A Country of Strong Independence

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is known worldwide as a country of strong independence as it always maintains the principle of independent politics, self-supporting economy and self-reliant national defense.

The DPRK has demonstrated its dignity by dint of independent politics.

When he started revolutionary struggle to liberate his country from the Japanese military occupation (1905-1945), Kim Il Sung, founding father of socialist Korea, put forward the unique line of anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution suitable to the specific conditions of Korea.

In the years after the country’s liberation when he was leading the efforts to build a new society he adopted progressive democracy of the Korean style, which was neither Soviet style nor American style, and indicated the road the country should follow in its socialist revolution and construction, with no regard for the experiences of other countries or established formula.

The line of Songun politics advanced by General Kim Jong Il who carried forward the ideas and cause of Kim Il Sung, was to all intents and purposes an independent line ensuring reliable defence of the sovereignty and dignity of the country by efforts of Koreans in today’s world, in which the moves of aggression and arbitrariness of the imperialist superpower reached the extreme.

Throughout its history, the DPRK has resolutely rejected the intervention and pressure by great-power chauvinists and kept to the independent stand, insisting that there can be big and small countries but no senior and junior ones in international relations.

Many socialist countries collapsed nearly at the same time after dancing to the tune of others, but socialist Korea was as strong as ever.

Over the recent years the DPRK launched artificial satellites in the face of the pressure of big countries as a lawful right of a sovereign state.

This fact alone demonstrated patently to the international community Korea’s strong independent stand.

The DPRK has been displaying its might as it develops a self-supporting economy.

From the initial period of building a new society Kim Il Sung held high the banner of self-supporting national economic construction. When the country was utterly laid waste in the wake of the Korean war (1950-1953) started by the US aggressors, he initiated the original line of economic construction of developing heavy industry on a preferential basis and light industry and agriculture in parallel.

Following this line, the DPRK built powerful heavy industry with the machine-building industry as the core in a short span of time and, on that basis, it rapidly developed light industry and agriculture. As a result, it performed the historic task of industrialization only in 14 years and established a comprehensive and multi-faceted economic structure.

Kim Jong Il made strenuous efforts to enable Korea’s self-supporting economy to give play to its might more powerfully by depending on cutting-edge technology.

He advanced attaching importance to science and technology as the strategic line of building a thriving nation, and energetically led the nationwide drive to break through the cutting edge. He personally organized a development team of CNC machine tools and laid the solid foundations for producing high-performance CNC machine tools.

Thanks to his leadership in the DPRK the machine-building industry, the basis of industries, was put on a modern footing; it built production lines of fibre and fertilizer fed by its abundant raw materials and based on the cutting-edge technology, and a new iron-making system using no coking coal and scrap iron; light-industry factories were updated; the arable land across the country was standardized into large ones, and new gravitational waterways and tidal flats were built, which opened sure prospects for bringing about a radical improvement in agricultural production.

The DPRK has emerged victorious with its self-reliant defence capabilities.

Kim Il Sung set the greatest store by arms from the first days of his revolutionary struggle and finally liberated the country through his successful leadership of the 15-year-long anti-Japanese armed struggle.

Although he was very busy building a new Korea, he paid primary attention to building an army; he founded the regular armed forces before he established the state and laid strong foundations for defence industry. Thanks to the strong military capabilities built up by him, the DPRK, less than two years old, inflicted a disgraceful defeat on the US, for the first time in the latter’s history, in the Korean war and defended its sovereignty and dignity.

After the war Kim Il Sung continued to direct great efforts to building up the defence capabilities. The military line of making the army a cadre army, modernizing the entire army, arming all the people and turning the whole country into a fortress and the line of simultaneous development of the economy and defence upbuilding, both advanced by him, contributed to increasing the might of the KPA and raising the defence capabilities of the country.

The incidents of the US armed spy ship Pueblo and the US spy plane EC-121 in the 1960s and many others, all caused by the US, which led to acute confrontation between the DPRK and the US, always ended in the victory of the former. This was a brilliant fruition of the line of self-reliant defence.

