Organizations of overseas Koreans held memorial services on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of demise of Chairman Kim Jong Il.

Officials of the Central Standing Committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) held a meeting at the Korean Hall in Tokyo on December 16 to lay a floral basket before the portrait of Kim Jong Il.

Present there were Chairman Ho Jong Man, First Vice-Chairman and concurrently Director of the Organization Department Pak Ku Ho and vice-chairpersons of the Chongryon Central Standing Committee, the chairman of the Central Audit Committee of Chongryon, department directors and other officials of the Chongryon Central Standing Committee.

Written on the ribbon of the floral basket were letters reading "The great leader Generalissimo Kim Jong Il will always be with us".

All the participants paid tribute to Kim Jong Il, benevolent father of Chongryon and Koreans in Japan, praying for his immortality.

On the same day, officials of the Korean Youth League in Japan, the Korean Democratic Women’s Union in Japan, the Korean Educationists Association in Japan, the Korean Health Workers Association in Japan, the Union of Korean Students in Japan and the Korean Youth Publication, including Ri Kwang Il, chairman of the Central Standing Committee of the Korean Youth League in Japan, Ri Song Chol, chairman of the Central Standing Council of the Korean Educationists Association in Japan, and Song Sang Gi, chairman of the Central Standing Committee of the Union of Korean Students in Japan, laid bouquets before the portrait of Kim Jong Il and paid tribute to him.

The General Association of Koreans in China (GAKC) held memorial services on December 17.

Floral baskets in the name of the GAKC, the Association of Korean Women in China, the Jilin City Branch of the Jilin Provincial Association of the GAKC, the Zhongnan Regional Association of the GAKC, the family of Hwang Paek Ha, a Korean in China related to the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle, and others were laid before the statue of President Kim Il Sung at Yuwen Middle School in Jilin and portraits of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il and the art works depicting them at the DPRK embassy in Beijing and its mission in China.

A film dealing with the immortal history of Kim Jong Il’s revolutionary leadership was shown in Shenyang of China. Present there were officials of the headquarters of the GAKC and members of the Shenyang City Branch of the Liaoning Regional Association.

Meanwhile, the Social Confederation of Koreans in Russia held a memorial service on December 16.

Present there were members of the Social Confederation and members of political parties and social organizations of Russia.

Prior to the meeting, the members of the Social Confederation laid a floral basket before the art work depicting Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at the DPRK embassy in Moscow and paid tribute to them.

The secretary general of the Social Confederation made a speech there.

Rodong Sinmun