Kim Jong Il pays homage to President Kim Il Sung
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, accompanied by senior party and state officials, on the morning of July 8, the national day of the deepest mourning, to pay homage to the President Kim Il Sung. The palace, the sacred temple of Juche, was wrapped in an atmosphere of profound mourning on the 5th death anniversary of the President, the father of socialist Korea and the eternal sun of the nation.
Kim Jong Il entered the hall where the statue of the President stands.
He was accompanied by Kim Yong Nam, Jo Myong Rok, Hong Song Nam and other senior party and state officials, members and alternate members of the WPK Central Committee, leading officials of the party, armed forces and power bodies, commission and ministries of the cabinet, national institutions and public organisations and generals of the KPA.
Seen on either side of the President's statue were flags of the WPK and the DPRK and colors of the KPA. A guard of honor of the three services of the KPA lined up there. A floral basket was laid before the President's statue in the joint name of the WPK Central Committee, the central military commission of the WPK, the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK and the cabinet of the DPRK. Written on the ribbon hanging from the floral basket were letters "the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung is immortal."
Kim Jong Il together with senior party and state officials paid respectful homage to the statue of the President. He mounted the staircase to enter the hall where the President is preserved in state and paid his deepest respects to the President together with senior party and state officials.
National memorial service on 5th death anniversary of Kim Il Sung
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- A national memorial service is held solemnly at the plaza of the Kumsusan Memorial Palace today, the 5th anniversary of the passing away of the President Kim Il Sung. The service was attended by General Secretary Kim Jong Il. Jo Myong Rok, first vice-chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and director of the general political department of the KPA, makes a memorial address at the service.
National memorial service held in presence of Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- A national memorial service was held solemnly here today to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the passing away of the President Kim Il Sung.
The whole country was wrapped in an atmosphere of deep mourning.
The plaza of the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, the venue of the national memorial service, Kim Il Sung Square, Kim Il Sung Stadium, the plaza of the Arch of Triumph, Jonsung Square and other squares, stadiums and play-grounds in the capital city of Pyongyang were crowded with Pyongyangites from all walks of life and men and officers of the People's Army, who gathered to honor the memory of the President.
A Portrait of President Kim Il Sung was hung on the facade of the Kumsusan Memorial Palace. Put up at the plaza were slogan boards "Long live the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung " and "Long live the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il " also seen in the plaza were slogans "The great leader comrade Kim Il Sung will always be with us", "Let us arm ourselves more firmly with the revolutionary ideas of the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung " "We cherish the memory of the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung in deepest reverence", "Let us uphold the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung for all ages " and "Let us defend the headquarters of the revolution headed by the great comrade Kim Jong Il at the cost of our lives " the service was attended by officials of the party, armed forces and power organs, commission and ministries of the cabinet, national institutions and public organizations, KPA officers and men, officials of science, education, culture and arts, public health and the press, those related to revolutionary activities of President Kim Il Sung, men and women of merits, bereaved families of revolutionary martyrs and working people in the city.
At 07:00 General Secretary Kim Jong Il appeared on the platform of the memorial service. Also seen in the platform were Kim Yong Nam, Jo Myong Rok, Hong Song Nam and other senior party and state officials, anti-Japanese revolutionary veterans and leading officials of the party and armed forces organs, working people's organisations and national institutions. All the participants in the service paid a silent tribute to President Kim Il Sung amidst the playing of dirge.
Jo Myong Rok, first vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and director of the general political department of the KPA, delivered a memorial address.
For five years since the passing away of the President, all the Korean people and officers and men of the KPA have more keenly felt what a great leader they had and how blessed they were with the illustrious leader.
Kim Il Sung whom the Korean people acclaimed and held in high esteem for the first time in the history of thousands of years conducted energetic activities solely for the freedom and happiness of the people, the independence and sovereignty of the country and for the prosperity of the nation all his life with distinguished intelligence, extraordinary leadership ability and noble virtues, enjoying absolute trust and support not only from the Korean people but also from the world revolutionary people.
He embarked upon the road of the revolution in his early years, founded the immortal Juche idea and brought the country's liberation to the Korean people. And he established the Worker's Party of Korea, the revolutionary government and the revolutionary armed forces and thereby provided a sure guarantee for firmly defending and glorifying the dignity of the nation and the sovereignty of the country.
