Opinion & Columnist

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea
October 10, 2020 is the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) founded the Workers’ Party of Korea.

Kim Il Sung, who embarked on the road of revolutionary struggle in his teens to liberate his country and people from the Japanese imperialists, formed the Down-with-Imperialism Union on October 17, 1926.

The organization of the union was the starting point of founding a Juche-type revolutionary party, which differed from previous parties in Korea.

While advancing the Juche-oriented line of the Korean revolution at the Kalun Meeting in June, 1930, Kim Il Sung illuminated the original way of founding a revolutionary party.

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The most important thing here was to found a party independently and by way of forming its grass-roots organizations first and enlarging and strengthening them, and prepare for its founding in close combination with the anti-Japanese struggle.

He then formed the Society for Rallying Comrades, the first party organization, with the young communists of new generation at Kalun in early July 1930. This is how the prototype of the party organizations guided by the Juche Idea was born.

The anti-Japanese armed struggle waged under the guidance of Kim Il Sung was one to found a revolutionary party of the working class as well as a liberation war to save the country and nation.

During the anti-Japanese armed struggle, the party committee of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army was organized, making it possible to establish the system of guiding the party organizations at all levels and realize party guidance over the Korean revolution as a whole.

A sound organizational backbone was built up and the unity and cohesion of party ranks were consolidated as a rock.

On the basis of the successes and experiences in party building achieved during the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle Kim Il Sung buckled down to the work of founding the party shortly after Korea’s liberation (August 15, 1945).

At last on October 10, 1945 the Workers’ Party of Korea was founded with the fighters, who had been tempered and trained during the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle, as its core and the communists who had been active in various regions.

The founding of the WPK enabled the Korean people to victoriously carve out their destiny and usher in a new era of epochal changes by relying on their own vanguard force.

Kim Il Sung’s cause of party founding will shine forever with the might of the WPK which is advancing victoriously along the road of accomplishing socialist cause by overcoming all the difficulties of history.

 

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Kim Jong Il and His Immortal Exploits in Building Up the WPK

October 8 this year marks the 23rd anniversary of election of Kim Jong Il (1942-2011) as the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

Kim Jong Il built up the WPK into an invincible party that achieves only victory in carrying out the cause of socialism, the cause of independence.

Kim Jong Il developed the WPK into a powerful body that is ideologically pure and organizationally integrated in the cause of implementing the ideas and leadership of the leader.

He energetically conducted ideological and theoretical activities, systematizing and developing in a comprehensive way the theory on the Songun idea; this conformed with the actual situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea which is still in confrontation with the US-led imperialist forces.

The Songun idea, together with the Juche idea, has become a mighty sword that enables the WPK to achieve one victory after another in defending the cause of socialism, the cause of independence, and an unshakeable faith of the members of the WPK.

He established a well-regulated organizational system, whereby the ideas and policies advanced by the Party flow to its lower organizations without a hitch, and ensured that Party organizations at all levels turned out as one in the efforts for implementing them, while maintaining work with people as the main thing in their work.

Kim Jong Il developed the WPK into a party with a sound mass basis and a genuine motherly party that serves the people with devotion.

He paid close attention to rallying the broad sections of the people firmly behind the Party and ensured that the working people’s organizations enhanced their functions and role as befit transmission belts and reserves of the Party.

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When formulating every line and policy, he reflected in them the aspirations and demands of the masses, and ensured that the people-oriented policies were pursued as before even in the days of economic difficulties. He believed in and relied on the unquenchable strength of the masses in working out the lines and policies and implementing them.

Kim Jong Il made it the basic duty of the WPK to exist for the people and struggle to realize their demands for independence and their interests.

He put forward the slogans “Let the whole Party go among the masses!” and “We serve the people!” and he ensured that the Party took responsible care of the people’s destiny and led its officials to go deep among the people and meet their demands and aspirations, ranging from such basic problems in living as food, clothing and housing to the problem of leading a worthwhile life as social beings, with maternal affection.

The WPK, which was strengthened remarkably under his wise leadership, is now achieving world-startling successes in implementing the cause of independence of the masses as the powerful General Staff of the revolution.

His exploits in building up the WPK will shine forever. 

A Party That Serves the People
The Workers’ Party of Korea has served the people since its founding on October 10, 1945, regarding it as its duty to hold responsibility for their destiny and take good care of them.

In February 1946, shortly after its founding, the Party established the Provisional People’s Committee of North Korea, a government of the people whose mission was to defend and realize their interests, and made it implement democratic reforms without delay.

