Sino-NK

The Chinese media is much faster at picking up stories from the North Korean media at the moment, but at least for English readers, KCNA’s page finally reemerges in a blaze of Kim Jong Il glory, being stuck at the moment on December 20.

Full quotes are provided for the courtesy of readers in South Korea (North Korean media remains stanchioned in the ROK).

Therein:

Senior Party and State Leaders of China Mourn Demise of Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) — Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of the People’s Republic of China, Tuesday visited the DPRK embassy in Beijing to express condolences over the demise of leader Kim Jong Il.
Accompanying him were Wu Bangguo, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the CPC and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress; Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the CPC; Xi Jinping, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the CPC, vice-president of the PRC and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC; Guo Boxiong, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC; Ling Jihua, member of the Secretariat and director of the General Office of the C.C., the CPC; Chen Shiju, director of the General-Secretary’s Office of the C.C., the CPC; Yang Jiechi, minister of Foreign Affairs; and Wang Jiarui, head of the International Liaison Department of the C.C., the CPC.

Placed before a portrait of Kim Jong Il were wreaths in the name of the Central Committee of the CPC, the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the Central Military Commission of the CPC and a wreath in the joint name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense of the PRC and the International Liaison Department of the C.C., the CPC.

Also laid there were wreaths in the name of Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin, Wu Bangguo, Li Changchun and Xi Jinping.

The senior party and state leaders of China expressed deep condolences to the demise of Kim Jong Il, making three bows to his portrait.

Hu Jintao said that the party, government and people of China express deep condolences over the sudden demise of Kim Jong Il, noting he was a great leader of the party and state of the DPRK and a close friend of the Chinese people.

He devoted his whole life to the Korean revolution and the cause of state building and made an important contribution to the development of the traditional Sino-DPRK relations of friendship and cooperation, Hu noted, adding the Chinese people will always remember him.

Hu expressed belief that the Korean people would unite close around the Workers’ Party of Korea, true to the behest of Kim Jong Il and overcome sorrow and display strength under the leadership of General Kim Jong Un and make strenuous efforts to build a thriving socialist nation and achieve durable peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

It is the steadfast policy of the party and government of China to steadily consolidate and develop the traditional Sino-DPRK relations of friendship and cooperation, Hu stressed, reaffirming his will to boost the bilateral friendship together with the Korean comrades.

North Hamgyong grieves for Kim Jong Il:

Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) — People in North Hamgyong Province are overwhelmed with grief over the sudden demise of leader Kim Jong Il.

A great number of working people, servicepersons and students visited the statue of President Kim Il Sung in the provincial capital of Chongjin and big mosaics depicting the great persons of Mt. Paektu in different parts of the province to express their condolences.

They bitterly wept over the demise of Kim Jong Il, the great father of the Korean nation, unable to keep back their grief.

Kim Chol Jin, head of a workshop of the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex, said he hardly imagined he would hear such shocking news.

“When thinking of the immortal dedication of Kim Jong Il and his tireless efforts, I feel my heart would break,” he said.

“We will overcome grief and display redoubled strength and courage and work harder to win victory in the drive for building an economic power,” he added.

Hwang Chol Nam, a worker of the Chongjin Steel Works, said Kim Jong Il devoted himself to the happiness of the beloved people all his life.

He vowed to hold him in high esteem forever and advance staunchly, true to the leadership of General Kim Jong Un.

Ri Chun Son, a work-team head of the Susong Co-op Farm in Songphyong District, Chongjin City, pledged herself to become a patriotic farmer in the era of Songun who devotedly defends General Kim Jong Un through the increased grain production true to the idea and leadership of Kim Jong Il.

Jagang province, the headquarters of the North Korean arms industry and a redoubt for Kim Il Song during the Korean War (and also the province into which most of the Chinese People’s Volunteers entered in a buildup to splitting General MacArthur’s armies into bits in October-November 1950) pledges fealty to Kim Jong Eun:

Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) — The land of Jagang is stricken with deep grief at the loss of leader Kim Jong Il who devoted all his life to the freedom and happiness of the people, reunification of the nation and human cause of independence.

The statue of President Kim Il Sung is being visited by an increasing number of people.

Kim Jong Il, determined to open a breakthrough toward victory in the province during the Arduous March, visited the province time and again despite the intense midwinter cold and sweltering midsummer heat and brightly indicated the direction and way for it to follow. Yearning for his image the people vowed to carry out his last instructions to the letter.

Jo Jae Yong, 58, manager of the Huichon Ryonha General Machinery Plant, said: Kim Jong Il indicated the way to be followed by the plant in a friendly and ringing voice with a sunny smile on his face.

Giving field guidance to the plant in October he said the whole country is now benefiting from Ryonha machines, adding Ryonha is a friendly fellow traveler of our party. The workers of our plant will cherish that trust and honor and dash ahead like wind in the van of the industrial revolution of the new century.

Ri Sung Nam, 53, manager of the Kanggye Essential Foodstuff Factory, said Kim Jong Il did not pass away, vowing they would overcome the hard time under the leadership of General Kim Jong Un and remain faithful to the Songun leadership of the Party.

Pak Song Chol, 45, manager of the Kanggye Koryo Medicine Factory, said: We will absolutely entrust our destiny to General Kim Jong Un and keep to the path of Juche led by him. This is a unanimous pledge of not only me but all other employees.

And an old revolutionary laments the lack of Kim Jong Il statues to which to direct her cries (full text at the request of a certain Swedish-fluent reader in Seoul):

Former Anti-Japanese Revolutionary Fighter Laments Demise of Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) — All the Koreans are in the bitterest grief after hearing the sad news that leader Kim Jong Il passed away of a sudden disease on his way of field guidance, the greatest loss to the nation which came like a bolt from the blue.

Former anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter Hwang Sun Hui who came to Mansu Hill on a wheelchair grieved over the leader’s demise, her knees on stone steps. She said: “The news was so unbelievable that I felt as if the sky were falling down.

“I feel my heart would break. The general passed away all of a sudden not in his office or residence but on a running train about which our people talked in tears, on his way of forced march for field guidance to meet soldiers and people.

“I wish I rushed to him and weeped bitterly. I want to stand before your statue, calling you in a chocking voice, but you did not allow us to erect your statue. You never allowed any monument to your exploits to be erected.
“You dedicated yourself to President Kim Il Sung, to comrades and people all your life.
“We, members of the first generation of the revolution, feel so regretful for failing to erect your statue.”

This was her lamentation as it was so regretful for failing to erect his statue as Koreans never thought of Korea without Kim Jong Il even in a dream.
Hwang Sun Hui is an anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter who fought against the Japanese imperialists for the liberation of the country at the risk of her life under the leadership of Kim Il Sung and a loyalist who held Kim Jong Il in high esteem as a central figure for unity and leadership.