He set it as the supreme task of the nation to reunify the country and wisely led the struggle to put it into practice. Even when he was in the last days of his life, he worked out a blueprint for the country's reunification and opened up a bright vista for reunification.
The most brilliant revolutionary exploit performed by him for the country and the revolution, the times and the history was that he successfully solved the issue of successor to leadership long ago.
Gifted with unbounded love and trust in the people, he always mixed with them and soldiers all his revolutionary life, bestowed deep benevolence upon them and enabled them to fully enjoy the dignity and worthwhile life as independent human beings.
A recognized veteran of world politics, he illumined the road ahead of the world progressives and conducted untiring activities for the global independence, thus performing undying exploits.
He was the great founder and leader of Juche Korea who highly displayed the dignity and might of the country.
And he, together with the eternal prosperity of the country, will live in the hearts of the Korean people as the founder of socialist Korea and as the eternal banner of victory of the revolution.
The Korean revolution has unswervingly advanced along the road of Juche under the guidance of Kim Jong Il, who has faithfully carried forward the cause of Kim Il Sung, thus bringing in a new phase of upsurge.
The respected leader Kim Jong Il made sure that the President is preserved in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, the sacred temple of Juche, and the Juche era and Sun's Day were instituted and Kim Il Sung constitution announcing that he is the eternal President of the DPRK was adopted so as to make him remain always alive with our people. This is the most precious feat made by Kim Jong Il.
The past five years have been marked by rigorous and grim ordeals unprecedented in the history of the Korean revolutionary struggle. But Kim Jong Il, taking the heavy burden of the country and revolution on his shoulders, has led the party and the army, thus providing the surest guarantee for certain victory in the struggle to accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche.
Thanks to his invincible policy of giving priority to the army, we have been able to win one victory after another in the confrontation with the imperialists scheming to stifle the DPRK and firmly defend Korean-style socialism and open a shortcut to the building of a powerful nation with firm confidence.
We, under his experienced and tested leadership, will continue to dynamically advance with conviction in victory of revolution and optimism, and certainly achieve the cause of socialism, the popular masses' cause of independence, with flying colors.
All Korean people observe three minutes' silence
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- Korea is in profound mourning today, the 5th anniversary of the passing away of the President Kim Il Sung. At noon all the Korean people observed three minutes' silence in memory of President Kim Il Sung who devoted his all to the prosperity of the country and the happiness of the people for 80 odd years. Whistles were blown by locomotives and ships and sirens sounded simultaneously throughout the country. Flags have been at half-mast at institutions, enterprises and other units across the country since July 7.
Norodom Sihanouk pays courtesy call on Kim Yong Nam
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia paid a courtesy call on Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, on July 7.
He was accompanied by H.M. Queen, deputy prime minister in charge of the Cambodian Royal Palace Kong Sam Ol, Minister of State of the Royal Government and Concurrently Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia Hor Namhong, Cambodian Ambassador E.P. To Korea Oum Mannorine, senator Khuon Frang, parliamentarian Mom Chin Huy, and suite members.
Present there were DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun, vice-chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly Jang Chol, vice-foreign minister Pak Tong Chun, Korean ambassador E.P. to Cambodia Kim Yong Sop and vice-chairman of the Pyongyang city people's committee Choe Yun Sik.
Kim Yong Nam and Norodom Sihanouk had a talk in a friendly atmosphere.
Floral basket of NDFSK laid before Kim Il Sung's statue
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- A floral basket in the name of the central committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) was laid before the President Kim Il Sung's statue on Mansu Hill on Wednesday on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of his passing away. Present were members of the NDFSK delegation headed by chief Pak Kwang Gi of the Pyongyang mission of the NDFSK who is member of its central committee.
Written on the ribbon hanging from the floral basket were letters "the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung will live forever. The National Democratic Front of South Korea central committee." Earlier, on Tuesday the NDFSK delegation visited the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery on Mt. Taesong to lay a bouquet before the bust of Kim Jong Suk, the great communist revolutionary fighter and anti-Japanese heroine, and pay a silent tribute to her.
Letter to Kim Jong Il from NDFSK
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il received a letter today from the central committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the President Kim Il Sung's passing away.
The letter said: The 80-odd-year life of President Kim Il Sung was a brilliant history in which he embroidered the 20th century with his legendary feats and immortal exploits and decorated his life most clearly and perfectly with his brilliant wisdom, rare leadership ability and noble virtues.
