Pyongyang, December 27 (KCNA) -- A mourning ceremony for leader Kim Jong Il was held in the Hall of the Ibaraki Prefectural Headquarters of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) on Dec. 22.

Officials of the headquarters, compatriots and Japanese personages took part in the ceremony.

They presented bouquets before the portrait of Kim Jong Il and paid silent tribute to him.

Ri Yong Hun, chairman of the Headquarters, said officials of Chongryon and compatriots in Japan could not repress the profound sorrow over the untimely passing of Kim Jong Il.

He referred to the immortal feats Kim Jong Il performed for carrying forward and accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche, achieving the prosperity of the socialist homeland and happiness of the people and developing the movement of Koreans in Japan.

We will certainly lay a springboard for ushering in fresh golden days of the movement of Koreans in Japan under the leadership of the dear respected Kim Jong Un who carries forward the intention of Kim Jong Il, he stressed.