He said in a statement on Feb. 2:

Kim Jong Il was on his way of energetic field guidance till the last moments of his life, opening a bright prospect for building an economic power.

He firmly defended the gains of socialism and applied the noble idea of "By our nation itself," ushering in the June 15 era of reunification.

He made a great contribution to accomplishing the human cause of independence under the uplifted banner of independence against imperialism and enjoyed boundless reverence and trust as a great defender of justice from the world progressive people.

We wholeheartedly hope that he will always live in the hearts of the Korean people and the world progressive people.