Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- A national memorial service for leader Kim Jong Il took place at the plaza of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in a solemn atmosphere on Saturday, the fifth anniversary of his demise.

    Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, took the tribune of honor of the memorial service.

    Present there were Kim Yong Nam, Hwang Pyong So, Pak Pong Ju, Choe Ryong Hae and other senior party, state and army officials, members of the party central leadership organ in Pyongyang and officials of party, armed forces and power organs, public organizations, ministries and national institutions, men and officers of the Korean People's Army and the Korean People's Internal Security Forces, and officials of institutions, industrial establishments and farms in Pyongyang, persons who are related to the revolutionary activities of Kim Jong Il, persons who had the honor of being received by him, those of merits, bereaved families of revolutionary martyrs, delegations of overseas Koreans, compatriots and the chief of the Pyongyang mission of the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front.

    Participating in the memorial service were diplomatic envoys of different countries and representatives of international organizations here and members of the military attaches corps of foreign embassies here and other foreign guests.

    All the participants paid silent tribute in humblest reverence to Kim Jong Il, image and eternal leader of the great Paektusan nation.

    Choe Ryong Hae, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, vice-chairman of the DPRK State Affairs Commission and vice-chairman of the WPK Central Committee, delivered a memorial address.

    He said:

    The revolutionary life of leader Kim Jong Il was the most patriotic life of total dedication as he devoted his all to the work to carry forward to completion the Juche revolution and achieve the prosperity of the great Paektusan nation, hewing the untrodden arduous path under the uplifted red flag of the revolution, true to the noble intention of President Kim Il Sung.

    With intense loyalty to the President, Kim Jong Il had worked heart and soul to realize the President's idea and cause in all fields.

    He formulated the revolutionary idea of the President as Kimilsungism and established his monolithic ideological and leadership system in the whole party and society and firmly protected the revolutionary traditions of Juche and glorified the party, the state and the army as the party, state and army of the President.

    He implanted into the hearts of the servicepersons and people of the whole country the mainstay of faith that the President is always with us and saw to it that the Kumsusan Memorial Palace was consecrated to the sacred temple of Juche and the history of the President is given steady continuity on this land.

    He developed the People's Army into the matchless powerful revolutionary Paektusan army capable of beating back any formidable enemy at one blow and put the national defence industry on a self-reliant and ultra-modern basis, making the country shine as a world military power and full-fledged nuclear weapons state.

    Thanks to him, the June 15 era of reunification advancing in the idea of By Our Nation Itself was ushered in and a rosy prospect was opened for the Korean nation's independent reunification and peace and prosperity.

    He energetically conducted external activities with his distinguished diplomatic strategy, remarkably enhancing the international position of the DPRK and its influence and expanding its foreign relations, and made undying contributions to protecting the world peace and security and accomplishing the human cause of independence.

    With his far-sighted wisdom, he perfectly solved the issue of succession to the revolutionary cause in keeping with the requirement of the times and the aspiration of the people.

    The revolutionary career and great exploits of Kim Jong Il, who laid the firm foundation for the eternal victory of the great Paektusan nation and the prosperity of the country in which the Korean people can enjoy wellbeing generation after generation, will shine for all ages along with Kim Jong Un's era, Choe Ryong Hae stressed.

    Then, pledge-taking speeches were made at the service by Kim Ki Nam, member of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, member of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and vice-chairman of the WPK Central Committee, on behalf of the WPK, Vice Marshal of the Korean People's Army Hwang Pyong So, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, vice-chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and director of the KPA General Political Bureau, on behalf of the KPA, and Jon Yong Nam, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League, on behalf of the youth.

    The speakers said that all the servicepersons and people of the DPRK pay the highest tribute and extend the best wishes for immortality to Kim Jong Il, with their ardent yearning for him.

    They recalled that Kim Jong Il had worked heart and soul till the last moments of his life to provide a solid foundation for the strengthening of the Party, the prosperity of the country and the happiness of its people and bring rosy future of the Juche revolution.

    They stressed that his exploits for the Party and the revolution, the country and its people would remain for all ages as the bloodline of our Party and the banner of struggle promoting the cause of the Juche revolution.

    They called for holding Kim Jong Il in high esteem as the eternal sun of Juche and remaining intensely loyal to the leadership of Kim Jong Un.

    There boomed a salute of minute guns in memory of Kim Jong Il.

    Meanwhile, similar memorial services and meetings were held in all provinces, cities, counties and complexes of the country on the same day. -0-