Mankind’s Cause of Independence and President KIM IL SUNG

April 15 is the birthday of President KIM IL SUNG (1912-1994). He is not only the eternal President of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, but also the great pioneer of the cause of global independence, enjoying boundless respect of the Korean people and the progressive people all over the world.

KIM IL SUNG provided the cause of independence with the guiding principle towards its successful accomplishment based on the Juche idea and Songun idea.

The Juche idea is the doctrine that represents the fundamental demand of man as a social being to live and develop in an independent way as the master of the world and his own destiny and gives light to the correct way for its realization of independence of the country and nation and the popular masses, and firmly ensures it by means of powerful arms.

By relying on the Juche idea and Songun idea, the President put forward the original ideology and theory on the world revolution. He developed the world revolution from the struggle for class liberation of the international working class to the one for defending and realizing the independence of the oppressed and exploited people of the world, and gave correct answers to all theoretical and practical problems arising in the struggle for realization of the cause of global independence, such as the national liberation struggle in the colonial countries, the socialist movement, anti-imperialist and anti-US struggle and the movement for reconstruction of socialism. He newly delineated and systematized the theory on the world revolution centering on the independence of the people – the nature and strategic goal of the world revolution, the common task of struggle of the revolution and its subject and object, min strategy, and the principle of forming the revolutionary forces of the world – which are the unchanging guiding principle for implementation of the cause of independence of mankind.

KIM IL SUNG set a practical example in the national liberation struggle in the colonial countries and gave full support to the oppressed people of the world in their struggle for national liberation.

He set out on the road of revolution in his early teens, and organized and led the 20-year –long anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle (1926-1945) to liberate Korea. After national liberation he beat off the US imperialists, the ringleader of imperialism, to firmly defend the national dignity and sovereignty. It was a historic event that substantiated the truth that the peoples of the colonial countries can win the imperialists and rescue the destiny of the nation and realize the independence of the popular masses when they wage the armed struggle, believing in and relying on their own strength.

During the days of the anti-Japanese armed struggle for national liberation, he rendered active support to the revolution in China and defended the former Soviet Union with arms. Even after the liberation of Korea, he wisely led the struggle of the people of many countries for national and class liberation.

His support and encouragement to the Algerian people is an example. The Algerians held up the torch of armed struggle for national liberation in Africa which was called the “continent of darkness” and the “colonial continent” in the past. Encouraged by the Korean people’s victory in the Korean War (1950-1953), the Algerian patriots formed the National Liberation Front in August 1954 and engaged in the armed struggle. The President saw to it that great material assistance including provisions was given to them and that the “Day of Algeria” and the “Week of Algeria” be designed in token of solidarity with the Algerian people. When the provisional government of the Republic of Algeria was founded in September 1958, the DPRK was the first to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with it. He also gave active and disinterested support and encouragement to the struggles of the people of Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia and other countries against colonialism and racism. President KIM IL SUNG energetically led the socialist movement of the world, holding high the banner of socialism.

He built Korea into a socialist power of independence, self-reliance and self-defense, and put great efforts in strengthening the international solidarity with the socialist countries and achieving the unity in the international socialist movement.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis from October to November in 1962, he made sure that the full support was expressed to the Cuban people, who were fight bravely against the US maneuvers of stifling and that the DPRK embassy staff in Havana and the Korean students studying in Cuba made every preparation for combat and share the destiny with the Cuban people. He even visited North Vietnam to greatly encourage the Vietnamese people and give selfless material and moral aid to them in the grim days when the US cooked up the “Gulf of Tonkin Incident” in August 1964 to lead to Vietnamese war. These are only a few examples of his achievements in the cause of independence of mankind.

Thanks to his energetic activity, the Pyongyang Declaration, “Let Us Defend and Advance the Cause of Socialism”, was adopted on April 20, 1992, signed by heads and delegates of 70 parties of the world, which was an event of historic significance in the strengthening the unity and solidarity between the parties aspiring for socialism and reconstructing the cause of socialism. At present the number of parties that have put their signatures to the declaration has increased to over 270.

During the period of over two years from the adoption of the declaration till the last time of his life he met heads and delegates of more than 120 parties and organizations, and devoted his heart soul to defending and rebuilding socialism and bringing about new upsurge in the socialist movement.

President KIM IL SUNG, who achieving undying exploits in mankind’s cause of independence, will be remembered for ever with the advancing cause of independence.

