Kim Jong Il was born on Mt Paektu on February 16, Juche 31 (1942).
He spent his childhood hearing the gun report of the anti-Japanese war. He devoted his whole life to faithfully supporting the idea and cause of President Kim Il Sung.
He started his Songun-based revolutionary leadership with the inspection of the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su 105th Guards Tank Division on August 25, Juche 49 (1960). Since starting working at the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea on June 19, Juche 53 (1964), he led the WPK, the army and the people for half a century, performing immortal exploits for the times and history.
He formulated Kim Il Sung’s revolutionary ideas as Kimilsungism and added lustre to it as the eternal guiding ideology of the WPK and the DPRK. He proclaimed it as the ultimate programme of the WPK to model the whole society on Kimilsungism and wisely organized and led the work for its realization. He closely rallied broad sections of the masses around the WPK by administering benevolent and all-embracing politics, and remarkably strengthened the driving force of the socialist cause by realizing oneness of the army and people in ideas and fighting spirit.
After the demise of President Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il set an example in realizing the cause of immortalizing the leader and made sure that the President’s lifetime instructions were carried forward as the guidelines in all fields of the revolution and construction so as to make his life and exploits shine for ages.
In the closing years of the last century when the country was bearing the brunt of the anti-socialist offensive of the US-led allied imperialist forces he formulated Songun politics as the basic political mode of socialism and administered it in an all-round way. He developed the Korean People’s Army into an invincible army, built up the self-reliant and modern defence industry in every way, realized the arming of all the people and fortification of the whole country on a high level, and built the country into a nuclear power.
Decade after decade, he kindled the torch of a new revolutionary upsurge and led the drive to flare up the flames of the industrial revolution in the new century, with the result that the country could demonstrate its might as a manufacturer and launcher of artificial satellites and a scientific and technological power that has full command of CNC technology.
True to the President’s instructions for Korea’s reunification, he formulated the three charters for national reunification and saw to it that the June 15 Joint Declaration and the October 4 Declaration were adopted between the north and south of Korea to usher in a new era of independent reunification movement advancing under the ideal of By Our Nation Itself.
He expanded and developed the relations of friendship and cooperation with other countries aspiring after independence with his seasoned diplomatic strategy and energetic foreign activities and thus made great contributions to safeguarding peace and stability of Northeast Asia and the rest of the world.
He continued his forced march for field guidance day and night with an indomitable will and superhuman energy, regarding “The people are my God” as his motto. He passed away in a running train on December 17, Juche 100 (2011 ).
After his demise, the DPRK conferred the title of Generalissimo of the DPRK on him and held him in high esteem as the eternal General Secretary of the WPK and the eternal Chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission.