Comrades,

I want to say briefly to you, as I am here with you, the bereaved families of the martyrs who laid down their precious lives to defend their country’s dignity and honour.

I feel respectful and grateful to you for stoutly overcoming the unbearable pain caused by the loss of your family members.

The news on the death of your beloved children and husbands must have come as a great shock to you all, since you did not know whether they were alive or not. Thinking about you, I kept feeling uneasy and could hardly concentrate on my work.

To all the bereaved families of the martyrs, I once again express my regret about having failed to save the precious lives of our officers and soldiers who fell in the battlegrounds on a foreign land, as I am anxious that I could not bring them alive back here.

At the recent ceremony of awarding state commendations to the martyrs, I met the bereaved families of some martyrs, and I thought a lot about other martyrs’ families who were not present there.

So, I had this meeting arranged as I wanted to meet and console the bereaved families of all the heroes and relieve them of their sorrow and anguish even a little.

I extend my deep condolences to all the bereaved families who have come here with the sorrow of having lost their family members, even though they should naturally attend this meeting with those dear persons amid the blessing from all the people in the country.

Looking at the faces and names of our heroes, both handsome and sturdy, one by one on the memorial wall, I pictured in my mind their parents who had brought up such excellent sons and their dear wives and children.

How could there be such excellent sons if their parents are not excellent, and how could they be so brave till the last moments of their lives if they did not cherish genuine affection for their parents, wives, children and native places?

Being told about the exploits our heroes performed by charging forward death-defyingly to implement the orders of their country, we thought of the faces of the upright persons who had instilled love for their country and native places into their pure hearts and brought them up to be stalwart men, and we could clearly see in our mind’s eye the considerate persons who had supported them and given strength and courage to them during their faithful service in the army.

Ours is a heroic army that knows neither submission nor impossibility, and it surely emerges victorious in battle. This is because it is made up of the sons whose lives were given by the most tenacious, patriotic and just people in the world, the great heroic people who have shared their destiny with this country through an unyielding life and struggle generation after generation.

Though they passed away so young with a high ambition in their minds, the indomitable mettle and revolutionary spirit of the martyrs, who wrote a new chapter of victory in the history of our state at the cost of their blood and kindled the fierce flames of all-people heroism across the country, will remain etched in the minds of all our people.

Our Party and government will bring all the glory to the heroes revered by the whole nation and to their excellent parents who brought them up to be admirable men. They will also do their best to provide you, ahead of others, with a beautiful life in the country defended at the cost of the lives of the martyrs.

My heart breaks and aches more at the sight of those little children.

Our officers passed away, leaving their beloved children and their dear wives behind.

Our soldiers passed away, picturing the eyes of their warm-hearted mothers.

When they were charging to meet their death, bidding innermost farewell to all that was dear to them, they all left writings praying for the prosperity of their motherland and Pyongyang and shouted “Long live the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea!”

They did not write even a short letter to me, but I think they must have entrusted their families, including those beloved children, to me.

I am absolutely sure of this.

Their request is not to be read by letters.

It is not to be heard with the ears, either.

It is to be heard with the heart and with trust, and I heard it that way.

As the martyrs wished, I will take charge of their children and other members of the bereaved families.

Present here are the head teachers of the revolutionary schools.

You can also see leading cadres of our state here.

The children left behind by the heroes shall be sent to the revolutionary schools; I, our state and our army will take full responsibility for them and train them admirably as staunch and courageous fighters like their fathers, and help them join the backbone ranks of our revolution.

Soon, a new street shall be built in Taesong District, Pyongyang, for the bereaved families of the soldiers who fell to our great sorrow at such young ages after exalting their life like the morning star, just as a song says. We are going to name it Saeppyol (morning star) Street in praise of our soldiers’ exploits as brilliant as the star.

And we will lay the remains of the martyrs to rest in the best place of the arboretum just in front of the street, and erect a monument to immortal combat feats in memory of the great soldiers who displayed the tenacity of the Korean people and defended the dignity and honour of the Korean People’s Army.

We will encourage the people from all over the country to visit the monument at any time to remember the martyrs and share all glory and happiness with them.

Our Party and government will offer sincere assistance to the bereaved families so that they will be able to start their happy life in Pyongyang enjoying nationwide respect and admiration.

I, on behalf of all the officers and soldiers of our army and in the name of all the people in the country, would like to make another deep bow to you as you are overcoming the painful loss of your beloved family members while supporting the ennobling life and last decisions of your children and husbands with pride and feeling honoured with them.

I hope all of you bereaved families will overcome the painful feelings of loss as early as possible.