Towards the close of the last century Kim Jong Il’s Songun politics raised the DPRK’s defence capabilities to the highest level. After the end of the Cold War the US-led imperialists intensified aggressive moves against the DPRK. Given the situation, Kim Jong Il gave top priority to increasing the KPA’s might, political and ideological, military and technological.

Through his incessant inspection of the KPA units he maximized the KPA’s combat efficiency and foiled the enemy’s aggressive attempts at each step. He advanced the line of economic construction in the Songun era.developing defence industry on a priority basis and light industry and agriculture in parallel.

Under his Songun-based leadership the KPA developed into an invincible, powerful army, prepared for both attack and defence, and the country built up its nuclear deterrent.

Today the DPRK with a glorious 60-odd-year history as a country strong in independence is now led by Kim Jong Un. In his first formal speech in April he announced that the DPRK would follow as ever the road of independence, the road of Songun and the road of socialism.

The DPRK will shine forever as a power of independence.

 

Over 60 Years of the Development of Science

and Technology in Korea

 

Before its liberation in 1945, Korea remained a backward colonial semi-feudal society and lagged far behind in modern technical civilization as it did not go through an industrial revolution.

When the country was liberated from Japan’s military occupation, its science and technology were in a woeful state. There were few specialists and technicians for restoring blast furnaces and factories the Japanese destroyed when they were fleeing.

Kim Il Sung, founder of socialist Korea, found out them one by one and trained them into the pillars of the building of a new society. At the same time, he vigorously pushed ahead with the construction of Kim Il Sung University and other educational institutions in order to bring up scientists and technicians of working people origin.

He had research institutes, experimental stations and test and research laboratories built first for solving urgent problems arising in the building of a new society and the scientific research institutions expanded gradually in keeping with the demands of the developing realities. Under his leadership a fisheries research institute, the central mining research institute and many other scientific research institutions as well as scores of experimental stations were organized in various fields of the national economy after the liberation.

In October 1946 he convened a meeting of scientists and technicians, the first of its kind in Korea, to inspire the scientists and technicians with zeal for nation building and encourage them to turn out actively in the struggle for the building of a new society.

During the grim days of the Korean war (1950-1953) ignited by the US he put forward the proposal for the establishment of the Academy of Sciences, though he was very busy leading the service personnel and people to victory, shouldering the heavy burden of war. Pursuant of his proposal, a meeting of scientists was held in the flames of war, resulting in the founding of the Academy of Sciences (the present State Academy of Sciences) on December 1, 1952.

The founding of the academy marked a turning point in the development of science and technology in Korea. It provided the country with a reliable base to push ahead with its science and technology in a unified and coordinated way.

He gave field guidance at the academy on scores of times, illuminating the way ahead of it in each period and at each stage. Regarding scientists and technicians as the most precious treasures of the country, he took all necessary steps for the development of the country’s science.

The founding of the State Academy of Sciences and the laying of a firm foundation for developing the country’s science and technology onto world standards in a short period of time is one of the most distinguished exploits he performed on behalf of his country and people.

Korea’s science and technology which had constantly developed under the leadership of President Kim Il Sung greeted a heyday of their development under the guidance of General Kim Jong Il.

The smaller a country is, the greater efforts it must pay to developing science and technology, and develop them up onto the advanced world level by running 10 and 100 steps while others take one–this was his view and determination.

He set forth the attitude toward science and technology as a key question decisive of the destiny of the country and socialist cause, in keeping with the demand of the times when the significance of science and technology has increased and fierce competitions are waged among countries in the field of science and technology.

He visited the State Academy of Sciences in April 1995 and solved all the urgent problems arising in the development of the country’s science and technology. He made energetic efforts to bring up to the highest level all the branches of science and technology including basic sciences, electronics, information technology and bioengineering and development of new materials. In the closing years of the last century when Korea was experiencing the most trying ordeals, he had precious fund left of the country allocated to the development of CNC technology. This clearly shows how much prominence he gave to science and technology. Thanks to his tireless efforts, Korea could secure world supremacy in CNC technology.

