The message said that Kim Jong Il is the most prominent political elder and a peerlessly brilliant commander of Songun in the present times who has performed immortal feats before the country, the people, the times and the history by leading the Korean revolution and the human cause of independence to the victory for the last half a century.

You have performed exploits by building a prospering socialist land of bliss on this land through gigantic creations and changes and opening a new chapter in the confrontation with the U.S. and the cause of the country's reunification with your preeminent strategy and matchless courage and they are recorded in the human history to shed rays all over the world, the message said, and went on:

You have shown all sorts of profound loving care for Chongryon and the Koreans in Japan after embracing them as members of a family since you left your giant footprints for carrying forward and accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche, and wisely led Chongryon to set an example as a pioneer in the overseas compatriots movement in the world at every phase of history.

The message manifested the determination of Chongryon and the Koreans in Japan to share minds and breathe the same breath with the people in the homeland giving full play to the inexhaustible mental power and great potential true to Kim Jong Il's magnificent plan for building a great prosperous and powerful nation and thus glorify this year as a year of a turning point in laying a solid foundation for ushering in a new heyday in the movement of the Koreans in Japan.

We will conduct brisk external activities to force the Japanese authorities to lift the sanctions against the DPRK and stop their moves to suppress Chongryon and improve the DPRK-Japan relations and preserve Chongryon's legitimate position as required by the prevailing situation, the message concluded.