the age of knowledge-based economy, a stirring reality.

He visited again and again every nook and corner of the country including underground mining face with water dropping from its ceiling and windy construction sites of power stations despite sweltering weather and torrential rain in the hottest period of summer, intense cold and strong snowstorm of midwinter. He thus energetically led the all-people onward movement for a great surge to greet 2012. Thanks to his forced march, victories and changes heralding happiness and prosperity in future took place one after another and torch lit in South Hamgyong Province calling upon the whole party and country and all the people to make a final charge raged fiercely.

The whole life of Kim Jong Il was the most brilliant life of the peerless legendary hero born of Heaven and peerless patriot who laid an ever-lasting foundation for the eternal prosperity of the country and the nation, spending all his life under a program for field work with the supreme command on the forefront of the revolution.

Standing at the helm of the Korean revolution is Kim Jong Un, the only successor to Kim Jong Il, the decision said, calling upon all the party members, servicepersons and people to turn sorrow into thousand-fold strength and courage and more dynamically struggle to win a great fresh victory in the Juche revolution under the leadership of Kim Jong Un.

Underlining the need to hold Kim Jong Il in high esteem as the eternal leader of the WPK and revolution and glorify his sacred revolutionary life and undying revolutionary feats forever, the decision referred to the relevant decisions.

The decision also called for more dynamically accelerating the cause of building a thriving socialist nation true to the behests of Kim Jong Il.

It underlined the need to hold Kim Jong Un in high esteem as the only center of unity, cohesion and leadership of the WPK, devotedly defend him politically and ideologically and give fuller play to the might of the political and ideological power.

It called for giving fuller play to the might of the socialist military power and firmly defend the gains of revolution, invariably adhering to the Songun idea and the Songun revolutionary line of Kim Jong Il.

Stressing the need to make the torch lit by Kim Jong Il in South Hamgyong Province, the torch for the industrial revolution in the new century, flare up all over the country to effect a great surge in building a socialist economic power, the decision set forth relevant tasks.

The decision called for turning the country into a highly civilized power in the 21st century where Kim Jong Il 's Juche-based idea of cultural construction is blooming in all fields.

The meeting discussed the joint calls of the Central Committee and the Central Military Commission of the WPK on the centenary of birth of Kim Il Sung. -0-

KIM JONG UN′S ASSUMPTION OF SUPREME COMMANDERSHIP HAILED

Pyongyang, December 31 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, assumed the supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army.

This is a historic event reflecting the unanimous will of the servicepersons and people to defend the dignity of the country and the red flag of the revolution by dint of arms under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Un, supreme leader of the Workers' Party and people of Korea, true to the behests of leader Kim Jong Il.

It was President Kim Il Sung's foresighted resolve and Kim Jong Il's intention to defend the country and the nation with arms.

Kim Jong Un, who came from the blood of the revolutionary family of Mt. Paektu, has all qualifications and traits befitting a statesman and military strategist of modern times.

He has wisely led the army, accompanying Kim Jong Il in inspecting army units.

His assumption of the supreme commandership provides sure guarantee for glorifying the great exploits performed by Kim Jong Il for the army building and carrying forward the cause of the Songun (military-first) revolution generation after generation.

The Korean army and people are rising up from the bitterest sorrow for the loss of the great father of the nation, encouraged by the supreme commander's colors, an invincible banner of their life and struggle.

They are determined to accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, another illustrious commander, true to the behests of leader Kim Jong Il. -0-

Lee Myung Bak Group of Traitors Accused of Its Thrice-cursed Crimes

Pyongyang, December 30 (KCNA) -- The National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Friday released the following statement:

The army and people of the DPRK lost the father of their large family on December 17 so suddenly and so early to their regret.

Their sorrow over the loss was so bitter and unbearable that the whole country turned into a veritable sea of mourners and even the mountains, rivers, plants and trees seemed to wail.

This is because leader Kim Jong Il was the great leader recognized by the world, iron-willed brilliant commander who defeated even the formidable enemies and tender-hearted father who brought up the servicepersons and people under his loving care.

Now not only the Korean people but the whole world will more keenly realize as the days go by what great and distinguished man they lost.

We feel grateful to the heads of state and party leaders, governments, organizations and personages of many countries of the world and compatriots at home and abroad for expressing profound condolences, sharing sorrow with us, and sending sincere sympathy and encouragement during the mourning period. We will never forget them.

When the whole nation is overcome with grief over the great loss, only the south Korean puppet group committed thrice-cursed crimes.