August Name of Kim Il Sung

The name of President Kim Il Sung, founder of socialist Korea, literally means the sun in Korean. As the sun shines for ever, so does his august name.

The august name of President Kim Il Sung is symbolic of the national liberation struggle and the era of independence.

Early in his teenage years the President embarked on the road of revolutionary struggle to liberate Korea from the military occupation of Japanese imperialists (1905-1945).

He authored the Juche idea and the Songun idea to illumine the way ahead of the revolutionaries and people of Korea.

By so doing he ushered in a new era of independence when the masses of the people became the masters of their own destiny for the first time in history and elucidated the truth of Songun that the victory of the revolutionary cause and independence, sovereignty and prosperity of a country and nation rest on the arms. The Korean revolutionaries and people called him Kim Il Sung in the sense that he was like the sun which illuminates the road to national resurrection and prosperity.

He liberated Korea after waging 15-year-long anti-Japanese armed struggle and established the people’s country. He defeated the United States that prided itself on being the world’s “strongest” in the Korean war (1950-1953), for the first time in history and safeguarded national sovereignty and dignity with credit. And he led to victory the post-war rehabilitation, socialist revolution and the several stages of socialist construction. Thus, he set a world’s example in the struggle for accomplishing the cause of independence of the masses.

He rendered unstinted assistance to China, Vietnam, Cuba and other countries in their struggle of national liberation and anti-imperialism.

Many African countries could achieve their national liberation and build a new society thanks to Kim Il Sung’s unselfish assistance. Sam Nujoma, first president of Namibia, credited the Korean President Kim Il Sung with the independence of his country.

There have been formed at a national, continental and international level a large number of organizations for the study and dissemination of the Juche idea originated by the President and acknowledged as a guiding ideology of the cause of independence of mankind.

The non-aligned movement could be constantly strengthened and developed into a powerful anti-imperialist, independent force by virtue of his deep concern and energetic activities and add great spurs to the struggles for putting an end to domination and subordination and gaining independence of the country and nation and the masses of the people worldwide.

It has become an irresistible trend of the times and aspiration of the mankind to advance along the road of independence indicated by the Juche idea.

The august name of Kim Il Sung is symbolic of lofty virtue and ennobling sense of obligation.

His Juche idea and Songun idea are likened to the light of the sun that illumines the way to be followed by mankind, while his virtue and moral obligation are to the heat of the sun that gives life to all organisms.

The President was a genuine friend and a great benefactor of the peoples of developing countries. He spared nothing in supporting them undergoing difficulties in the building of a new society. He sent a number of experts and technicians to African and other countries to help them sincerely in their efforts to build party, state and armed forces and to develop industry, agriculture, education, healthcare, sports and other sectors.

Stressing the need to develop agriculture in order to solve the food problem, he ensured that they adopted farming methods suited to their specific conditions and helped their irrigation projects.

He made the DPRK host a symposium of the non-aligned and other developing countries on increasing food and agricultural production in Pyongyang and proposed to establish institutes of agricultural science with a view to improving agriculture in African countries.

Kim Il Sung Research Institute of Agricultural Science was established in Guinea of western Africa and Chollima Agricultural Institute in Tanzania of eastern Africa by help of the Korean agro-technicians, which made a contribution to the agricultural development in Africa.

President Kim Il Sung treated those fighting against imperialism and for independence as his genuine comrades and friends and set a fine example of noble sense of moral obligation of keeping faith with them to the last. There are many anecdotes about his obligation to the friends, including the Great King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and the former Chilean President Salvador Allende.

All the people who met him even once could not but feel great admiration and reverence for his lofty virtues and ennobling personality, even if they were from the countries hostile to Korea.

Among such people were Jimmy Carter, former US president, and Shin Kanemaru, former deputy prime minister of Japan.

Kim Il Sung’s name is shining as the banner of eternal victory.

Entering the new century, the aspirations of the world people to live and develop independently are getting ever stronger.

As the time passes, it proves clearer the truthfulness and invincibility of the Juche idea.

Seminars on the Juche idea and the activities for its dissemination are proceeding on a worldwide scale.

The world conference on the Juche idea is to be held this April in Pyongyang.

The International Kim Il Sung Prize Council was organized in April 1993 and the International Kim Il Sung Foundation established in 2007.

The present situation, when high-handedness, despotic and aggressive moves of the imperialists get ever more unscrupulous after the end of the Cold War, demands that the countries actively advocate the Songun idea and Songun politics rooted in the Juche idea.

