North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed condolence over the death of Unification Church founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the (North) Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Wednesday.

"Kim Jong-un sent a message of condolences to the bereaved family of Moon Sun Myung," the state news media said in a brief English-language dispatch.

Kim said in the message that "Though he passed away, his efforts and feats made for the reconciliation and unity of the nation, the reunification of the country and the world peace will last forever," according to the English-language report by the KCNA.

At the age of 92, Moon died of complications from pneumonia at his church's hospital in Gapyeong, east of Seoul, on Monday.

The self-proclaimed messiah drew multi-million followers around the world, building a massive business empire in South Korea and the United States, which includes the conservative Washington Times and UPI news agency as well as the Segye Times in South Korea.

Born in what is now North Korea in 1920, Moon founded the church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, in 1954 and had lived in Japan and the U.S. since 1957, preaching his versions of the Bible.

Moon had retained a close relation with North Korea since his visit to the country in 1991. He discussed inter-Korean economic cooperation projects with then North Korean leader and founder Kim Il-sung during the visit.

Moon's church operates the joint auto-making venture Pyeonghwa (Peace) Motors and other resort facilities in Pyongyang.

North Korean watchers here are raising speculations that the North will dispatch its delegation to Moon's funeral slated for Sept. 15.

Sources said Pyeonghwa Motors President Park Sang-kwon, a U.S. national, traveled to Pyongyang via China on Monday in a visit widely believed to be aimed at discussing the North's dispatch of representatives.

Park accompanied Moon's U.S. national son and the chairman of the Washington Times during their condolence visit to the North following late leader Kim Jong-il's death. (Yonhap News)