Son of the People
Kim Jong Il (1942-2011), Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, used to say that he regarded it as his motto of life that the people were above him and he was their son.
What did he mean?
We can find the answer to this question in the following anecdotes.
It is well known that he often used a train for his visit to factories and farms across the country. Train is supposed to whistle at certain places. But he disallowed the driver of his train to give whistles at midnight or dawn lest it should wake the people from sleep.
On December 4, 2011, about ten days before he passed away, he visited the Amusement Park of Kaeson Youth Park despite the unusually cold weather. When the employees of the park asked him why he had to come on such a cold day of all days, he replied with a smile on his face that only then, could the people come here on fine days.
During his days at Kim Il Sung University, he took part in a road widening project in Pyongyang. One day he saw an old woman collecting coal in the site of a demolished house near the project site. When he asked her why she was doing that, she answered that she did not want to leave the precious coal wasted. Hearing her out, he praised her and dug up the coal for her. As she, touched with gratitude to him for the help, expressed her thanks, he said that he was also a son of the working people.
These are just short stories which show his great devotion to the people. He never hesitated to enter a deep pit to see miners there nor ceased his field-guidance tour even in biting cold or sweltering heat.
In December 2011, the last days of his life, his doctors tried, out of concern for his poor health, to dissuade him from continuing with his field guidance. But he dug his heels in and said to them: I am really sorry, but I cannot do as you told; instead you should do as I tell you to. Then he set out on his journey for field guidance. And he passed away on the journey.
This is the image of Chairman Kim Jong Il the Korean people revere so much.
Option of Chairman Kim Jong Il
In early January 1995, the next year after President Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea passed away, a publication of a western country carried an article which read:
It is meaningful that Kim Jong Il, de facto successor to President Kim Il Sung, did not deliver a New Year’s Address but instead inspected a Korean People’s Army unit at the beginning of the new year.
The future direction of the statesmanship of the new leader of a country and the main political force he will rely on are usually decided by the first item on his agenda. Proceeding from this fact, it will be interesting to wait and see what the significance of Kim Jong Il’s recent inspection would be. …
In those days socialist Korea was experiencing the severest trials.
The imperialist allied forces, taking advantage of the collapse of socialism in Eastern European countries, turned the spearhead of its anti-socialist offensive to the DPRK. Worse still, devastating natural disasters hit the country for several consecutive years. Hostile forces intensified economic blockade against it and sent military reinforcements to wage war rehearsals on the Korean peninsula, aggravating the situation to the extreme. Their intention was to make the country kneel down or occupy it by force of arms.
To cope with the prevailing situation, Chairman Kim Jong Il (1942-2011) of the DPRK National Defence Commission chose the road of Songun. During his ceaseless field inspections of the KPA units he paid a special attention to intensifying politico-ideological education of service personnel to imbue them with a firm will to fight for the country, socialism and people at the cost of their lives. He also paid close heed to developing defence industry on a preferential basis and thereby building the KPA into a powerful army equipped with modern military hardware. Under his leadership the KPA was developed into an army which is fully prepared both for offensive and defence.
He set up the KPA as the motive force not only of national defence but also of socialist construction. The fighting spirit the soldiers had displayed in building a large-sized power station was named the revolutionary soldier spirit and spread throughout society.
As a result, the DPRK safeguarded its socialism and has entered a new era of building a powerful socialist country.
Now the Korean people are confident about the future of a powerful socialist country. History has proved that option of Chairman Kim Jong Il was correct.
Nine Years of Upholding Kim Jong Il’s Instructions
Nine years have elapsed since Kim Jong Il, eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, passed away (December 17, 2011).
In those years the Korean people have been faithful to his lifetime instructions.
Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, has always been in the vanguard of their sacred struggle to implement them.
As Kim Jong Il did, he has always been on the journey of on-site guidance across the country to motivate the people to the struggle. Wherever he goes, he acquaints himself with the implementation of Kim Jong Il’s instructions related with the unit, and set forth the directions and methods to this end.
Under his leadership, the Korean people have achieved notable successes in their efforts to carry through Kim Jong Il’s lifetime instructions.
In December 2012, the Korean scientists and technicians successfully launched the satellite Kwangmyongsong 3-2, thus implementing his instructions on launching an application satellite in 2012 on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of President Kim Il Sung.
Changjon Street in the centre of Pyongyang, People’s Theatre, Breast Tumour Institute under the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital, People’s Open-air Ice Rink, Roller Skating Ground, Paektusan Hero Youth Power Station and other major construction projects, which Kim Jong Il had initiated and paid great attention to, were brought to successful completion.
As he wished, in the DPRK today in the flames of the campaign of breaking through the cutting edge, rapid development has been achieved by dint of science and technology, and many factories and enterprises in the metal, chemical and several other industries have been renovated or built.
The Munsu Water Park, Mirim Riding Club, Masikryong Ski Resort and several other bases for mass cultural and leisure activities have been established in various parts of the country, and modern streets including Mirae Scientists and Ryomyong have been built.
Last year the city of Samjiyon, situated in the northernmost part of the country, was spruced up as a model of mountain towns, and in Yangdok County in the middle part of the country an excellent hot spring resort was built.
This year, too, a lot of modern factories have been built to make contributions to the development of the national economy and improvement of the people’s living standards, and several areas hit by floods and typhoons have been transformed into socialist fairylands.
It is the staunch faith and unshakable will of the Korean people to carry out every one of Kim Jong Il’s lifetime plans and instructions in a thoroughgoing way.
