YEAR OF GRANDIOSE STRUGGLE AND SEA CHANGES

Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea delivered a New Year address for 2014 in which he said, “The new year 2014 will be a year of grandiose struggle, a year of sea changes, in which we will raise a fierce wind of making a fresh leap forward on all fronts of building a thriving socialist country and thus usher in a golden age of Songun Korea.” Then he set forth the militant slogan the Workers’ Party of Korea and the people of the DPRK should uphold this year, “Let us raise a fierce wind of making a fresh leap forward on all fronts of building a thriving country filled with confidence in victory!”

What catches the attention of the international community in his New Year address is that a focus is put on the sectors of agriculture, construction and science and technology and on making a leap forward and changes. He stressed that the sectors of agriculture, construction and science and technology should hold the torch of innovations in the van and the flames of the torch flare up as flames of a leap forward on all the fronts of socialist construction.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the theses on socialist rural question made public by President Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), the father of socialist Korea. On the occasion of the anniversary the Korean leader Kim Jong Un intends to clearly prove the validity and vitality of the theses by waging the ideological, technological and cultural revolutions dynamically in the rural areas and bringing about a decisive turn in agricultural production. To this end he noted that the country should keep up agriculture as a major thrust of the effort in the struggle for economic construction and improving the people’s standard of living, and concentrate all efforts on farming. The agricultural sector should proactively introduce scientific farming methods and do farm works in a responsible manner so as to hit without fail the target of agricultural production set by the WPK. On the other hand, it should improve animal husbandry and do greenhouse vegetable and mushroom farming on an extensive scale so as to ensure that larger quantities of meat, vegetables and mushrooms are supplied to the people.

The Korean leader called on his people to usher in a new heyday of construction this year. He said that the construction sector should set up world-class structures representative of the Songun era and build many other structures that could contribute to improving the people’s living conditions; construction of power stations in tiers on the Chongchon River, livestock farming bases in the Sepho area, the Kosan Fruit Farm and a waterway in South Hwanghae Province and reclamation of tidal flats and other major projects should be stepped up to be completed on schedule; the construction of dwelling houses and dormitories and construction for improving the conditions and environment for education should be advanced vigorously; and cultural and welfare service bases should be set up on the highest standard. What he stressed is that this year, too, the service personnel and people of the DPRK should make concerted efforts to build up Pyongyang so that it is more grandiose, and lay out the provinces, cities and counties so that they sustain their respective local features.

The Korean leader, saying that science and technology are a propellant for building a thriving country, and the happiness of the people and the future of the country hinge on their development, specified tasks to be tackled in developing them. He said that the scientific research sector should open a shortcut to the building of a knowledge-based economy by solving the long-term problems in developing the country’s economy and improving the people’s standard of living as well as scientific and technological problems arising in the actual situation and by going beyond the cutting edge. He called on all the scientists and technicians to achieve high results by skillfully riding the excellent “steed” provided to them by the Party and giving fullest scope to their talents and enthusiasm so that they become true patriots who contribute to building a thriving nation. He also stated that a climate of attaching importance to science and technology should prevail across society, and all officials and working people should diligently learn modern science and technology upholding the slogan of making all the people well versed in science and technology.

Stressing that fierce flames of innovations should be raised in the vanguard sectors, basic industrial sectors, and all other sectors of the national economy, he set out detailed tasks for the sectors of the metallurgical, chemical, electric-power and coal-mining industries and the rail transport sector.

The Korean leader opened bright prospects for improving the people’s living conditions by directing great efforts to developing light industry and the fishing sector.

He emphasized on protecting and increasing the country’s priceless natural resources including underground, forest and marine resources, conducting an energetic mass-based tree-planting drive, making a big stride in the construction of culture, including education, channeling great efforts into building up the country’s defence capabilities, and further consolidating the political and ideological position of the revolution.

Kim Jong Un clarified the ways to carry out the tasks for raising a fierce wind of making a leap forward on all fronts of building a thriving socialist country. To put it briefly, in order to make the flames of a leap forward flare up on all fronts of building a thriving socialist country, the mental strength of the masses should be given fullest play, stringent revolutionary discipline and order established in all domains of the revolutionary struggle and construction work, and officials should make redoubled efforts to fulfill their duty as leading members of the revolution and faithful servants of the people.

The New Year address of the Korean leader instills in his people a firm determination to raise a fierce wind of making a fresh leap forward on all fronts of building a thriving country filled with confidence in victory, and thus glorify this year 2014 as a year of grandiose struggle and a year of sea changes.