The DPRK National Defence Commission, above all, discloses before the world and the nation the truth about those crimes of the south Korean puppet group.

Though the country remains divided into the north and the south due to foreign forces, we are one nation.

The army and people of the DPRK, though suffering pain resulting from the division, have valued this homogenous nation more than anything else, always regarding as their faith the truth that the nation is above the ideology and system.

But this time the south Korean puppet group perpetrated such rash act as hurting the grief-stricken compatriots and rubbing salt into their wounds, determined to stop remaining as part of the nation of its own accord.

No sooner had the important report of the DPRK been released than the south Korean puppet group convened an emergency "state security meeting" and "state affairs meeting" and put even overseas missions on emergency alert duty, kicking off rackets to create the impression that a "contingency" was created as expected, and a "golden opportunity" presented itself to lead the north to "system change".

The south Korean authorities put the three services of the puppet army on an emergency alert and ordered them to adopt combat posture, creating a war-like atmosphere on the ground and in the seas and air. They let over 30 right-wing conservative reactionary organizations flock to the forefront areas to scatter anti-DPRK leaflets whose content was hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK and inciting disturbance.

Traitor Lee Myung Bak spearheaded all these operations.

He sought to attain his foolish goal by taking the advantage of the mourning period, and if that fails, to lead the DPRK to "contingency" and "change of system".

From the olden times, it was considered inhumane to raise one's fist at the neighbor visited by misfortune and seek profits.

Even a foreign country which has no diplomatic relations with the DPRK stopped the planned military exercises being considerate of the sorrow of the army and people of the DPRK and set a mourning period to express condolences. In the light of this, the traitorous group's bullying acts can not but be viewed as one defying human ethics and morality.

Lee group's stepped-up show of enmity toward the DPRK culminated in its act of blocking south Koreans who wanted to visit Pyongyang to mourn the demise of leader Kim Jong Il.

South Koreans from all walks of life upon the news of Kim Jong Il's demise that came like a bolt from the blue strongly called for expressing condolences and dispatching mourners group regardless of whether they belonged to progressive or conservative camps and ruling or opposition parties.

The traitorous group of Lee turned down all the demands, describing south Koreans' request to express condolences as "sympathy to north's citizens separated from its regime". It banned the dispatch of mourners' group talking about "chaos of south Korean society". It foolishly tried to estrange the popular masses of the DPRK from its headquarters on one hand and totally ban the Pyongyang visits much hoped by broad south Koreans by taking the measures of "selected visits" and "restricting mourners groups" on the other hand.

Shared sorrow lessens while shared pleasure increases.

Expressing condolences and sending condolatory messages have been good manners and customs and ethical tradition peculiar to the Korean nation from the ancient times.

It is for this reason that we brand the evil act of the Lee group as treason bereft of elementary human reason and morality.

The group dared try to link the "final responsibility" for the warship "Cheonan" sinking and shelling on Yonphyong Island with the supreme leadership of the DPRK. They let loose such reckless remarks that the DPRK must present justifications for south Korea to move if it wants to have the "May 24 measure of the authorities" retracted and the north-south relations mended this time.

It is hideous crime that can never be pardoned in any case to dare hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK over its army's self-defensive shell-firing on Yonphyong Island for coping with preemptive provocation in the wake of the "Cheonan" warship sinking case which is not related to the DPRK.

The group of traitors even hatched a plot to prompt the DPRK make a "change", while talking about its non-existent "contingency" and "instability" of its dignified system and regime. This evildoing adds to the said crimes.

Upon joint authorization of the Party, state, army and people of the DPRK, the DPRK National Defence Commission clarifies the following principled stand on the group of traitors' hideous crimes committed at the time of the great misfortune of the nation:

As already declared, the DPRK will have no dealings with the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors forever.

To keep company with them is a disgrace for the clear and honest-minded Korean nation as they are ignorant in politics, vulgar in morals and lack elementary human nature.

We will surely force the group of traitors to pay for its hideous crimes committed at the time of the great national misfortune.

The veritable sea of tears shed by the army and people of the DPRK will turn into that of retaliatory fire to burn all the group of traitors to the last one and their wailing into a roar of revenge to smash the stronghold of the puppet forces.

The conservative media of south Korea would also face due punishment as they are backing and following the group of traitors in its treacherous act against humanity through false report, fabrication, speculation and presumption, oblivious of their mission to be fair speaker for the public and pioneer of true public.

