Kim Jong Il Has Passed Away

Kim Jong Il visits the Kwangbok Supermarket in Pyongyang on or around 15 December, his last reported public appearance (Photo: KCNA)

DPRK media announced that a special news bulletin would air on North Korean radio and television at 12 pm (Korea Standard Time) on 19 December (Monday). According to the media report, Kim Jong Il died of “physical fatigue” on the morning of 17 December 2011 (Saturday) during a train ride. KCNA reported that an autopsy was conducted on Sunday, 18 December

Officials at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing lower the national flag at around 11:40 a.m. (Beijing time) on Dec. 19, 2011 to mourn the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Earlier in the day, the (North) Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in an urgent dispatch that Kim died of heart attack during a train ride on a field guidance trip at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 17. (Yonhap)

A state funeral for KJI will be held on 28 December (Wednesday) at Kumsusan Memorial Hall, where the body of the late DPRK President and KJI’s father Kim Il Sung lies in state. KJI’s last reported public appearance was a visit to the Kwangbok supermarket in the Mangyo’ngdae District in west Pyongyang which was reported by DPRK media on 15 December (Thursday), although it was highly likely KJI conducted his final visit on 14 December.

A Korean Central TV broadcaster who resembles Ri Chun Hui publicizes the 17 December 2011 death of Kim Jong Il (Photo: Yonhap-KCNA)

KCNA reported:

Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army, passed away from a great mental and physical strain at 08:30 December 17, 2011, on train during a field guidance tour.

The WPK Central Committee and Central Military Commission, DPRK National Defence Commission, Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly and Cabinet released a notice on Saturday informing the WPK members, servicepersons and all other people of his passing away.

KCNA also reported on the cause of Kim Jong Il’s death:

Leader Kim Jong Il had received medical treatment for his cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases for a long period.

He suffered an advanced acute myocardial infarction, complicated with a serious heart shock, on train on December 17, Juche 100 (2011) for a great mental and physical strain caused by his uninterrupted field guidance tour for the building of a thriving nation.

Every possible first-aid measure was taken immediately but he passed away at 08:30 on December 17.

An autopsy on December 18 fully confirmed the diagnosis of his diseases.

KCNA announced the following details about KJI’s funeral:

The National Funeral Committee released a following notice on Saturday:

It notifies that it decided as follows so that the whole party, army and people can express the most profound regret at the demise of leader Kim Jong Il and mourn him in deep reverence:

His bier will be placed at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace.

Mourning period will be set from Dec. 17 to 29, Juche 100 (2011) and mourners will be received from Dec. 20 to 27.

A farewell-bidding ceremony will be solemnly held in Pyongyang on Dec. 28.

A national memorial service for Kim Jong Il will be held on Dec. 29.

Mourning guns will be boomed in Pyongyang and in provincial seats timed to coincide with the national memorial service in Pyongyang and all the people will observe three minutes’ silence and all locomotives and vessels will blow sirens all at once.

All institutions and enterprises across the country will hold mourning events during the mourning period and all provinces, cities and counties will hold memorial services timed to coincide with the national memorial service in Pyongyang.

The institutions and enterprises will hoist flags at half-mast and musical and all other entertainments will be refrained.

Foreign mourning delegations will not be received.

In publishing a formal announcement and obituary, KCNA also pronounced that Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) was “the great successor to the revolutionary cause of chu’che and outstanding leader of our party, army and people”:

Standing in the van of the Korean revolution at present is Kim Jong Un, great successor to the revolutionary cause of Juche and outstanding leader of our party, army and people.

Kim Jong Un’s leadership provides a sure guarantee for creditably carrying to completion the revolutionary cause of Juche through generations, the cause started by Kim Il Sung and led by Kim Jong Il to victory.

We have the invincible revolutionary army of Mt. Paektu faithful to the cause of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the great unity of the army and people closely rallied around the Party, the best Korean-style socialist system centered on the popular masses and the solid foundation of the independent national economy.

Under the leadership of Kim Jong Un we should turn our sorrow into strength and courage and overcome the present difficulties and work harder for fresh great victory of the Juche revolution.

Our army and people will hold leader Kim Jong Il in high esteem forever with unshakable faith and noble sense of moral obligation. True to his behests, they will make neither slightest concession nor delay on the road of the Juche revolution, the Songun revolution but resolutely defend his undying feats and glorify them for all ages.

All the party members, servicepersons and people should remain loyal to the guidance of respected Kim Jong Un and firmly protect and further cement the single-minded unity of the party, the army and the people.

Under the uplifted banner of Songun, we should increase the country’s military capability in every way to reliably safeguard the Korean socialist system and the gains of revolution and make the torch lit in South Hamgyong Province, the drive for the industrial revolution in the new century, rage throughout the country and thus bring about a decisive turn in building an economic power and improving the standard of people’s living.

We will surely achieve the independent reunification of the country by concerted efforts of all Koreans by thoroughly implementing the Three Charters for National Reunification and the north-south joint declarations.

Our party and people will strive hard to boost friendship and solidarity with the peoples of different countries, guided by the idea of independence, peace and friendship, and build an independent and peaceful, new world free from domination, subjugation, aggression and war.

Arduous is the road for our revolution to follow and grim is the present situation. But no force on earth can check the revolutionary advance of our party, army and people under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Un.

The heart of Kim Jong Il stopped beating, but his noble and august name and benevolent image will always be remembered by our army and people and his glorious history of revolutionary activities and undying feats will remain shining in the history of the country forever.

A chronology of KJI’s career is available here.

A list of KJI’s 2011 reported public appearances is available here.

Kim Jong Il had seven (7) children with five wives, as well as four children with three mistresses. The chart below provides a partial lineage of the Kim Family.

A partial family tree of the Kim Family

Kim Jong Il's personal medical clinic near his primary base of operations at the Korean Workers' Party #1 Complex in central Pyongyang (Photo: Google image)

Kim Jong Il visits a light industrial display in South Hamgyo'ng Province in December 2011. At the left is his sister, Kim Kyong Hui, one of his key aides and closest confidante. (Photo: KCNA-Yonhap)