N. Korean leader sends condolence message on death of Kim DJ

SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il sent a message of condolence on the death of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday.

"Upon hearing the sad news that ex-President Kim Dae-jung passed away, I express
my deep condolences to Mrs. Ri Hui-ho and other bereaved family members," the
Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying in the message. Ri is the former
president's wife.
"Though he passed away to our regret, the feats he performed to achieve national
reconciliation and realize the desire for reunification will remain long with the
nation," he said.
The report did not say whether the North Korean leader sent such a message to the
family or was expressing his condolences through the state media.
The two held the historic first inter-Korean summit in 2000, which paved the way
for political reconciliation and economic and social exchanges across the border.
Former President Kim died on Tuesday from of multiple organ failure about a month
after he was hospitalized for pneumonia. He was 85.
Earlier this year, the North Korean leader expressed "deep condolences" over the
death of former President Roh Moo-hyun, who took his own life in May while under
a bribery investigation involving his relatives and aides. Roh held the second
summit with the North Korean leader in 2007.