Kim Jong Il had wisely led the Workers' Party of Korea and the Korean people for nearly half a century, the statement said, and went on:

He was a great statesman who defended Korean-style socialism, exploring an untrodden path of revolution, not an ordinary one, for a long period.

The collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union and other East European countries early in the 1990s had not a few adverse impact not only on the world socialist movement but on socialist economy in the DPRK. Worse still, the Korean people had to undergo unbearable pain and ordeal due to the consecutive years of natural disasters.

But under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Il the DPRK did not yield to them but rose up to be a stronger country and its defence capability reached the highest level. Such marvelous events in the DPRK are the brilliant fruition of the Songun politics pursued by him.

It was thanks to the Songun politics that socialist construction in the DPRK could continue advancing without retreat despite the ceaseless obstructions of the imperialist reactionaries and peace and stability could be ensured on the Korean Peninsula.

Under his leadership the Korean people wrought world-startling miracles one after another in socialist construction despite imperialists' all sorts of sanctions and offensives to stifle the DPRK by dint of single-minded unity.

The feats Kim Jong Il performed by always devoting his all to the people's happiness and greatly contributing to accomplishing the human cause of independence will shine long in the history of the international labor movement.