The statement said:

HE Kim Jong Il is the great leader who ardently loved the people.

He regarded the people as the most precious being in the world and as his teacher and made boundless devotion to them.

He signally bolstered up the country's military capabilities and defended the people's safety from the U.S. nuclear war threat and proudly turned the DPRK into a nuclear weapons state.

Under his wise guidance, the DPRK demonstrated its might as the socialist state centered on the popular masses, braving all trials and difficulties.

His noble image as the genuine leader of the people will be always kept in the minds of the Korean people and the world progressives.