Thus the government adopted and executed the Agrarian Reform Law (March 1946), the Law on Sex Equality (July 1946), the Law on the Nationalization of Major Industries (August 1946) and other people-oriented policies.

Thanks to the democratic reforms, the peasants could create a new life with their own effort on the land given them free of charge and workers could conduct creative activities as masters of the factories and production means, enjoying the benefit from the eight-hour workday.

Women could be freed from feudal fetters and take part in social activities with equal rights to men.

Under the wise leadership of the WPK the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was founded in September 1948 and has been built up into a country in which the people are the masters of everything and everything serves them.

The people-oriented policies which have been enforced in the DPRK clearly show how much importance the WPK attaches to interests of the people.

The country started to enforce the universal free medical care system in January 1953 in the grim period of the Korean war (1950-1953). It was a courageous decision of the WPK to adopt this system which cost huge human and material resources when the country’s destiny was in the balance.

It also holds true for the case of universal compulsory free education system. The country introduced universal compulsory primary education in August 1956 when the postwar reconstruction for healing severe war wounds was at its height and universal compulsory secondary education in November 1958 in the period when it strived to lay the foundations of socialism. As the socialist construction progressed, it started universal 11-year compulsory education in September 1972, and is now enforcing universal 12-year compulsory education.

The politics of the WPK which serves people has been raised to a new height by its Chairman Kim Jong Un.

He set the people-first principle as its fundamental political ideology and put forward the slogans “Everything for the people and everything by relying on them!” and “Let the whole Party make selfless, devoted efforts for the good of the great people!” He is leading officials to think about the people’s interest and convenience first whatever they do and to defend their dignity and sovereignty in any circumstances.

Last August, he repeatedly visited flood-stricken Taechong-ri, Unpha County,North Hwanghae Province and took measures to supply the flood victims with food grains and daily necessities in the shortest period of time and to turn the damaged area into a socialist paradise.

Witnessing this reality, the world realized once again the true image of the WPK which serves people. 

A Party That Translates Its Decisions into Reality
The Workers’ Party of Korea carries out without fail whatever it is determined to do. What is the secret then?

First, it solves all the problems relying on the people.

It is its will that nothing is impossible as long as it believes the people and relies on them. By relying on the people, it unhesitatingly makes any strategic decision that would entail a huge cost and launches ambitious operations for rapid development in socialist construction.

Regarding this trust in them as priceless, the Korean people display inexhaustible strength in the struggle for safeguarding and building socialism.

It is inconceivable apart from such reality that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea creates one world-startling success after another in strengthening its military power and economic construction under unprecedentedly severe circumstances.

Second, the Party implements everything by dint of unflinching offensives.

It possesses a firm principle of independence of doing everything according to its own faith and determination no matter what others may say, an indomitable will with which to brave challenges and difficulties, the revolutionary spirit of continuing advance without resting on its laurels even a moment, and the ability to achieve things that have taken other countries several decades through a single leap.

Thanks to such unflinching offensives, the DPRK has become a strategic state with complete national defence capability and achieved many significant successes in economic construction, in the face of all challenges and difficulties.

Third, the Party guides the people by dint of scientific leadership.

All lines and policies it has recently put forward, including the strategic line of concentrating all efforts on socialist economic construction and the idea of making a leap forward by dint of science and guaranteeing future by dint of education, and the planning for and guidance to their implementation, are based on scientific judgment on specific conditions and objective reality of the country.

The country witnesses unprecedented innovations in all fields of politics, military affairs, the economy and culture, and the machinations of the hostile forces to isolate and suffocate it cut no ice with it. This reality clearly proves the scientific accuracy of the leadership of the WPK.

Fourth, the Party’s leadership is future-oriented.

It is one of the Party’s major principles in the socialist construction that it should complete things as many as possible and in a perfect way for the coming generations even though circumstances are currently difficult.

Many creations in the country are imbued with the ideal and ambition of the Party to do everything possible for the people’s wellbeing and the future.

The bright future of the country is firmly guaranteed by the leadership of the Party which encourages the people to plan and execute everything in a development- and creation-oriented and future-oriented way, not in a patching-up manner and prototype-copying way.

Heart-to-Heart with the People
On the Korean TV channels, one can frequently see Chairman Kim Jong Un having unceremonious conversations with the people.

When they talk to him, they never hesitate to tell their wishes and problems candidly. Someone even asked him a favour of naming her newborn baby. He seems to have his own magic of making them open their hearts.

It is one of his distinctive traits to bow deeply to the people before they do to him.

In June 2018, he visited the Sinuiju Cosmetics Factory which is renowned for its Pomhyanggi brand.

