Born in a poor farmer family, Kim Il took part in the revolutionary struggle in his early years.

True to the revolutionary line of Juche put forward by President Kim Il Sung, he devoted himself to the work of the underground party and anti-Japanese mass organization, joined the Korean People's Revolutionary Army and acted as a political worker, making a positive contribution to the historic victory in the anti-Japanese war.

Holding responsible posts of vice-minister of National Defence, military member of the Front Command and chairman of the South Phyongan Provincial Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) after the liberation of the country and during the Fatherland Liberation War, he devotedly worked for building the regular armed forces, strengthening and developing the party and wining a victory in the war.

Working as vice-chairman of the C.C., the WPK, first vice-premier of the Cabinet, premier of the Administration Council and first vice-president of the DPRK, he made a great contribution to strengthening the unity and cohesion of the party and revolutionary ranks and laying the foundations of the self-supporting national economy in the period of socialist revolution and socialist construction.

Present at the meeting were Kim Ki Nam, Yang Hyong Sop and Kim Phyong Hae, officials of the party, armed forces and power organs, public organizations, ministries and national institutions, service personnel of the Korean People's Army and the Korean People's Internal Security Forces, meritorious people, bereaved families and working people in Pyongyang.

Kim Ki Nam, member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the C.C., the WPK, in his memorial address said that the whole life of Kim Il was the brilliant life of a revolutionary soldier who dedicated his all to the struggle for the victory of the cause of socialism, holding in high esteem the leader who pioneered the revolutionary cause and his successor generation after generation.

He said that the persevering revolutionary spirit and militant work style displayed by him in implementing the party's lines and policies serve as a good example to be followed by everybody in the struggle for materializing the far-sighted plan of the party for building a thriving socialist nation as early as possible.

He called upon all party members, service personnel of the People's Army and people to become human fortresses and shields holding supreme leader Kim Jong Un in high esteem with revolutionary faith and obligation and protecting the headquarters of the revolution at the cost of their lives by earnestly learning from the intense loyalty to the party and leader shown by the revolutionary forerunners.