Progressive peoples of the world regard Songun politics as an invincible banner that makes it possible to safeguard national sovereignty under any challenge and adversity and accomplish the cause of anti-imperialism and independence.

Nearly 500 streets, institutions and organizations in over 100 countries are named after the august name of Kim Il Sung.

Kim Il Sung and the Banner of Independence

President Kim Il Sung, upholding the banner of independence, rendered immortal services to the times and history.

Having embarked on the road of struggle for the country and people in his early teens, he authored the Juche idea, the gist of which is that the masses of the people are the masters and the driving force of the revolution and construction; in other words, it means that man is the master of his own destiny and has the strength with which to carve out his destiny.

Since then the Korean revolution has vigorously advanced along the road of independence.

In the period of the armed struggle to liberate Korea from the Japanese military occupation, he ensured that the guerrillas kept the strong conviction that they should fight the Japanese by making themselves weapons and grenades instead of looking forward to aids from others.

The guerrillas waged the arduous armed struggle for over 15 years, holding high the slogan of winning back the country by themselves, and achieved the country’s liberation.

After liberation he made sure that Korea took the road of Korean-style democracy, not adopting other countries’ styles, and vigorously led the struggle to reunify the country divided by foreign forces.

In the grim days of the Korean war (1950-1953) to repel the aggression of the United States he ensured that the service personnel of the Korean People’s Army employed unique tactical methods such as building tunnels and bringing direct-firing guns up to the heights, thus winning victory in the war.

After the war he put forward a unique line of economic construction to give priority to the development of heavy industry and simultaneously develop light industry and agriculture, and led his people to get rid of flunkeyism and dogmatism and take the road of independence.

When other socialist countries persistently forced Korea to join the CMEA, insisting on the “integrated economy” within them, he never vacillated in the slightest nor deviated an iota from the line of building the independent national economy.

In the mid-1980s the trend of “reform” and “openness” was sweeping the socialist countries, but he firmly maintained the independent stand and held up higher the red flag, thus defending the socialist system of Korea reliably even though others abandoned socialism.

Kim Il Sung paid great attention to realize the cause of making the world independent throughout his life.

He gave clear answers to the matters of principle arising in realizing the cause of global independence such as those on maintaining independence in the struggle for peace and fighting against the imperialist forces of aggression with the united efforts of all the peace-loving forces of the world, and on struggling while uniting and vice versa. When Francois Mitterrand, head of the French Socialist Party, visited Korea in February 1981, Kim Il Sung said to him that in order to prevent a new world war, the European countries should not be aligned with any blocs but make themselves independent and neutral, and that they should help the newly-emerging countries to firmly maintain their independence and build theirs into independent, sovereign states.

When he met Utsunomiya Tokuma, Japanese politician, he told him that the global peace would be surely maintained only when all the countries of the world, including European and Asian countries as well as Japan became independent and that it was his ideal for peace.

Kim Il Sung assisted heart and soul other countries in accomplishing their cause of anti-imperialist independence.

Already in the period of anti-Japanese armed struggle for Korea’s liberation he actively assisted the Chinese revolution and defended the former Soviet Union with arms. After liberation he also gave unstinted assistance to the countries and nations in their struggle against imperialism.

The support and assistance given by him to the Algerian people who launched an armed struggle for the national liberation in Africa, known as the Dark Continent and the continent of colonies, wrote a brilliant page in the world history of national liberation struggle.

When the Algerian patriots, encouraged by the victory of the Korean people in the Korean war, waged an armed struggle after forming the National Liberation Front in August 1954, he sent them food and other materials and set the day and the week of Algeria so as to express solidarity with them in their struggle.

When the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic was established in September 1958, he saw that the DPRK was the first country to acknowledge it and establish diplomatic relations with it.

He also gave energetic and disinterested support and aid to the peoples of Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in their struggle against colonialism and racism, the Latin American peoples’ struggle against the US imperialists and pro-US dictatorship, Arabians’ struggle against the US imperialists and Israeli Zionists, as well as the Cuban, Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian peoples’ struggle against the aggression of the US imperialists, thus greatly inspiring them to bring about historic victories.

The banner of independence upheld by President Kim Il Sung is a great power of strength and encouragement to the Korean people who are achieving eye-opening successes in the socialist construction with a firm stand of independence and also to the progressive peoples of the world who are struggling for the realization of global independence.