The south Korean puppets and world reactionaries should no longer make a fool of themselves in their bid to lead the DPRK to "contingency" and make its "system instable", something unimaginable.

All the soldiers and people of the DPRK turned out to mourn the demise of leader Kim Jong Il since the announcement of his demise, an indication of the great unity of the party, army and people behind the headquarters of the revolution in single mind and invincibility of the Korean-style socialist system.

The army and people of the DPRK will unswervingly keep to the path of Juche indicated by Kim Jong Il true to the intention of President Kim Il Sung.

Taking this opportunity, we solemnly declare with confidence that the south Korean puppets and foolish politicians around the world should not expect any change from the DPRK.

The army and people of the DPRK will keep to the path of improving north-south relations and achieving peace and prosperity.

Mended north-south relations we want are not improvement based on "high-handedness" and "flexibility" as touted by Lee Myung Bak group of traitors or on crafty gimmick of those rhetorics.

The DPRK wants to improve relations with the south and bring peace and prosperity through the nationwide drive to implement the historic June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration under the banner of independence, peace and reunification.

The world will see how the army and people of the DPRK win the final victory after turning their sorrow and tears into strength and courage, closely rallied behind the dear respected Kim Jong Un. -0-

Short Biography of Kim Jong Il

Kim Jong Il, the great leader of the Korean people, is General Secretary of the Workers’s Party of Korea, chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army.

- Born the son of President Kim Il Sung and the anti-Japanese heroine
Kim Jong Suk at the Mt.Paektu secret camp on 16 February 1942.

- Finished general education from September 1950 to August 1960.

- Completed higher education at Kim Il Sung University from September 1960 to March 1964.

- Admitted to the Worker's Party of Korea (WPK) on July 22 1961.

- Appointed an official of the WPK Central Committee in June 1964 and successively held the posts of section chief, deputy department director and department director of the CC until September 1973.

- Elected member of the WPK CC at the Fifth Plenary Meeting of the Fifth CC in October 1972, and secretary of the CC at the Seventh Plenum of the Fifth CC in September 1973.

- Elected to the Political Committee of the WPK CC and acclaimed heir to President Kim Il Sung at the Eighth Plenum of the Fifth CC in February 1974.

- Elected member of the Presidium of the Political Committee of the WPK CC, secretary of the CC and member of the Party Central Military Commission at the Sixth Party Congress in October 1980.

- Elected to the 7th to 11th Supreme People's Assemblies (SPA) of the DPRK between February 1982 and September 2003.
- Elected first vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission at the first session of the Ninth SPA in May 1990.

- Appointed Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army in December 1991.

- Awarded the title of DPRK Marshal in April 1992.

- Elected chairman of the National Defence Commission at the fifth session of the Ninth SPA in April 1993.

- Elected general secretary of the WPK in October 1997.

-Re-elected chairman of the National Defence Commission at the first session of the 10th SPA in September 1998 and at the first session of the 11th SPA in September 2003.

- Published a great number of works, including those compiled in the 14-volume “Kim Jong Il’s Selected Works” and the 10-volume “For the Accomplishment of the Revolutionary Cause of Juche”, through his energetic and brilliant ideological and theoretical activities.

- Awarded the title of DPRK Hero three times in 1975, 1982 and 1992, the
Kim Il Sung Order three times in 1978, 1982 and 1992, the Kim Il Sung Prize in February 1973, and many other decorations and medals.

- Received a large number of decorations and medals, honourary titles, titles of honourary professor and doctor from many countries

GUIDE OF THE CAUSE OF INDEPENDENCE

The independent cause of mankind is invariably advancing even in the grin trials of history, which is unthinkable apart from leader Kim Jong Il of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Extraordinary Ideological and Theoretical Activities

The Korean leader formulated the revolutionary ideas of President Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) into the integrated system of the idea, theory and method of Juche. This was a noteworthy event in accomplishing the independent cause of mankind.

Kim Jong Il wrote a number of works, including On the Juche Idea (March 1982),

To develop in depth the Juche idea authored by the President and systematizes it in a comprehensive way. The Juche idea which was rapidly propagated around the globe has been widely recognized as a guiding idea for independent cause. This has made it possible for the progressive people to possess the powerful ideological and theoretical weapon for building a new world, free from all sorts of oppression, restriction, domination and subordination.

He formulated the idea and theory on a socialism perfectly.