His guidance over science and technology was geared to breaking through cutting edge not only in CNC technology but also all other branches of science and technology.

The successful launching of Korea’s first artificial satellite in August 1998 was a great demonstration of the validity and vitality of Kim Jong Il’s idea of attaching importance to science and technology.

Regarding the policy of attaching importance to science and technology as one of the three pillars for building a thriving nation in Korea, he always paid a close attention to the work of the State Academy of Sciences and set out new targets for the development of science.

When he visited the State Academy of Sciences in January 1999 as the first leg of his field guidance tour in the new year, he advanced a new task of rapidly developing the country’s cutting-edge science and technology and took necessary measures for its implementation.

He visited the Hamhung Branch of the State Academy of Sciences several times. While giving field guidance at the Bioengineering Branch in 2011, he highly appreciated the success the scientists had achieved and set new targets for them.

Enjoying his great affection and trust, the State Academy of Sciences, the highest institute of science, actively leads the development of the country’s science and reliably supports the building of a thriving socialist country with science and technology as required by the era of knowledge-based economy.

Marshal Kim Jong Un inherits the idea of President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il of attaching importance to science and technology. In his speech at the military parade held to celebrate the centenary of Kim Il Sung’s birth in April 2012, he said that single-hearted unity and invincible military might plus the industrial revolution in the new century are a thriving socialist country.

Amid the industrial revolution in the new century spreading throughout the country, Korea’s science and technology will register more brilliant successes.   

 

KIM JONG UN, New Year Address

January 1, 2013

Dear comrades,

Officers and men of the heroic People’s Army and all the beloved fellow countrymen,

Dear compatriots,

Having seen out the year 2012 characterized by the events that will go down in the history of the nation, we are seeing in the new year 2013 full of high hope and confidence in final victory.

Reflecting the unanimous reverence of all the service personnel and people for President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il, the fathers of the nation and eternal Sun of Juche, I would like first to tender the highest tribute and New Year greetings to them.

I extend my warm greetings to the service personnel and people who are devotedly striving for the prosperity of the country firmly united around the Workers’ Party of Korea, and sincerely wish all the families across the country harmony and greater happiness.

My New Year greetings also go to our compatriots in the south and abroad who are ringing in the new year with yearning and expectations for the reunification and prosperity of the nation and the world’s progressive peoples and our foreign friends who love justice and peace.

Last year was a historic year in which the great Generalissimos were upheld as the eternal leaders of our revolution and a firm guarantee was provided for brilliantly carrying forward the revolutionary cause of Juche to completion under the leadership of the Party.

The President and the General were great leaders whom our people acclaimed for the first time in their history spanning thousands of years; they are the eternal images of the great Paektusan nation and banners of all victories and glory. Last year we celebrated the centenary of the birth of the President as the greatest national holiday, reviewed the 100-year history of Juche Korea with pride and held up the General as the eternal leader of our Party and people realizing the cause of immortalizing the leader. By doing so, we have been able to glorify the new century of the Juche era as the annals of victory and glory for the accomplishment of the revolutionary cause of Juche under the unfurled banner of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism.

Although they saw in 2012 in tears of blood after the sudden demise of the General whom they had believed in as in heaven, our service personnel and people determinedly rose up following the Party with firm faith that the great General would always be with them and fully supported the leadership of the Party. With loyalty as pure as white gem, noble sense of moral obligation and all sincerity, they refurbished the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in the most sublime way as befits the supreme sanctuary of Juche and erected the statues of the Generalissimos on Mansu Hill and in several other places.

Placing deep trust in and faithfully supporting the Party, they established the ties of blood with it, their hearts pulsating in the same beats with it, and always shared sweets and bitters with it. Major political celebrations held amid the deep interest of the whole nation and the days of last year bore testimony to the single-hearted unity between the Party, the army and the people which was further consolidated to be unbreakable ties of blood.

Last year our service personnel and people achieved historic victories which would brilliantly shine in the history of the country by waging a general offensive to put the intentions and instructions of the General into practice.