When he stepped into the corridor of the finishing workshop, he saw a middle-aged female worker enthusiastically cheering him inside the glass-partitioned shop floor. As he stopped walking, the accompanying manageress introduced her to him saying that she was the worker poet who had written the lyrics of the song The Girl on a Steed. Then she even sang its first few bars.

On hearing her introduction, he said that it was a pride of the factory to have such a talented person before making a deep bow to the worker.

There are many other similar examples. When he visited a fishery station, he bowed low to the cheering female workers in the fish processing workshop.

In August 2020, he personally drove to flood-hit Taechong-ri in Unpha County, North Hwanghae Province to acquaint himself with the situation.

When his car got stuck in the mud, the local farmers helped him pull out. As they felt much obliged to him for his personal visit to them, they took it for granted to push his car out of mud.

However, he said that he was very sorry to cause them the trouble. They were moved to tears.

There is a saying in Europe which goes, “Modesty opens all doors.” Chairman Kim Jong Un’s infinite modesty is truly his magic to win people’s hearts.

Why Do the Korean People Respect Their Supreme Leader?
The world admires the people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for their boundless reverence to and respect for their Supreme Leader.

Why, then, do they respect their leader so ardently?

Carrying forward the cause of President Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) and Chairman  Kim Jong Il (1942-2011), Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un materializes his people’s dream and ideal.

Thanks to his efforts, Korean people’s centuries-old desire to lead a dignified life as masters of a powerful country has been translated into reality.

Koreans are a nation with distinguished history. Back in ancient times Ancient Korea or Kojoson, which existed from the early 30th century BC to 108 BC and Koguryo, which lasted from 277 BC to AD 668, were recognized as powerful countries in the East. Generation after generation they wished to live proudly as a powerful nation which no invaders dare to challenge.

Their desire grew more intense while they lived as slaves under the Japanese military occupation in the first half of the last century, survived the Korean war unleashed by US-led imperialist allied forces in the 1950s, and weathered the protracted post-war confrontation with hostile forces which attempted to stifle the country.

Kim Jong Un strives to make this desire come true.

By rapidly developing the country’s defence science, he has raised it to the status of a world-recognized strategic state against which no other countries dare to start a war.

He is energetically leading the effort to build an economic power, so as to realize the people’s dream to live in a prosperous country.

Under his guidance, many modern factories and enterprises relying on the country’s own strength, technology, raw materials and fuel have been built. Though they still have something that is in short supply or not available, they are proud of their creations and are convinced of the brighter future of the powerful socialist country.

Another reason for the Korean people’s boundless respect for and trust in him is his people-oriented politics.

He defined the essence of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, the guiding ideology of the country, as the people-first principle and put forward the slogan “Everything for the people and everything by relying on them!”

He encourages officials to carry on all works, ranging from the formulation of policies of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the DPRK government to their implementation, thoroughly based on the people’s interests and requirements. He demands that all officials make selfless, devoted efforts for the sake of the people and sets personal examples.

In a word, Kim Jong Un is “the leader beloved of the people” and “the people’s benevolent father.”

It is quite natural that a people put absolute trust in such a leader. 

Strategic Resources of the DPRK
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has strategic resources with which to revitalize the national economy and raise it to the world-class level in the face of the blockade by hostile forces.

The first one is the foundations of the self-sufficient economy that have been consolidated for several decades.

This constitutes the basis for the existence of socialism in the country and motive force of its advance and development.

In retrospect, the hostile forces have made every conceivable attempt to isolate and stifle the DPRK, the fortress of independence. For over seven decades, they have imposed unprecedentedly severe political and economic blockade upon it.

However, under the leadership of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il, the Korean people did not veer even a single step from the principle of self-reliance in the face of challenges and pressure but built an economy that stands on its own feet and develops relying on its own efforts, technology and resources.

To cope with the grim situation in which the hostile forces are intensifying their moves to isolate and crush the country, Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, pays close attention to ensuring the domestic production of raw and other materials and equipment in all sectors of the national economy.

The second one is the country’s powerful sci-tech force the state has trained with great efforts.

The country has a large contingent of competent scientists, and talented people and science and technology constitute the major motive force for the development of self-sufficient economy.

Thanks to the line of attaching importance to science and technology and the policy of making all the people well versed in science and technology steadily maintained by Chairman Kim Jong Un, the country has recently made radical development in science and technology and rapid consolidation of sci-tech forces. Many valuable successes of latest science and technology have been achieved, thus strongly promoting the economic development.

The successes of latest science and technology achieved in developing and launching artificial earth satellites and in the sector of biology and nanotechnology are attracting the attention of many world experts.