When several socialist countries collapsed in succession in the closing year of the last century and the imperialists, availing themselves of the opportunity, made a fuss about the “end of socialism,” he made public a number of works, including The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party (January 1992), Abuses of Socialism are intolerable (March 1993), Socialism Is a Science (November 1994) and Giving Priority to Ideological Work Is Essential for Accomplishing Socialism (June 1995), thereby providing the truth and correctness of theory on socialism and inevitability of its triumph and delineating in a comprehensive way the theoretical and practical problems arising in accomplishing the independent cause of mankind.

Original Mode of Sogun Politics

The imperialist forces led by the United States that claimed itself as the sole superpower in the world, taking advantage of the destruction of equilibrium of forces on the planet, made frantic efforts to stamp out the independent cause of mankind once and for all. They nakedly perpetrated their aggression and intervention against other countries, being indulged in their arbitrary actions in international arena. Especially, they launched an all-round offensive in all fields of politics, military affairs, the economy, culture and external affairs against the DPRK which is advancing along the road to socialism under the unfurled banner of independence against imperialism.

To cope with such situation, the Korean leader, holding aloft the banner of Songun, has formulated Songun politics as the basic mode of socialist politics.

Thanks to his Songun politics, the DPRK, by further strengthening its defense capabilities, has been able to demonstrate its might as a military power that no enemy, however formidable, dares to attack.

This provides a sure guarantee for safeguarding its sovereignty and socialism and maintaining the peace and security of the Korean peninsula and other Northeast Asian regions, to say nothing of the world.

Today Songun politics is fully demonstrating its historical meaningfulness and position for its justness and validity as the days go by, and it is a tendency of the times to model after it.

Energetic External Activities

Kim Jong Il’s energetic external activities make a great contribution to providing an international environment favorable for the DPRK, establishing fair international relations and accomplishing the independent cause of mankind.

He puts forward independence, peace and friendship as the basic principles of the DPRK’s external activities and directs a deep concern to building a new, independent world. He positively carried on external activities for strengthening the independent force of the world which is opposed to imperialism. At the outset of the new century, he paid visits to China on several occasions, and met with the central leadership members of China who visited DPRK. His activities gave a stimulus to the common struggle of the peoples of the two countries who are channeling energy into consolidating the developing traditional DPRK-China relations, and safeguarding the cause of socialism and the global peace. Two rounds of visit to Russia in the early years of the new century and the visit to Russia’s Siberia and Far East in August 2011 injected fresh vitality in putting the relationship between the DPRK and Russia onto a new higher phase and contributed to international efforts for building an independent world.

He met the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Communist Party, the president of the Republic of Indonesia and the king of Cambodia Kingdom, who visited Korea, and thus greatly contributed to promoting friendly and cooperative relations among the developing countries in line with the demand of the new century.

Kim Jong Il, who paid great attention to improving the relations with the Western countries, met the highest-ranking delegation of the EU and former President Bill Clinton. This opened a new phase; countries that had so far shunned and despised Korea began to improve their relations with it.

Within a few years from 2000, the DPRK has established or resumed diplomatic relations with 20-odd countries including almost all the Western countries such as Italy, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain, and the EU, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, Kuwait and Bahrain.

His external activities embrace wide fields, ranging from political circles to the press and economic circles. Among those who were honored with audience of him are the members of delegation of financial group council of international foreign exchange of Italy, chairman and CEO of the Orascom Telecom Holding of Egypt and president of the “The Washington Times.”

Great Man Kim Jong Il

The international community praises Kim Jong Il, leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as a peerlessly great man.

He is an excellent thinker and the theoretician.

He formulated the revolutionary ideology of President Kim Il Sung, founder of socialist Korea, as an integral system of idea, theory and method of Juche. His work On the Juche Idea made public in March 1982 has become the first must-read book for the advocates of the Juche idea around the world.

He has incessantly engaged in ideological and theoretical activities to develop and enrich the Juche idea as required by the times and revolutionary development.

He advanced a large number of new ideas and theories, such as the revolutionary philosophy of Juche, and the theories on modeling the whole society on the Juche idea, on carrying forward the revolutionary cause, on People-centred socialism and on building a Juche-oriented party and revolutionary armed force. All his ideas and theories are the strategic lines of defending national independence and sovereignty and accomplishing the cause of socialism and cover every domain of social life-politics, the economy, military affairs, the art and literature, and science and education.

Kim Jong Il, busy as he is leading the country and the people, has provided comprehensive and perfect answers to the theoretical and practical problems that are required by the times and reality. In the years when the socialist system was abolished in Eastern European countries and the ideal of socialism was under severe criticism, he made public such works as The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party (January 1992), Abuses of Socialism Are Intolerable (March 1993) and Socialism Is a Science (November 1994), thus instilling in the world progressive people great encouragement and dealing a heavy blow to imperialists and socialist renegades.

