SONGUN-BASED LEADERSHIP AND KOREA’S LIBERATION

On August 15, 1945, the Korean nation was freed from the bitter fate of colonial slaves of the Japanese imperialists. Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), the father of socialist Korea, achieved the historic cause of national liberation by dint of Songun-based leadership.

Kim Il Sung provided a powerful ideological and theoretical banner for achieving the cause of national liberation by creating the Juche idea and Songun idea.

He set out on the road of revolutionary struggle to liberate his country in his early teens, and in June 1930 put forward the line of the anti-Japanese armed struggle based on the principles of the Juche idea and Songun idea, at a meeting of Korean revolutionaries held at Kalun in Northeast China.

It was a correct line that scientifically analyzed the nature of imperialism and reflected accurately the realities of Korea and many other colonial countries across the world in those days.

Owing to the aggressive and predatory nature of imperialism, it never withdraws of its own accord from the colonies but mainly resorts to violence to maintain its colonial rule. Therefore, the peoples of colonies, only when they take arms in their hands, can become the masters of their destinies free from the lot of slaves, and carve them out independently and creatively.

It was a historical review of the anti-Japanese struggle in Korea at that time. The Korean people, who found themselves at the crossroads of life and death, rose up to fight against the cruel colonial rule by the Japanese imperialists. People from all walks of life waged constantly mass struggles against the Japanese imperialists across the country, but met with many a setback under the barbarous repression by Japanese armed forces. Bourgeois nationalists of Korea dreamed of gaining independence of the country by making “compromise” with Japanese imperialism or seeking help from great powers. Their naïve dreams were impossible. They were too ignorant of the imperialist nature.

Kim Il Sung put forward a line of liberating Korea neither by relying on outside forces nor by peaceful means, but by Koreans’ own efforts and by waging armed struggle on the basis of the Juche idea and Songun idea. Since then the national liberation struggle of Korea could be firmly put on the scientific and correct road.

Kim Il Sung achieved the country’s independence by preparing the powerful forces of Songun revolution and vigorously exercising Songun-based leadership.

On April 25, 1932, he founded the Anti-Japanese People’s Guerrilla Army, the predecessor of the Korean People’s Army. It was a significant event that marked the birth of the main force of the Korean revolution, the core force of the Songun revolution, and the beginning of his Songun-based leadership.

In the course of expanding and strengthening the AJPGA he developed it into the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army and built it up as an invincible military ranks through the fierce battles against the Japanese army. The KPRA, under his command, dealt heavy blows to the Japanese army in the battles of Pochonbo, Jiansanfeng, Hongtoushan and many others with unique strategy and tactics.

While strengthening the KPRA, he rallied the broad masses around it to further expand the forces of the Songun revolution. He founded in May 1936 the Association for the Restoration of the Fatherland, an anti-Japanese national united front organization, in order to firmly unite the masses of all strata on the basis of the worker-peasant alliance and mobilize their unfathomable strength for achieving the cause of national liberation. After the founding of the ARF, all the patriotic, anti-Japanese forces of Korea could rally firmly as one under the banner of national liberation and further strengthen the struggle.

He paid special attention to achieving army-people unity in the whole course of the anti-Japanese armed struggle, thus consolidating the force of the Songun revolution as firm as a rock. In those days he put forth an aphorism, “As fish cannot live without water, so guerrillas cannot live without the people.” The KPRA fighters protected the lives and properties of the people at the cost of their lives, true to his intention, and the people aided the KPRA with all sincerity. It constituted one of important factors that made the KPRA, without state backing and assistance from a regular army, always throw the powerful Japanese imperialists on the defensive whenever they fought battles.

Relying on the reliable forces, he organized the final operations for liberating the country. Under his order issued on August 9, 1945, to start general offensive, the KPRA launched the operations for final campaign against the enemy and the people in the homeland joined in them, with arms in hands, harassing the Japanese army in the rear. At last the Japanese imperialists were defeated and the Korean people achieved their country’s liberation on August 15, 1945.

The achievements President Kim Il Sung accomplished in liberating Korea with the Songun-based leadership will shine forever in the history of the anti-imperialist national liberation struggle of the world.