Kim Jong Il—"Our General"

Alejandro Cao De Benos, chairman of the Korean Friendship Association headquartered in Spain, published the book Korea—The Songun Citadel. Following are excerpts:

Korea has another great leader called "Our General" along with President Kim Il Sung. He is Leader Kim Jong Il. He is the sole heir to President Kim Il Sung's thought and policy in Korea.

He was born on February 16, 1942 at a secret camp on Mt. Paektu which was the centre of the anti-Japanese war led by President Kim Il Sung.

He grew while hearing gun reports of guerrillas for national liberation in a sea of forests and snow. The feelings of genuine love grown in his young heart for his comrades, motherland and nation served as a root for inheriting the great personality of President Kim Il Sung.

Leader Kim Jong Il, during the Korean War (June 1950–July 1953), stayed in the operation room of President Kim Il Sung who was commanding the front. There he acquired the wisdom and strategy of a brilliant commander. Though he specialized in political economy at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, Leader Kim Jong Il has encyclopedic knowledge on philosophy, law, linguistics, architecture, art, literature, IT and other subjects.

I visited Kim Il Sung University located on the Ryongnam Hill. There was erected a granite monument which bears the words of the song entitled O Korea, I'll Add Glory to Thee. The song was written by Leader Kim Jong Il when he entered the university. It reads:

As I stand on Ryongnam Hill at sunrise,

The land of 3 000 ri greets my eyes.

Learning the leader's great idea,

I will be the master of the revolution in this land, Korea.

O Korea, I will add glory to thee.

Already in his young days Leader Kim Jong Il cherished grand aspirations and expressed his great resolution to glorify Korea.

Right after graduating from the university in 1964 Leader Kim Jong Il embarked on the direct revolutionary activity in the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the ruling party of Korea. He wrote lots of works and created works of art, inspected army units, schools, factories and farms, thereby rendering distinguished services to developing and enriching the unique idea and leadership of President
Kim Il Sung.

There was a famous Korean opera The Flower Girl which moved the whole of China to tears nearly 40 years ago, and the Korean film of the same title which was given a special prize at the international film festival in Karlovy Vary.

Leader Kim Jong Il started his active guidance on the revolutionary work from adapting the works written by President Kim Il Sung during the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle to films, operas and dramas.

The high leadership ability of Leader Kim Jong Il was more clearly demonstrated in his energetic leadership for not only literature and art, but the Korean revolution as a whole.

The building of "The leader's army" and "The leader's party" is a brilliant fruition that could be achieved only by His Excellency Kim Jong Il, the most perfect successor to President Kim Il Sung and extraordinary statesman.

Leader Kim Jong Il set forth the slogan "Let us fight devotedly for the great leader!" and thus firmly established the ideological and mental pillar of the People's Army as the army of the leader and the army of the party. Today the Workers' Party of Korea led by Kim Jong Il is demonstrating its might as a "steel strong Party" and "invincible Party" which is faithful to President Kim Il Sung, its founder, and achieved the single-minded unity of workers, peasants, intellectuals and all other social strata as shown on its mark. The WPK is the only party that is so pure in the leader's idea for scores of years since its founding and so devoted to the people's welfare.

That's why a south Korean political science professor, Kim Hyong Min, in his article titled A Red Sun of the Political World, said:

"The political party history of the East and West has recorded a lot of parties, but there has never been such a great party as the Workers' Party of Korea led by Kim Jong Il which is the party of Juche imbued with one idea, the party of the leader under unitary leadership, and the motherly party trusted by the masses of people."

In more than 50-year-long energetic leadership Kim Jong Il has used the back seat of his car as a bed and shared rice balls with ordinary soldiers and working people on his on-the-spot guidance tour. He said to officials that "a spell of sleep from work is the sweetest and a rice ball is the most tasty." The words reflect the boundless passion of Leader Kim Jong Il who is working energetically for the country, the revolution and the people.

Like this, Leader Kim Jong Il is faithful to President Kim Il Sung and devoting his all to the welfare of the people. That's why the Korean people are warmly supporting him not by a certain duty or demand, but of their own will. Already in the 1970s they supported Leader Kim Jong Il as the sole successor to President Kim Il Sung and after the latter's death they unhesitatingly held him in high esteem as the great leader of the Party and the state.

The political philosophy of Leader Kim Jong Il is based on the collective spirit which rejects any sort of individualism and serves only the people.

Noting that the main object of revolution is for the people, and that the Party, the state and the army are all needed for them, Leader Kim Jong Il pointed out that the process of socialist construction is just the process of the reduced influence of power on society and the enlarged influence of morality, thus clearly elucidating the moral superiority and popular character of the socialist politics.

Always regarding the Korean people as the most valuable beings, he is dedicating all of the parts of politics, large and small, to providing them with the best things.

That's why the people boundlessly respect, follow him and wish him good health.

Leader Kim Jong Il emphasizes that in the revolution and construction unity around the leader is precisely the major premise of victory and that division is the cause of defeat.

In the 1990s, the DPRK underwent harsh trials, such as failure of crops caused by natural disasters and the intensified blockade and pressure by the United States. At that time Leader Kim Jong Il declared that he would become the people's leader and people's Supreme Commander who shares his fate with them. "Don't expect any change from me," he stated, after President Kim Il Sung passed away in 1994, so as to show the world that the Korean-style socialist politics would not be changed.

The great faith of the leader implanted a great confidence and courage in the hearts of the entire people and inspired them to change impossibility into possibility.

Fidel Castro praised Kim Jong Il, leader of Korean-style socialism, as "Leader possessed of distinguished qualities and ability, an ideal leader."

Kim Jong Il's toughest diplomacy to cope with domination and tyranny continues to win popularity on the world arena. He regards the respect of sovereignty as the basis of international relations.

An example of it is the talks between the DPRK and the United States.

Indeed, Leader Kim Jong Il consolidated Korea into a strong citadel of Songun-based socialism and thus made a great contribution to global peace and security.

For his great services that the world history of politics can not ignore Leader Kim Jong Il has so far been awarded nearly 400 decorations of different countries and international titles of honor and received over tens of thousands of pieces of gifts from heads of state and other figures of over one hundred and dozens of countries.

Related Topics: Special Supplement receive the latest by email: subscribe to weekly blitz's free mailing list