Particularly noteworthy in his ideological and theoretical activities is that he has developed in depth the Songun idea. He has formulated Songun politics as the basic political mode of socialism by developing in depth the Songun idea rooted in the Juche idea to meet the new conditions of the present times. Thanks to him, a powerful ideo-theoretical foundation has been laid for the victorious advance of socialism under whatever fortuitous circumstances and conditions.

Kim Jong Il is the master of leadership.

He has achieved the single-hearted unity of the Korean society, the first of its kind in the history of world politics. He has equipped all members of society with the Juche idea and pursued benevolent politics, all-embracing politics, thereby further consolidating the traditional unity of the Korean society an ideology and purpose, morality and obligation.

He solves all problems in such a way to ideologically motivate people by giving top priority to ideological work over all other affairs. He puts forth appealing slogans to encourage the army and people, and gives fullest play to the inexhaustible creative ability of the masses by initiating various kinds of mass movements. As he has attached importance to the power of ideology and wisely led to its maximum display, Korea witnessed last century the 8km West Sea Barrage constructed across the sea and socialism defended with credit despite the excessive economic blockade and sanctions of the imperialist allied forces and severe natural calamities. In recent years alone in this country the construction project of the large-scale Huichon Power Station that had been estimated to be finished in over ten years was completed within three years.

Through his incessant trips of field guidance he is always among the people, shares with them life and death, and greatly inspires them to the struggle for accomplishing the socialist cause. His Songun-based revolutionary leadership started with his inspection of a unit of the Korean People’s Army on August 25, 1960, and continues today, visiting the army and people even on Sundays, holidays and on his birth anniversary days.

Thanks to his unexcelled political ability and energetic leadership Korea has developed into a politico-ideological and military power, and is making miraculous achievements day after day in its drive to build an economic power.

Kim Jong Il is the great veteran of independent politics.

At the close of the last century, when socialism collapsed in several countries he initiated that the Pyongyang Declaration, titled, Let Us Defend and Advance the Cause of Socialism, was adopted signed by scores of political parties aspiring after socialism. The declaration has proven its great vitality in overcoming the temporary frustration of the world socialist movement and bringing about its fresh upswing. Socialism has expanded its scope of influence even to many Latin-American countries, once called the “quiet backyard” of the United States, far from having met its end as imperialists had clamored about. As of the present day, the declaration has been signed by over 270 political parties.

Kim Jong Il has made great contribution to the defense of the global peace and security and the building of a new independent world with energetic external activities. The DPRK-Russia Moscow Declaration adopted during his visit to Russia in 2001 was a historic declaration that indicated the direction of independent development in the new century and made a breach in the United States; attempt for uni-polar global integration. Several rounds of his recent visit to China and the Russian Federation are also recognized to be of great significance in easing the tense situations in Northeast Asia, realizing the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, aspiring after peace and stability of the world, and putting the international community along the democratic and independent track.

It is therefore quite natural that the world mass media pay special attention to and provide wide coverage to Kim Jong Il’s foreign activities.

He dedicated all his life to the inheritance and accomplishment of the revolutionary cause of Juche and energetically worked day and night for the prosperity of the socialist homeland, happiness of people, reunification of the country and global independence. He passed away too suddenly to our profound regret.

His sudden demise at a historic time when an epochal phase is being opened for accomplishing the cause of building a powerful and prosperous socialist state and the Korean revolution is making steady victorious progress despite manifold difficulties and trials is the greatest loss to the WPK and the Korean revolution and the bitterest grief to all the Koreans at home and abroad.

Notice to All Party Members, Servicepersons and People

Pyongyang, December 19 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee and the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the Cabinet of the DPRK on Saturday announced the following notice to all party members, servicepersons and people:

The Central Committee and the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the Cabinet of the DPRK notify with bitterest grief to all the party members, servicepersons and people of the DPRK that Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, passed away of a sudden illness at 08: 30 on December 17, Juche 100 (2011) on his way to field guidance.

He dedicated all his life to the inheritance and accomplishment of the revolutionary cause of Juche and energetically worked day and night for the prosperity of the socialist homeland, happiness of people, reunification of the country and global independence. He passed away too suddenly to our profound regret.