Our reliable scientists and technicians successfully launched the artificial earth satellite Kwangmyongsong 3-2, carrying out the instruction of the General with credit and fully demonstrating the high level of space science and technology and overall national power of Juche Korea. That we successfully manufactured and launched the scientific and technological satellite by entirely relying on our own efforts, technology and wisdom was an event of national jubilation that raised the dignity and honour of the Sun’s nation onto the highest level and a great event which inspired all the service personnel and people with confidence in sure victory and courage and clearly showed that Korea does what it is determined to do.

Through the parade held in celebration of the centenary of the birth of the President, our revolutionary armed forces demonstrated the inexhaustible might of the powerful revolutionary army of Mt. Paektu steadfast in ideology and faith and equipped with Korean-style modern military hardware capable of defeating any formidable enemy. And they reliably safeguarded the security of the country by resolutely smashing every war provocation and anti-DPRK smear campaign of the enemy. The officers and men of the People’s Army and the People’s Internal Security Forces made breakthroughs on all major fronts of building a thriving country with the mettle of “At a go” and did many good things for the happiness of the people, thereby living up to the expectations and trust of the Party and people.

Although the situation was acute and complicated and severe natural calamities hit the country in succession last year, our army and people made great strides in their efforts to build a thriving socialist country and improve the people’s living standards by displaying an indomitable will and waging an unyielding struggle.

We put the Huichon Power Station and Tanchon Port into commission, built many Juche-oriented and modern factories and enterprises and reconstructed major production bases in key industrial sectors on the basis of advanced science and technology, thus further consolidating the material and technological foundations of our economy.

Thanks to the exalted patriotic zeal of the service personnel and people, monumental edifices including Changjon Street and Rungna People’s Pleasure Park sprang up in Pyongyang and many cultural facilities for the promotion of the wellbeing of the people were built in different parts of the country, changing its looks.

Last year, the superior socialist education system was further consolidated through the adoption of the law on enforcing universal 12-year compulsory education; our sports people achieved laudable successes in international games, adding glory to the country; and our revolutionary artistes conducted artistic activities in a fresh and enterprising manner, imbuing society with an animating spirit and greatly encouraging the people in their struggle.

The brilliant successes we achieved in the revolutionary struggle and construction work last year were ascribable to the fact that the General had unfolded an ambitious blueprint and laid firm foundations for the building of a thriving country. Last year’s significant successes were a valuable fruit born of the unshakeable determination and correct leadership of our Party to glorify Kim Il Sung’s and Kim Jong Il’s Korea all over the world by translating the far-reaching plan and instructions of the General into reality and the lofty sense of loyalty and patriotic devotion of our service personnel and people unfailingly faithful to the Party.

I extend my warm thanks to all the service personnel and people who adorned the first year of the new century of the Juche era with great victories in hearty response to the Party’s militant call.

Comrades,

The new year 2013 is a year of great creations and changes in which a radical turnabout will be effected in  the  building  of  a  thriving  socialist  country  on  the  road  of  the  onward  march  in the new century of
Kim Il Sung’s and Kim Jong Il’s Korea.

All the people and service personnel should dynamically turn out in the grand onward march for building a thriving country full of pride of victors and confidence in a rosy future.

The road of Juche is the only path for our Party and people to invariably follow and great Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism is the ever-victorious banner of our revolution. We should march forward along the road of independence, the road of Songun and the road of socialism to the end upholding the banner of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism. Our Party will triumphantly build a thriving socialist nation, the most powerful country, on this land in our own way, the way the General did, by relying on our people who are the best in the world.

This year we will be greeting the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, our glorious motherland, and the 60th anniversary of the victory in the great Fatherland Liberation War.

The dignified and glorious present of our people and the bright prosperous future of our country are ensured by the immortal nation-building exploits the Generalissimos performed while founding a genuine state of the people for the first time in the 5 000-year-long history of our nation and developing it into a powerful socialist country that is independent, self-sufficient and self-reliant in national defence and by the great achievements the President made while leading the Fatherland Liberation War to brilliant victory on the strength of his outstanding strategy and tactics and wise leadership.

