On July 7, 1994, the day before his death, President Kim Il Sung was tied up with work.
In the morning he put his last signature to a document–one on the country’s reunification, and then directed flood-control measures. In the afternoon he provided guidance for foreign affairs and the construction of a heavy-oil power station. He was absorbed in work late into the evening, even forgetting his dinner.
“Father leader, you should have dinner,” an official pleaded, anxious for the President’s health. “I have no appetite somehow. More work will give me some, perhaps.”
“How can you work when you have skipped a meal?”
“Thank you for your care,” said the President in a soft yet firm voice. “However, you know we have mountains of work to do for the good of the people. If I rest, it will lay so much more of a burden on the shoulders of Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il. You see he does a tremendous amount of work, holding himself responsible for all the affairs of the country, major and minor. I cannot have a moment’s rest when he is working all night for the people.”
The summer night was deepening, but the 82-year-old President was immersed in work, reading documents and making telephone calls. This turned out to be the final schedule of his lifelong devotion.
Later Kim Jong Il recalled how he had dedicated himself to the cause of the Party and revolution, the country and people.
“The great leader passed away in his office while working energetically for the Party and revolution, the country and people. He died a martyr. He was the only leader in the world to have worked hard and completed all his work before his death. In this regard as well, he was the greatest man who ever lived.”