Although the President passed away, he is always with us and the cause of Juche is being successfully carried forward because we hold Kim Jong Il, who is identical with the President in ideology and leadership art, virtues and personality, in high esteem as the sun of the 21st century.
Kim Jong Il set an example of world historic significance in moral obligation and political ethics to honor the late leader by defending and carrying forward the President's idea and cause in the past five years.
He defended the red flag of the revolution, breaking through manifold hardships and trials by himself and demonstrated the dignity and honor of the nation to the world and declared the building of a socialist powerful nation in five years. His exploits are immortal.
NDFSK will wage a sacred national liberation war under the banner of the great Juche idea and open a turning phase of national reunification through the nation-wide reunification movement in response to the three charters of national reunification and five-point policy of great national unity, so as to realise the President's last instructions for national reunification.
Meetings to pledge loyalty
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- Meetings of trade union members, agricultural workers, women's union members, public security officers and soldiers of the Korean people's security force were held to hand down to generations the immortal revolutionary exploits of the President Kim Il Sung and pledge loyalty and filial piety to General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
At the meetings of working people's organisations the reporters and speakers said that President Kim Il Sung founded the immortal Juche idea with his distinguished ideological and theoretical activities and vigorous revolutionary practice and turned the country into a powerful socialist nation shining with independence, self-sufficiency and self-reliance in national defence.
They noted that the Korean people have Kim Jong Il at the head of the Worker's Party of Korea and the revolution so that they may proudly demonstrate the dignity and honor of sun's nation to the world. They called for glorifying the revolutionary life and immortal exploits of the President forever by upholding him as the eternal sun of Juche and carrying on the revolution and construction in his way.
Meanwhile, the participants in the meetings of public security officers and soldiers of the Korean people's security force stressed that they would uphold the President as the eternal leader of the WPK and the people and the sun of Juche for all ages, resolutely defend and glorify his revolutionary idea and immortal revolutionary exploits down through generations and defend the headquarters of the revolution led by the great Kim Jong Il at the cost of their lives.
Letter to Kim Jong Il from Chongryon
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il today received a letter from the central standing committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the Generalissimo Kim Il Sung's passing away.
The letter said that the hearts of the entire Chongryon officials and Korean residents in Japan, who are looking back in deep reverence upon the brilliant life of the fatherly leader Kim Il Sung, are swelling with highest honor and pride of having held him in high esteem as the great sun of Juche Korea.
The fatherly leader as the sun will be alive forever in our hearts, the letter said, and went on: At every moment in five years after the passing away of the fatherly leader, we deeply felt that Generalissimo Kim Il Sung will always live in the hearts of our people as the eternal sun because they are led by you and his exploits have been successfully carried forward by you.
Today marking the 5th anniversary of the fatherly leader's passing away, the hearts of all the Chongryon officials and Koreans in Japan are burning with the unshakable will to believe in and follow you only and the firm confidence that they are sure to win as they are led by you.
The letter renewed their resolution to strengthen and develop Chongryon into an eternal overseas compatriots organization of the fatherly leader and patriotic one boundlessly faithful to the Marshal.
Kim Il Sung immortal as sun of all people
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- The sun in the sky sheds its rays only on one side of the earth, but General Secretary Kim Il Sung, the father of all people, brightens both sides of the earth as the sun of humankind. This was said by Narayan Man Bijukchhe, chairman of the central committee of the Nepal Worker-Peasant Party.
Five years have passed since President Kim Il Sung passed away, he lives in the hearts of humankind as the sun of all people. Many people are coming to visit his statue on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang from all parts of the world and pay respects to him. More than 17,500 organizations and over 213,700 persons have visited the statue in the past five years alone.
The Japanese Denchishokyo delegation had a function of praying for an eternal life of the President in front of his statue on Mansu Hill in October Juche 86 (1997).
The religious leader said at the function which began with the playing of "song of general Kim Il Sung": "We Denchishokyo believers are standing before the President's statue with the intention of fully repenting of and liquidating the crimes committed by Japan against Korea in the past on behalf of the Japanese nation. We pray from the bottom of our hearts for the eternal life of the great President Kim Il Sung who devoted his all to the prosperity of Korea and the happiness of the people, undergoing many difficulties and ordeals of history."
