NK confers highest state honor on late leader

North Korea has posthumously bestowed its highest state honor on former leader Kim Jong-il for his "undying revolutionary feats," the country's state media reported Friday.

Kim, who ruled the communist country with an iron fist, died suddenly of heart failure on Dec. 17 at the age of 69, according to the North's official announcement.

"The title of the DPRK Hero was awarded" to Kim, the (North) Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, using the acronym for North Korea's official name. A parliamentary decree on awarding the honor was proclaimed on Dec. 19, the KCNA said.

Kim received the same honor in 1975 and 1982.

The KCNA said the former leader "placed the country's dignity and power on the highest level in the history of the Korean nation, which spans 5,000 years."

The state news agency also praised the late leader for having devoted all his effort, wisdom and energy to building a thriving nation and improving the standard of living for his people.

North Korea, one of the poorest countries in the world, has vowed to build a prosperous nation by next year, the centennial of the birth of the late Kim's father, the country's founder Kim Il-sung.

Doubt remains elsewhere over whether the North can achieve its stated goal. (Yonhap)