Pyongyang, December 4 (KCNA) -- Kim Chol Man, member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and deputy to the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, died of bladder cancer to our sorrow at 3:20 on Dec. 3, Juche 107 (2018) at the age of 98.

He was born into a poor peasant's family in Unhung County, Ryanggang Province on Nov. 2 1920.

He joined the glorious anti-Japanese armed struggle organized and led by President Kim Il Sung in the dark age when Korea was under the Japanese imperialists' rule, and devoted himself to the sacred cause of national liberation.

He worked as a member of the Association for the Restoration of the Fatherland from July 1936 before being enlisted in the Korean People's Revolutionary Army in July 1937. Later, he joined the juvenile company of the KPRA and conducted military and political activities in the O Jung Hup-led 7th Regiment, displaying matchless bravery in battles for annihilating the Japanese imperialist aggressors.

After national liberation, he actively participated in the work for building the regular revolutionary armed forces true to the army-building line set forth by the President, and dedicated himself to developing the revolutionary armed forces while serving in the Korean People's Army as a company commander, a battalion commander and a regiment commander.

During the Fatherland Liberation War he skillfully commanded the officers and men of his unit engaged in battles against the enemy as a regiment commander and a vice division commander in charge of military affairs of the KPA.

After the war and in the period of building the groundwork of socialism he took the positions of division commander, corps commander and chief of the staff of a combined army corps.

For a long time from the 1960s he consecutively held responsible posts in the General Staff of the KPA, a large combined unit, people's security organ and the field of munitions industry, where he actively worked to thoroughly implement the Party's military line and modernize the munitions industry.

From Oct. 1966 he worked as an alternate member of the WPK Central Committee and as member of the WPK Central Committee from Nov. 1970. He also worked as an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee from April 1976 to Oct. 1981 and from May 1990 to Sep. 2010 and as a member of the Central Military Commission of the WPK from Nov. 1970 to Sep. 2010.

He has been a deputy to the SPA of the DPRK since the Third Supreme People's Assembly in Oct. 1962.

For his distinguished services to the Party, revolution, country and people, he was awarded Order of Kim Il Sung, Order of Kim Jong Il, watches bearing the august names of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the title of Twice DPRK Hero, the title of Labor Hero and other high-degree party and state commendations.

An obituary was issued on Dec. 3 in the names of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Central Military Commission of the WPK, the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly.

The obituary said that Kim Chol Man was an anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter and a reliable veteran revolutionary who devotedly struggled in military uniform of the revolution for the liberation of the country, freedom and happiness of the people and development of the People's Army and the defense industry all his life, true to the leadership of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il.

It said that as a member of the first generation of the revolution, he encouraged the people and service personnel to the sacred struggle for carrying forward and accomplishing the cause of the Juche revolution by setting an excellent model of faithfully supporting the leadership of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un until the last moments of his life.

The obituary stressed that Kim Chol Man's exploits before the Party, revolution, country and the people will always go down along with the victorious advance of the cause of the Juche revolution although he passed away. -0-