ANNIVERSARY OF THE ELECTION OF KIM JONG IL, AS THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE WPK

Kim Jong Il was elected the general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea on October 8, 1997.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was in a difficult situation that time.

The US- led imperialist forces were intensifying than ever before their political and military pressure, economic sanctions and blockade against socialist Korea, with a view to completely stamping out the existence of the globe after the collapse of socialism in the Eastern European countries in the late 1980s and the early 1990s.

The Korean people suffered the greatest national loss on July 8, 1994—the death of Kim Il Sung who had led the country over half a century.

To make things worse, they encountered the worst economic difficulties and shortage of food caused by the natural calamities which hit the country for several consecutive years.

The DPRK had to launch a severe struggle to defend socialism. Given the situation, Kim Jong Il unfolded the blueprint for the bright future for the Korean people---plan for building a great, prosperous and powerful socialist country whose national power is strong, and where everything prospers and the people live with nothing to envy in the world.

The successful launch in August 1997 of the artificial earth satellite, Kwangmyonsong No. 1 , which was made entirely by its own efforts, was the solemn declaration which heralded the start of the building of a thriving nation.

In order to crush the aggressive maneuvers of the imperialists by strengthening the politico-ideological might and military strength of the country, he formulated Songun politics as the basic political mode of socialism, and thoroughly applied it through his continuous field inspections of army units.

The WPK adopted measures to establish the atmosphere of attaching importance to military affairs throughout society and emulate the revolutionary soldier spirit.

The Korean people responded to his Songun politics with all their heart. The army broke through the economic difficulties standing in the van and the civilians supported the army more sincerely in the course of which the traditional single-hearted unity of the Korean society has reached a new, higher plane.

The overall national power of the country has been strengthened remarkably, with the result that it came to possess a powerful nuclear deterrent.

Under his leadership the WPK continued to put into effect the universal free medical care and free compulsory education systems at the end of the last century, too, when Korea was undergoing the worst hardship and difficulties amid the concentrated anti-socialist offensives of the imperialists.

The line of building a thriving nation is, in the final analysis, aimed at making people lead a happy life with nothing to envy in the world by radically improving the people’s standard of living. To solve the people’s food problem, the coal gasification is introduced into large fertilizer complexes. Modern fruit farms such as the Taedonggang Combined Fruit Farm with an area of over 1 000 hectares are built throughout the country, and the fruit processing and foodstuff factories constructed on a high standard are paying off handsomely.

The pig, poultry and fish farms and solar-heat energy greenhouses are being mushroomed, enriching the people’s dietary life.

Introduction of the cutting-edge technology into the vinalon production lines based on the domestic raw materials is bringing about changes in fibre and other chemical goods production.

Kim Jong Il paid a special attention to the WPK’s efforts to make the people lead a plentiful and civilized life to their heart’s content. He continued to give field guidance at the Kaeson Youth Park, Hana Music Information Centre, Kwangbok Area Supermarket and other places even in the last days of his life.

Apartment houses in the Masudae area, a dolphinarium, an outdoor ice rink and a health complex of the latest style are now under construction in Pyongyang. They are the gifts the WPK

presents to the people on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of President Kim Il Sung, as wished by Kim Jong Il.

Though Kim Jong Il passed away, the WPK venerated him as its eternal General Secretary.

His exploits made in Party building will shine forever along with the ever-victorious WPK.

 

WPK Built into Mother Party

 

Korean people are now calling the Workers’ Party of Korea the mother party. That the WPK is called the mother party and enjoys absolute trust of the people is associated with the leadership of Kim Jong Il.

Fragrance of Party Officials

One day in July 1970, while continuing his trips of field guidance, Kim Jong Il happened to have a break by a lake. There were many beautiful flowers in full bloom by the lakeside.

Looking at the flowers carefully, he noticed that some flowers were swarming with bees and butterflies, but some others were not.

He explained the accompanying officials about the reason: They all look like fragrant flowers; however, if you look carefully at the movements of the bees and butterflies, you can easily discern which one is fragrant and which is not; such a law can also be applied to human life; flowers lure bees and butterflies because of their fragrance, and Party officials can attract people only when they have a touch of human feeling. Fragrance of Party officials is humanity and kindness.

Looking up to the leader who taught them the law of the life and the principles of the Party work from a trifling natural phenomenon, the officials strengthened their resolve to prepare themselves as true Party workers with the motherly traits, a quality essential for leading the masses.

Traits of Party Workers

The other time Kim Jong Il taught the traits required of the Party workers.

He said: People entrust their all to the Party, calling it the mother party. In order for Party officials to fulfil their responsibility and role as the workers of the mother party and live up to the trust and expectation of the people they should possess the genuine motherly trait. It is the feelings of a mother to give her children the best of all things, and the nature of a mother to be willing to take any risk and danger for her children. Mother’s affection for her children is pure, magnanimous and genuine.

That is why children always call their mother in joy and in sorrow.

The word mother stands for fathomless sincerity and efforts a mother dedicates to her children and doing so is a source of pleasure and happiness for her. When our officials acquire such motherly affection and traits, always think of the people before anything else and make strenuous efforts for the well-being of the people, there would be nothing impossible to solve in bettering the people’s living.

“We Serve the People!”

One January day in 1990, Kim Jong Il instructed to the officials to live and work as faithful servants of the people. He said: The driving force of the revolution and construction is the masses of the people, and they have inexhaustible strength and wisdom to carry out the revolution and construction. Our Party is the one for the people and all its lines and policies are also geared to serving them.

That day, saying that Party officials should make it a rule to always go among the people, learn from them and share joy and sorrow with them, regarding it as their greatest pride and honour to serve the people, he continued: Only when officials work faithfully for the people and enjoy the people’s support and love can they be called true Juche-type Party officials. In the KPA there is a slogan ‘We serve the country!’ Our Party officials’ slogan must be ‘We serve the people!’