Then the members of the delegation laid a floral basket and bouquets before the President's statue, paid tribute to him and earnestly sang the song "Our leader will always be with us".
Anthony Logulu Butele, former minister of state of the Ugandan Presidential Office, went first to Mansu Hill on arrival in Korea, saying that he should visit the President's statue, first of all, and guy Dupre, secretary general of the International Liaison Committee for Reunification and Peace in Korea, also visited the statue first, noting he should not go to a hotel first, though he arrived in Korea late at night.
President Kim Il Sung will always live in the hearts of humankind as the sun of all people as he is deeply revered by all people irrespective of political view, religious belief, system, race and language.
Korean people's will to advance, always@inspired by Kim Il Sung
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- Papers here today dedicate editorials to the 5th anniversary of the passing away of the President Kim Il Sung, expressing the will of the Korean people to make a victorious advance, always inspired by him.
Rodong Sinmun in an editorial says: The 5th anniversary of his passing away marks an occasion of confirming an everlasting history of the Korean revolution in which one idea and one lineage have been steadfastly carried forward and a historic day of demonstrating the invincible might of the worker's party and the people of Korea that are heading for a powerful socialist nation true to the intention of the President.
The past five years represent a glorious period in which the President's history has continued. These years have been the glorious days in which the Korean people have won victory, guided by his revolutionary ideas. They are characterized by a glorious path on which his undying feats have been upheld and carried forward with credit.
They also represent a worthwhile path on which the revolution and construction have been carried on as intended by Kim Il Sung. The past five years are recorded as an epoch making period of the Korean revolution which is marked by a glorious revolutionary history of successfully carrying forward the idea and cause of the President under the leadership of the great Kim Jong Il.
Kim Jong Il's history of scores of years is a history in which he led the revolution together with President Kim Il Sung, while the last five years represent a history in which Kim Jong Il has led the Korean revolution single-handedly, true to the intention of the President.
It is an undying exploit of Kim Jong Il that he made sure@that the only one lineage was steadfastly inherited before and after the passing away of the President who pioneered the revolution.
Calling for glorifying as ever the history of loyalty and filial piety in which we have made a victorious advance, always inspired by the President, the editorial goes on: We should carry on the building of the party, the army and the state as intended and wished by the President in his lifetime and do all work his way.
It was the will of President Kim Il Sung in his lifetime and is the will of Kim Jong Il to build a powerful nation.
The past five years were a period during which a solid@foundation for building a powerful nation was laid. Our struggle from now on is to build a powerful nation in an all-round way.
The solemn oath we have taken on the 5th anniversary of the passing away of President Kim Il Sung is to build on all accounts our country into a powerful socialist nation that will demonstrate its dignity all over the world.
Minju Joson editorially calls for adding shine to the honor of glorious Kim Il Sung'S. Korea.
Many art works depicting Kim Il Sung created
Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) -- The Mansudae Art Studio is a comprehensive art creation center in Korea. Many art works including those depicting the President Kim Il Sung have been created there. The studio has produced thousands of art works portraying him over the last five years. Most of them are appreciated as masterpieces depicting the President among people and bringing his greatness into bolder relief.
Typical of them are Korean paintings "The great leader comrade Kim Il Sung waving to all cheering peoples", "Always mixing with people" and so on. These works truthfully represent the immortal exploits which the President, endowed with brilliant wisdom, extraordinary leadership art and noble virtue, performed in the Korean revolution and in the struggle to accomplish the human cause of independence.
A Korean painting "The great leader comrade Kim Il Sung is always with us" and others mirror the unanimous desire of the Korean people to hold him in high esteem forever. These moving art works make people remember the indefatigable service rendered by the President to the country and people all his life.
In the past the creating staff of the studio greatly contributed to the most spectacular successes made in art production by creating many excellent art works reflecting the stamina of Korea in the worker's party era.
In April Juche 86 (1997) General Secretary Kim Jong Il visited the studio and looked round many art works exhibited there. He appreciated the Korean paintings "Long march in bloody anti-Japanese battles" and "Every field visited by bumper harvest," and so on. As masterpieces and indicated ways and methods of creating many more art works of high ideological and artistic value.
The artists of the Korean painting, oil painting and many other creating teams of the studio are making strenuous efforts to create many more art works depicting the President and other famous works of cognitional and educational significance.