Ahead of Kim Jong-il's 9th Anniversary, North Korea Mourns "Immortal Achievements in Politics, Economy, Military, and Diplomacy"

North Korea, on the 16th, a day before the 9th anniversary of Kim Jong-il, Chairman of the National Defense Commission, highlighted his achievements through state media and began creating a memorial atmosphere.

The Workers' Party organ, Rodong Sinmun, published a front-page editorial titled "The Peerless Patriot Who Laid a Solid Foundation for Building a Prosperous Nation," stating, "The Great General... devoted everything to the struggle for the homeland and the people, building immortal achievements," and claimed, "There was no field of revolution and construction, including politics, economy, military, culture, and diplomacy, that he did not influence, and the achievements accomplished by the General are vast in scope and depth, something ordinary national leaders could not achieve even in several hundred years."

The newspaper emphasized that Chairman Kim's achievements included ▲establishing ideological and theoretical wealth, ▲strengthening political and military power in every way, ▲firmly laying the foundation for a self-reliant economy, and ▲preparing a large pool of talented personnel.

It also highlighted the legitimacy and authenticity of the Paektu bloodline, encouraging internal unity centered on Chairman Kim. The paper stated, "The immortal patriotic achievements of Comrade Kim Jong-il are shining even more under the wise leadership of the respected Supreme Leader Comrade Kim Jong-un," and "All thoughts and actions of the Supreme Leader are consistently aimed at brilliantly realizing the Great General's patriotic and strong nation aspirations."

It continued, "All workers, party members, and laborers must firmly uphold the immortal achievements that the Great General built in the cause of constructing a prosperous nation and, following the leadership of the respected Supreme Leader, must surely establish a thriving Juche socialist strong state on this land."

In addition, the newspaper published numerous articles related to Chairman Kim under titles such as "A Monumental National Treasure That Will Shine Forever Alongside a Great Life," "Our Father," and "An Immortal Great March Embroidered with Patriotism and Love for the People."

Furthermore, ahead of the 9th anniversary of Kim Jong-il, representatives of international organizations based in North Korea and members of the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il Fund Board sent flower baskets to the statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il at Mansudae in Pyongyang, reported the North Korean state media Korean Central News Agency on the 15th.

This 9th anniversary is expected to be observed relatively quietly without large-scale events, unlike last year. North Korea held central memorial meetings in Pyongyang on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th anniversaries, but this year, as it is not a milestone year (years divisible by 5 or 10), it is likely to be observed quietly.

On the 8th anniversary, Chairman Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun with party officials but did not issue a separate message. Since the 1st anniversary of Kim Jong-il in 2012, Kim Jong-un has visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of President Kim Il-sung and Chairman Kim Jong-il are enshrined.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.