The third one is the creative strength of the people who have made self-reliance part of their mental qualities and are brimming with patriotic enthusiasm.

A miracle is not something that is created of its own accord. The source of miracle is the elated mental might of the masses of the people, and there is no limit to the might of the people who are possessed of indomitable mental might.

This was clearly proved by the course of struggle of the Korean people who created miracles and innovations decade after decade braving trials and difficulties under the leadership of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il.

Under Kim Jong Un’s leadership, the Korean people, equipped themselves more firmly with the spirit of self-reliance, are creating new miracles day after day in accomplishing the cause of building a powerful socialist nation by smashing the hostile forces’ ever-intensifying moves to isolate and stifle their country.

Meticulous Leader
Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea plans everything in a big and bold way and executes it on the highest possible level.

The typical examples are modern-style Mirae Scientists Street and Ryomyong Street in Pyongyang, the city of Samjiyon which was built in northern part of Korea as a model of mountainous town and Yangdok Hot Spring Resort in its central part.

He is a man of a large calibre on one hand and is very meticulous on the other.

One day in October last year, a foreign tourist saw inhabitants in Yangdok Hot Spring Resort area moving into new houses, saying:

“The houses had pretty papered living rooms, clean washing rooms, handy stores and animal sheds and even kitchen utensils.

“There was a pile of firewood in front of the kitchen furnace and coal for wintering in the kitchen store.

The state not only built houses for the residents but also meticulously prepared everything possible for their convenient living.”

It is also noteworthy that they moved into new houses before the opening of the resort.

Kim Jong Un ensured that the inhabitants moved into new houses before the opening ceremony of the resort lest they should feel discomfort in cold weather.

It can be said that his meticulousness originates from his fatherly affection for the people.

To him, called the father of the people, no detail, however trivial it may appear, is unimportant if it is related to the people’s living.

One day he went up to the top floor of a 45-storyed apartment house in the newly-built Changjon Street in the capital city of Pyongyang.

After looking round the living rooms and kitchen of a flat with an eye of the user, he enjoyed a bird’s eye view of Pyongyang on a balcony. Then he suddenly said wind was heard whistling in.

Thinking it was quite natural that some wind should come in through windows as it was a high-rise, nobody had paid any heed to it. But he pointed out that wind might cause discomfort to the residents and stressed the need for better wind-proofing measures.

When he visited a worker’s family in the street, he asked the owner about the state of water supply, if the owner liked his new house and how many children he had and advised his son how to improve his painting skill.

Saying that if one analyzes Kim Jong Un’s activities up to now, one can know that he is attentive to every details, grasps various sectors simultaneously and correctly determines the order of priority and weight in work, analysts commented that all the successes in the DPRK are inconceivable apart from his broad-ranging thinking and scrupulous leadership.

The Image of Kim Jong Un
What type of person is Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea?

There could be several answers to this question, but the most important of all is that he is the leader who loves the people most.

His thoughts and practice are all oriented to the devoted service for the people.

It is his outlook on life that he would be happy even though his body may be scattered like grains of sand on the road for the good of the people and his creed that anything for the people must be perfect and the best.

There have been several meetings of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea this year; agenda of each meeting was different but the main subject was consistently related to the safety and wellbeing of the people.

In August this year many dwelling houses and paddy fields were inundated in the area of Taechong-ri, Unpha County, North Hwanghae Province.

On receiving the report, he drove his car to the stricken area.

On the site Kim Jong Un was relieved to hear that there was no casualty because all the residents had been evacuated to safe areas in advance. Then he, walking on muddy road, looked round the site and gave tasks and ways regarding the rehabilitation. His field guidance was very impressive.

He took immediate measures of supplying cement and other materials needed for the rehabilitation and providing the victims with food grain, beddings, daily necessities, medicines and other things. When officials proposed rebuilding only 400 houses out of 800 houses in the inundated area and repairing the remaining 400 houses, he said that all the 800 houses should be pulled down and rebuilt.

He advised them to ask the inhabitants which type of house they preferred, house for one family or shared by two families, and reflect their opinions in the design of the houses.

Several days later the Workers’ Party of Korea convened the 16th Meeting of the Political Bureau of its Seventh Central Committee.

While informing the participants in the meeting of the collected data of the damage, Kim Jong Un said the flood victims must be suffering greatly as they were living in temporary dwellings after losing their houses and other properties and that at such a time, it was none other than our Party that should take full responsibility for them and go closer to them to share their hardship with them and relieve them of it.

Through this fact alone the international community realized once again that Kim Jong Un is indeed the dear father of the people who regards them as everything to him.

HERALD