Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, received a message of condolences from Kenichi Ogami, secretary general of the International Institute of the Juche Idea, on Monday.

The message said:

We were planning various congratulatory meetings in the new year full of joy to mark the 70th birthday of the great General Secretary Kim Jong Il.

Juche idea followers of the world were expected to gather in Pyongyang, picturing to themselves 2012 in which the gate to a thriving nation would be opened.

I cannot repress sorrow, greatly shocked by the sad news that Kim Jong Il passed away.

He was very busy with the work to carry forward the revolutionary cause of Juche and make the DPRK a model of the world.

We suffered the sorrow of losing the general secretary too early as he traversed the road of revolution only for the sake of people, not caring for himself.

But he provided a sure guarantee for carrying forward the revolution generation after generation and achieving the final victory of the Juche cause.

We will in the future take the road of Juche forever together with respected Your Excellency Kim Jong Un, successor to the ideas of the great President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il.

We express deep condolences over the demise of Kim Jong Il.