In this significant year we should add brilliance to the immortal achievements of the great Generalissimos and make persevering efforts to build a thriving socialist country and carry out the cause of reunifying the country.

The building of an economic giant is the most important task that comes to the fore in the present stage of building a thriving socialist country.

We should further consolidate the successes achieved so far in economic construction to raise the status of our country to that of an economic giant in the new century, thus realizing the wish of the great General who devoted all his life to making our people well off with nothing to envy in the world.

In the same manner as we demonstrated the dignity and might of Songun Korea through the manufacture and launch of the Juche-based application satellite, the entire Party, the whole country and all the people should wage an all-out struggle this year to effect a turnaround in building an economic giant and improving the people’s standard of living.

“Let us bring about a radical turn in the building of an economic giant with the same spirit and mettle as were displayed in conquering space!”—this is the fighting slogan our Party and people should uphold this year.

All sectors and all units of the national economy should launch a vigorous general offensive to boost production in hearty response to the Party’s militant slogan.

All economic undertakings for this year should be geared to effecting a radical increase in production and stabilizing and improving the people’s living standards by solidifying and making effective use of the already-built foundations of the independent national economy.

By adopting decisive steps to shore up the vanguard sectors of the national economy and the sectors of basic industries, we should develop coal-mining, electric-power and metallurgical industries and rail transport on a preferential basis and provide a firm springboard for the building of an economic giant. We should make innovations in coal-mining and metallurgical industries in particular so as to revitalize the overall economy of the country.

The success in economic construction should be manifested in the people’s standard of living. We should direct great efforts to bolstering up the sectors and units that have a direct bearing on the people’s livelihoods and increasing production there, so as to give them more benefits in living.

Agriculture and light industry remain the major fronts for economic construction this year, too. We should fulfil this year’s plan for grain production without fail by concentrating nationwide efforts on farming and raising the efficiency of agricultural production by dint of scientific and intensive methods. We should take concrete measures for the supply of raw and other materials to light-industry factories and thus increase the output of quality consumer goods.

We should decisively bolster up livestock, fish and fruit farming to provide the people with a better, more bountiful diet. The soldiers of the People’s Army and the shock-brigade members who volunteered to work at the reclamation site of Sepho tableland in response to the Party’s call should achieve miraculous successes and perform heroic feats in this year’s campaign to open a bright prospect for carrying the Party’s grand nature-remaking plan to completion at an earlier date.

We should wage a dynamic struggle to boost production at the modern factories and production bases that were built under the leadership of the General who, going on with his super-intense forced march, made painstaking efforts to improve the people’s living standards. By doing so, we should ensure that his ennobling affection reaches the people as it is.

All sectors and all units of the national economy should push ahead with a socialist emulation drive to reenergize production and fulfil their quotas as fixed in the national economic plan for this year.

We should bring about a radical turn in the building of an economic giant on the strength of science and technology by fanning the flames of the industrial revolution in the new century.

The industrial revolution in the new century is, in essence, a scientific and technological revolution, and breaking through the cutting edge is a shortcut to the building of an economic giant. Like the satellite scientists who conquered outer space we should wage a dynamic campaign to push back the frontiers of science and technology so as to develop the country’s overall science and technology to the world standards as soon as possible. All sectors of the national economy should direct primary efforts to the development of science and technology, bring science and technology into close combination with production in order to boost production by relying on domestic resources and technology, and introduce CNC technology in equipment and production lines and achieve their full automation in the long run.

We should improve economic guidance and management as demanded by the developing reality.

All sectors of the national economy should make scrupulous arrangements for economic planning and guidance to boost production by tapping every possible reserve and potentiality, and work out in a scientific way the immediate plans and long-term strategies for stage-by-stage development and push ahead with them in a persistent manner. We should hold fast to the socialist economic system of our own style, steadily improve and perfect the methods of economic management on the principle of encouraging the working masses to fulfil their responsibility and role befitting the masters of production, and generalize on an extensive scale the good experiences gained at several units.

