The offices of Chairman and Vice Chairman of the WPK Central Committee was abolished on 12 October 1966 and replaced with the offices of General Secretary and Secretary of the WPK Central Committee by a decision of the 14th Plenary Session of the 4th Central Committee. Kim Il-sung was elected to the office, and remained in office until his death on 8 July 1994. The post was left vacant for three years and then abolished and replaced by the office of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea on 8 October 1997. Kim Jong-il was elected to the office by a joint announcement of the 6th Central Committee and the 6th Central Military Commission. Kim Jong-il remained in office until his death on 17 December 2011. Kim Jong-un was elected First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea on 11 April 2012, and his father Kim Jong-il was given the appellation "Eternal General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea". On 9 May 2016, the 7th WPK Congress abolished the office of First Secretary and the Secretariat and replaced it with Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and the office of Vice Chairman of the WPK Central Committee. A similar change took place at the 8th WPK Congress, where the offices of chairman and vice chairman was abolished and replaced by the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea office and the Secretariat.