The Italy-DPRK Association for Friendship and Solidarity posted on its website on February 26 an article titled "72nd anniversary of birth of Comrade Kim Jong Il" illustrated with the portrait of President Kim Il Sung and photo of Kim Jong Il.

The article said:

Kim Jong Il was born in Mt. Paektu, the holy mountain of the Korean revolution, in 1942.

He was an ardent revolutionary and patriot, who devoted his all to accomplishing the cause of socialism, defending the sovereignty of the country and its peace and achieving reunification.

He proved the sure victory of socialism before the whole world while carrying forward the revolutionary cause of Kim Il Sung with indomitable will and made forced march for field guidance for the people till the last moments of his life.

The Zambian paper Post on February 20 carried an article saying that Kim Jong Il established state machinery with the National Defence Commission as its pivot and provided a firm legal guarantee for the Songun politics, thus laying a foundation for the DPRK to eternally prosper.