We should continue to channel great efforts into consolidating our political and military might in every way.

The single-hearted unity of the army and people around the Party is our strongest weapon and a powerful propellant for the building of a thriving socialist country.

We should invariably carry forward the proud tradition of single-hearted unity, the tradition of adorning the red flag of the revolution only with victories on the strength of the harmonious whole wherein the Party believes in the people and the latter absolutely trust in and follow the former.

All officials, Party members and other working people should become genuine comrades united with a single heart, who share ideology and purpose, weal and woe with our Party on the road of the Songun revolution, and make devoted efforts for the sake of their country and people. They should orient all undertakings towards defending and cementing the single-hearted unity, and strengthen the political and ideological position of our revolution as solid as a rock by grasping the people’s sentiments and rallying broad sections of the people firmly behind the Party.

The military might of a country represents its national strength; only when it builds up its military might in every way can it develop into a thriving country and defend the security and happiness of its people. We should put continued stress on increasing our military might under the great banner of Songun, reliably safeguard the security and sovereignty of the country and render services to assuring regional stability and global peace.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the advancing of the slogan “a-match-for-a-hundred” by the great Generalissimo Kim Il Sung. It is important to bring about a fundamental change in strengthening our revolutionary armed forces and perfecting their combat preparedness.

The People’s Army should set up a revolutionary command system and military climate, establish steel-strong military discipline and perfect its regularized features as befits an elite revolutionary force. It should make its training more intensive, as the anti-Japanese guerrillas did on Mt. Paektu, so as to prepare all its officers and men to be a-match-for-a-hundred combatants who have acquired capabilities for actual warfare, and maintain full combat readiness. If the aggressors dare launch a preemptive attack against our sacred country, the People’s Army should mercilessly annihilate them and win victory in the war for the country’s reunification.

Officers and men of the Korean People’s Internal Security Forces and members of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards should intensify combat and political training and maintain full combat readiness with a determination to safeguard their Party and leader, country and people, and defend their hometowns.

The sector of defence industry should develop in larger numbers sophisticated military hardware of our own style that can contribute to implementing the Party’s military strategy, thereby fulfilling its mission as the arsenal of the powerful revolutionary army of Mt. Paektu.

We should spur the building of a civilized socialist nation to usher in a new era of cultural efflorescence in the 21st century.

The thriving socialist country we are building is a civilized socialist one where all its people are possessed of profound cultural knowledge, sturdy physique and noble moral virtues, enjoying a socialist life to their heart’s content under the most cultured conditions and environment, and a beautiful and sound lifestyle pervades the whole society.

All sectors in cultural construction should implement to the letter the ideas, lines and policies set forth by the General, and develop education, public health, literature and the arts, physical culture, public morals and all other branches as appropriate to an advanced civilized nation.

We should develop Pyongyang into a more majestic and picturesque city as befits the capital of Juche Korea, the centre of Songun culture, and turn all streets and villages, mountains and rivers in provinces, cities and counties into a socialist paradise. At the same time we should set up modern cultural and welfare facilities, parks and pleasure grounds in larger numbers, thus making our people enjoy a cultured life of a new era to their heart’s content.

In order to effect a radical change in this year’s campaign to build a thriving socialist country, officials should make a fundamental turnabout in their ideological viewpoint, work style and attitude.

Those who acquire the President’s and the General’s outlook on the people, make tireless efforts for their good, rid themselves of the old way of thinking and attitude and make ceaseless innovations in all work, and rouse the masses to make breakthroughs for the advance, can be rightly claimed to be genuine officials required by our Party at present. Officials should strive with devotion, upholding the slogan “Everything for the people and everything by relying on them!” They should work to the best of their abilities with a high sense of responsibility, eagerness and an enterprising approach to work, so that their loyalty and performance can be judged by the Party and the people.

Party organizations should further enhance their militant function and role.

As the political staff of the units concerned, they should firmly establish policy-oriented principles in implementing the Party’s policies and conduct political and organizational work with scrupulous care. By doing so, they should ensure that a great upsurge is brought about in their respective sectors and units. Party organizations, out of maternal feeling, should embrace all the people, take warm care of them and lead them forward to ensure that they share the same destiny with the Party to the end and fulfil their tasks at their posts in a responsible manner.