His sudden demise at a historic time when an epochal phase is being opened for accomplishing the cause of building a powerful and prosperous socialist state and the Korean revolution is making steady victorious progress despite manifold difficulties and trials is the greatest loss to the WPK and the Korean revolution and the bitterest grief to all the Koreans at home and abroad.

Kim Jong Il, who was born as a son of guerillas on Mt. Paektu, the holy mountain of the revolution, and grew up to be a great revolutionary, wisely led the party, the army and people for a long period, performing undying revolutionary feats on behalf of the country, the people, the times and history.

Kim Jong Il possessed of personality and qualifications as a great man on the highest and perfect level was an outstanding thinker and theoretician who led the revolution and construction along the path of steady victories with his profound ideologies and theories and remarkable leadership. He was also peerlessly political elder and outstanding and illustrious commander of Songun and peerless patriot and tender-hearted father of the people who recorded the whole history of the revolutionary struggle with ardent love for the country and its people and noble dedication.

Considering it as his lifelong mission to carry to completion generation after generation the revolutionary cause of Juche started by President Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il pushed forward the revolution and construction in line with the idea and intention of the President as the dearest comrade and the most loyal comrade-in-arms of the President.

Kim Jong Il comprehensively developed in depth the immortal Juche idea, Songun idea, fathered by the President and glorified it as the idea guiding the era of independence with his clairvoyant wisdom and energetic ideological and theoretical activities. He firmly defended and carried forward the revolutionary traditions of Mt. Paektu with pure mind, thereby giving a steady continuity to the Korean revolution.

Kim Jong Il, genius of the revolution and construction, developed the party, army and state to be the party, army and state of Kim Il Sung, put the dignity and power of the nation on the highest level and ushered in the golden days of prosperity unprecedented in the nation's history spanning 5 000 years under the uplifted banner of modeling the whole society on the Juche idea.

Kim Jong Il, supreme incarnation of the revolutionary moral obligation, set a great example in perpetuating the memory of President Kim Il Sung unknown in human political history, thus making sure that the august name of the President, his undying revolutionary career and exploits always shine along with the eternal history of Juche Korea.

Kim Jong Il, great master of politics and illustrious commander born of Heaven, honorably defended the socialist gains, noble heritage bequeathed by the President, by dint of Songun politics despite the collapse of the world socialist system, the demise of the President which was the greatest loss to the nation, the vicious offensive of the imperialist allied forces to stifle the DPRK and severe natural disasters. He turned the DPRK into an invincible political and ideological power in which single-minded unity has been achieved and made it emerge a nuclear weapons state and an invincible military power which no enemy can ever provoke.

True to President Kim Il Sung's behest, Kim Jong Il set a gigantic goal to build a prosperous and powerful country and led an all-people general advance for attaining it, thus making the drive for a great revolutionary surge rage throughout the country and bringing about great innovations and leap forward on all fronts of socialist construction.

Kim Jong Il, father of the nation and lodestar of national reunification, led all the fellow countrymen to the road of independence and great national unity with his rock-firm will to implement the instructions of the President for national reunification and ushered in the June 15 era of reunification in which the noble idea of "By our nation itself" is materialized.

As a great guardian of socialism and justice, he conducted energetic external activities for the victory of the socialist cause, global peace and stability and friendship and solidarity among peoples under the uplifted banner of independence against imperialism, thus remarkably raising the international position and prestige of the DPRK and making immortal contributions to the human cause of independence.

In the whole period of his protracted revolutionary guidance, he valued and loved the people very much and always shared weal and woe with them. He continued to make difficult forced march for field guidance, making unremitting efforts and working heart and soul to build a thriving country and improve the standard of people's living. He died from repeated mental and physical fatigue on a train in that course.

The whole life of Kim Jong Il was the most brilliant life of a great revolutionary who covered an untrodden thorny path with his iron will and superhuman energy, holding aloft the red flag of revolution. It was the life of the peerless patriot who dedicated his all to the country and its people.

He passed away to our regret before seeing the victory of the cause of building a thriving nation, the national reunification and the accomplishment of the revolutionary cause of Juche so ardently desired by him, but laid a strong political and military base for ensuring the steady advance of the Korean revolution through generations and provided a solid foundation for the eternal prosperity of the country and the nation.

Standing in the van of the Korean revolution at present is Kim Jong Un, great successor to the revolutionary cause of Juche and outstanding leader of our party, army and people.

Kim Jong Un's leadership provides a sure guarantee for creditably carrying to completion the revolutionary cause of Juche through generations, the cause started by Kim Il Sung and led by Kim Jong Il to victory.

