This year is a meaningful year marking the 105th birthday of President Kim Il Sung and the 75th birthday of His Excellency Kim Jong Il, who had made undying contributions to freedom and independence of Korea and its prosperity and development and to the cause of global independence, and the 5th anniversary of election of His Excellency Kim Jong Un to the highest post of the party and the state of Korea, the statement said, and went on:

The International Preparatory Committee for "Gathering 2017-Praise to the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu", in its inaugural ceremony in October last year, decided to hold an international grand gathering in praise of peerlessly great persons in Mt. Paektu area and Pyongyang in August this year, a month which is associated with exploits of President Kim Il Sung for Korea's liberation and feats of HE Kim Jong Il for Songun leadership.

In order to fully demonstrate the boundless admiration of the world's progressive peoples towards the peerlessly great persons of Mt. Paektu and to glorify their greatness and immortal feats for good, the International Preparatory Committee declares as follows:

1. We shall erect the Monument to the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu in Mt. Paektu area which is deeply associated with their undying feats.

President Kim Il Sung, HE Kim Jong Il and HE Kim Jong Un are enjoying the boundless admiration of the world's progressive peoples as the great persons of Mt. Paektu and the Sun of mankind along with Mt. Paektu, the symbol and spirit of Korea.

We shall magnificently erect the Monument to the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu in Mt. Paektu area on the occasion of the forthcoming event, reflecting the ardent desire and inflexible will of progressive mankind to accomplish the cause of global independence by upholding the noble intentions of the peerlessly great persons.

The International Preparatory Committee will be in charge of erection of the monument, and entrusts the Korean Preparatory Committee with its practical arrangements.

The International Preparatory Committee would like to take this opportunity to call upon all the progressive peoples of the world, including the preparatory committees across the world, friendship and solidarity organizations with the Korean people, international democratic organizations and individuals from various circles to actively participate in erection of the monument.

2. We shall hold the future events in praise of the great persons of Mt. Paektu under the name of "International Festival in Praise of the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu", adding sequence numbers into its title.

The progressive peoples of the world have made visits to the sacred place of the Sun on a regular basis, highly praising the peerlessly great persons, in compliance with Declaration of Mt. Paektu issued at the "Gathering to Greet the Sun of the 21st Century" held in 2002 on the occasion of the 60th birth anniversary of the great HE Kim Jong Il.

Reflecting the unanimous desire of the world's progressive peoples to immortalize the august names and exploits of the peerlessly great persons by organizing and holding an event in praise of the great persons of Mt. Paektu more splendidly as a regular international event, we shall indicate sequence numbers of the event, while naming the future event as "International Festival in Praise of the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu".

In this respect, "Gathering 2017-Praise to the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu" will be the 5th International Festival in Praise of the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu, according to the sequence order of events held in praise of the great persons so far.

Erection of the Monument and the International Festival will be momentous events of historic significance in fully demonstrating to the entire world the boundless admiration and respect of the world's progressive peoples towards the peerlessly great persons.

The International Preparatory Committee will fully discharge its responsibility and duty in marking this year as the meaningful year of a turning point in the activities of progressive mankind to praise the revolutionary lives and greatness of the great persons of Mt. Paektu, who have accumulated the undying feats in the accomplishment of the cause of global independence.

Preparatory committees for "Gathering 2017-Praise to the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu" in various countries, friendship and solidarity organizations with the Korean people, and international democratic organizations shall advance vigorously towards the grand festival of August, enveloping the whole world with seething enthusiasm for praising the great persons of Mt. Paektu.