We should conduct Party work in a militant way as it was done in the 1970s, and put a focus of the work on thoroughly applying Kim Jong Il’s patriotism in all activities.

Kim Jong Il’s patriotism is the eternal soul and breath of Kim Il Sung’s nation, and a driving force for the building of a thriving country. Party organizations should ensure that all officials, Party members and other working people cherish Kim Jong Il’s patriotism deep in their hearts and give full play to their patriotic enthusiasm and spirit of devoted service in the ongoing sacred struggle to achieve prosperity of their socialist country.

Working people’s organizations should conduct effective education among their members to suit their specific features, thus inspiring them to an all-out offensive for this year. Youth league organizations should educate young people to dynamically advance straight forward along the road indicated by the Party and become youth heroes who glorify the present era of great upsurge with their creative activities and feats.

The reunification of the country is the greatest national task that brooks no further delay and was the lifelong desire and instructions of the great Generalissimos.

Deeply grieving over the national division, President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il, the fathers of the nation and lodestars of national reunification, worked heart and soul throughout their life to hand down a reunified country to their fellow countrymen, laying firm foundations for the independent reunification, peace and prosperity of the nation.

We should staunchly safeguard and add brilliance to the undying exploits the great Generalissimos performed for the sacred cause of national reunification, and accomplish the historic cause of the country’s reunification, a long-cherished desire of our nation, true to the lofty intention of the peerlessly great persons.

This year the entire Korean nation should turn out in a nationwide patriotic struggle for reunification in unity so as to usher in a new phase in the reunification movement.

An important issue in putting an end to the division of the country and achieving its reunification is to remove confrontation between the north and the south.

The past records of inter-Korean relations show that confrontation between fellow countrymen leads to nothing but war. Anti-reunification forces of south Korea should abandon their hostile policy against their fellow countrymen, but take the road of national reconciliation, unity and reunification.

Respecting and thoroughly implementing the north-south joint declarations is a basic prerequisite to promoting the inter-Korean relations and hastening the country’s reunification.

All the Korean compatriots in the north, south and abroad should launch a dynamic struggle to carry out to the letter the June 15 Joint Declaration and the October 4 Declaration, great reunification programmes common to the nation in the new century and milestones for peace and prosperity.

The reunification issue should be solved by the concerted efforts of our nation in an independent manner.

The driving force of the reunification movement is the entire Korean nation, and nothing is impossible if it achieves firm unity. All the members of the Korean nation in the north, south and abroad should subordinate and orientate everything to the great national cause of reunifying the country from the standpoint of giving priority and attaching importance to the nation and achieving its unity. The entire nation should vehemently reject any moves for domination, intervention, aggression and war by outside forces, and never tolerate any acts hindering the country’s reunification.

Whatever trials and difficulties lie in the way of national reunification, we will build a reunified thriving country without fail on this three-thousand-ri land by the concerted efforts of the whole nation.

In the present international arena, the moves of the imperialists to interfere in the internal affairs of other sovereign states and their acts of military aggression pose a serious threat to peace and security of mankind. The Asia-Pacific region, the Korean peninsula in particular, has become the hottest spot in the world in which constant tension persists.

The aspiration and desire of mankind to lead an independent life free from all sorts of domination and subordination is growing stronger, and no force can check the trend of history towards independence and justice.

The present international situation demands that our Republic continue to advance along the road of independence under the unfurled banner of Songun.

By holding fast to the ideals of independence, peace and friendship, we will, in the future, too, strive to develop relations of friendship and cooperation with the countries that are friendly to our country out of their respect for its sovereignty, and safeguard regional peace and stability and make the whole world independent.

A brighter and broader vista is open for us in the new year, and only victory and glory are in store for our people on their onward march.

Let us vigorously strive to achieve the prosperity of our country, our motherland, firmly rallied behind the Party under the banner of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism.