The demise of the President on July 8, 1994, was a bitter sorrow and great loss not only to all the Korean people but also to the progressive and revolutionary people of the world, the statement said.

Born into a poor peasant's family, he embarked on the road of the revolution in his early years and achieved the independence of the country in reliance on the popular masses, it noted, and said:

He founded the immortal Juche idea centered on the popular masses and led the two hard-fought revolutionary wars against the U.S. and Japanese imperialists to victory.

He wisely led the anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution and the socialist revolution and built a unique socialist system centered on the popular masses, the most advanced and advantageous system, in Korea.

He turned the DPRK into a socialist power, independent in politics, self-supporting in the economy and self-reliant in national defence.

The progressive people of the world are looking up to the DPRK shining brilliantly all over the world as their beacon.

He was the great leader of the world revolution.

The Juche idea fathered by him is the original man-centered philosophy and the compass in the era of independence.