We have the invincible revolutionary army of Mt. Paektu faithful to the cause of the Workers' Party of Korea, the great unity of the army and people closely rallied around the Party, the best Korean-style socialist system centered on the popular masses and the solid foundation of the independent national economy.

Under the leadership of Kim Jong Un we should turn our sorrow into strength and courage and overcome the present difficulties and work harder for fresh great victory of the Juche revolution.

Our army and people will hold leader Kim Jong Il in high esteem forever with unshakable faith and noble sense of moral obligation. True to his behests, they will make neither slightest concession nor delay on the road of the Juche revolution, the Songun revolution but resolutely defend his undying feats and glorify them for all ages.

All the party members, servicepersons and people should remain loyal to the guidance of respected Kim Jong Un and firmly protect and further cement the single-minded unity of the party, the army and the people.

Under the uplifted banner of Songun, we should increase the country's military capability in every way to reliably safeguard the Korean socialist system and the gains of revolution and make the torch lit in South Hamgyong Province, the drive for the industrial revolution in the new century, rage throughout the country and thus bring about a decisive turn in building an economic power and improving the standard of people's living.

We will surely achieve the independent reunification of the country by concerted efforts of all Koreans by thoroughly implementing the Three Charters for National Reunification and the north-south joint declarations.

Our party and people will strive hard to boost friendship and solidarity with the peoples of different countries, guided by the idea of independence, peace and friendship, and build an independent and peaceful, new world free from domination, subjugation, aggression and war.

Arduous is the road for our revolution to follow and grim is the present situation. But no force on earth can check the revolutionary advance of our party, army and people under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Un.

The heart of Kim Jong Il stopped beating, but his noble and august name and benevolent image will always be remembered by our army and people and his glorious history of revolutionary activities and undying feats will remain shining in the history of the country forever.-0-

Notice of National Funeral Committee

Pyongyang, December 19 (KCNA) -- The National Funeral Committee released a following notice on Saturday:

It notifies that it decided as follows so that the whole party, army and people can express the most profound regret at the demise of leader Kim Jong Il and mourn him in deep reverence:

His bier will be placed at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace.

Mourning period will be set from Dec. 17 to 29, Juche 100 (2011) and mourners will be received from Dec. 20 to 27.

A farewell-bidding ceremony will be solemnly held in Pyongyang on Dec. 28.

A national memorial service for Kim Jong Il will be held on Dec. 29.

Mourning guns will be boomed in Pyongyang and in provincial seats timed to coincide with the national memorial service in Pyongyang and all the people will observe three minutes' silence and all locomotives and vessels will blow sirens all at once.

All institutions and enterprises across the country will hold mourning events during the mourning period and all provinces, cities and counties will hold memorial services timed to coincide with the national memorial service in Pyongyang.

The institutions and enterprises will hoist flags at half-mast and musical and all other entertainments will be refrained.

Foreign mourning delegations will not be received. -0-

DEAR LEADER COMRADE KIM JONG IL PASSES ON

December 19 2011


His Excellency KIM JONG UN
Supreme Leader of Korean People

Pyongyang


I sincerely express my most profound regret at the demise of the leader KIM JONG IL on behalf of all adherents of Juche Idea in Nigeria .
As a great guardian of peace and justice, he conducted energetic activities for global peace and stability and friendship and solidarity among peoples of the world under the uplifted banner of independence, thus making immortal contributions to the human cause of independence.
I am fully convinced that Korean people will turn their sorrow into strength and courage and overcome the present difficulties and work harder for great victory of the Juche revolution under the leadership of Your Excellency.
Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

Dr. Alhassan Mamman Muhammad
National Chairman
Nigeria National Committee on the Study of the Juche Idea

Abuja

Kim Jong Suk, Praised Forever
Kim Jong Suk (1917-1949)is a Korean woman who enjoys the eternal admiration of not only Korean people but many world personages.
Legendary Woman Guerrilla General
Kim Jong Suk was born into a poor farm family in Osandok-dong, Hoeryong City, North Hamgyong Province in the part of korea, on December 24, 1917. At the time when she was born, Korea was under the Japanese military occupation (1905-1994).
Born in such a state of national sufferings, Kim Jong Suk embarked on the road of struggle in her teens to save her country and fellow people. At the age of 18, she joined the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army led by Kim Il Sung (1912-1994).
Since then she fought bloody battles with arms in her hands, winning fame as an anti-Japanese woman general, for over ten years until the country was liberated (August 15, 1945).
During the days many anecdotes were told of her. They included the stories that her marksmanship was so mysterious that it looked as if her bullets had an eye, how she lured many enemy soldiers single-handed to defend the security of her unit, how she made the enemy shudder by leading a song while a few members of a sewing unit and by a few sewing machines in a forest only for 20 days, and how she aroused the board sections of the masses to the sacred anti-Japanese war by her skilled, sophisticated activities behind the enemy lines, and so on.
It is quite natural that she was called an anti-Japanese heroine, a woman guerrilla general, for she was possessed of extraordinary resourcefulness, peerless courage and mysterious marksmanship..
The following is among the slogans that anti-Japanese fighters wrote on the barked trees at the time:
“Twenty million countrymen, generals for liberating Korea are Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Suk,” “Kim Jong Suk, anti-Japanese woman general of Mt. Paektu, is a heroine of the century that Korea has produced,” and “A woman general of Mt. Paektu beats the Japs, being elusive in her movements and acting swiftly.”
Immortal Exploits
People linger in front of a picture in the Korean Revolutionary Museum on Mansu Hill in the heart of Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK. The picture depicts a fact that happened near Dashahe in Northeast China in the days of the anti-Japanese armed struggle.
Commander Kim Il Sung commands a battle there standing high on a rock, five or six enemy soldiers steal up on him with their rifles aimed at him, and at this critical moment Kim Jong Suk flies herself to him, shields him and shoots enemy down with a Mauser held fast in her hand.
The moment must have been only a few seconds. But every second was telling: it would decide Korea’s destiny.
Similar events were witnessed not only near Dashahe. During many battles she safeguarded Kim Il Sung from danger at the risk of her life.
For her, Kim Il Sung was the heart of Korea, destiny of Korea, whom she had to defend at all costs, even by sacrificing herself.
Throughout her short life, she devoted her all for the sake of Kim Il Sung’s safety and good health. The stories about how she dried his wet clothes against her body in the winter cold during the consecutive fierce battles, how she thinned her hair to make liners for his shoes and how she made overcoat for him with floss-silk that is said to be bullet-proof, still move the listeners.
Even after Korea’s liberation she regarded herself as a bodyguard of Kim Il Sung, and reliably defend his personal safety as he was guiding the building of a new country in difficult circumstances. To say nothing of preparing his meal, she knitted his socks or gloves for herself. The preparing of soybean paste and kimchi for which he had a special liking took much effort, but she spared no effort for doing it by herself.
She lived only for four years after the country’s liberation, and she visited as many as hundreds of units on over 700 occasions t assist Kim Il Sung in his cause of building a country.
In order to hand down her exploits forever, the Korean people named after her many areas and units, such as Kim Jong Suk County, Kim Jong Suk Naval University, Kim Jong Suk University of Education, Pyongyang Kim Jong Suk Silk Mill, Kim Jong Suk Sanatorium and Kim Jong Suk Nursery.
Mother’s Wish
Brazilian newspaper Hora do povo once wrote:
“Chairman Kim Jong Il of the NDC of the DPRK answered questions raised by a Russian newswoman. He counted among his most intimate persons his mother who passed away when he was a child.
My mother was a woman revolutionary fighter. She wished a good success of all her son’s work…… I owe a big debt of gratitude to her.”
This afforded international society an opportunity to dwell on Kim Jong Il’s memory of his mother.
Kim Jong Suk wrapped him in a patched quilt and brought up her son not in a soft cradle in a quiet house but in a small log cabin in a secret camp on Mt. Paektu (the highest mountain in Korea. The Korean people call it the ancestral mountain from olden times), amidst severe snowstorm and gun reports of the anti-Japanese armed struggle.
She would put her pistol in his small hands and taught him how to shoot it, saying with deep meaning that the country should be liberated and defended by forces of arms. After Korea’s liberation, she would visit army units and military schools together with her son, and tailored him a general’s uniform.
In her lifetime she used to request him to grow up to become an excellent general like his father; a few hours before she died, she showed him the military uniform of Kim Il Sung.
Her pistol and Kim Il Sung’s military uniform that were handed over to young Kim Jong Il by Kim Jong Suk-these were valuable inheritances associated with her wish that Kim Jong Il should carry forward Kim Il Sung’s cause down through generations, defend Korea and exalt Korea’s dignity by force of arms.
Her wish is being put into brilliant practice in the DPRK leaping towards a great, prosperous and powerful country under the ever-victorious Songun leadership of Kim Jong Il.