Pioneer of Era of Independence
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the only country in the present world, which is braving by dint of its great dignity all kinds of challenges that attempt to turn the current of the new era of independence. Although all of the self-advertising statesmen in the world had put forward their own doctrines, the greatness transcending all the doctrines lies in the Juche idea authored by President Kim Il Sung. To learn from him is precisely to defend one’s own self-respect, and this is the best option for a politician of the present era to defend himself and the dignity of his own country.
This is what Samdech Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia said in his lifetime.
There is an example that shows the political faith of President Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), whom Samdech Norodom Sihanouk so revered.
Just after the end of the Korean war (1950-1953), Kim Il Sung advanced the line of building an independent national economy by giving priority to the development of heavy industry while simultaneously developing light industry and agriculture.
At the time a so-called socialist superpower wondered how Korea, a small country, could carry out such huge tasks and brought pressure and appeasement to bear upon it, saying that if the latter joined the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance, it could develop its economy and improve its people’s living standards. However, the stand of the DPRK remained unchanged.
In June 1994, before his demise, Kim Il Sung had a talk with the chairman of the Central Committee of the Belgian Labour Party, who visited the DPRK.
He said: In the world there are countries, big and small, developed and developing, but there cannot be senior or junior, dominator or the dominated; our country is small, but never junior to others; ours is a developing country, but we never tolerate other’s domination; we are making every endeavour to accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche, holding fast to the principles of Juche in ideology, independence in politics, self-sufficiency in the economy and self-reliance in national defence.
Indeed, Kim Il Sung met with heads of state and people from all walks of life of the world until the last days of his life, and gave instructions for the independent development of countries and global independence.
The following is another example.
In April 1994, when a journalist delegation of the American newspaper Washington Times met Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, they asked him: “This is an opportunity for you to tell the world clearly what you want to say. What is your message? In specific, what is your message to the leadership of the United States?
Kim Il Sung answered,
“Ours is an era of independence. Many countries aspire to independence and fight every manner of domination and enslavement. People’s desire for independence and many countries’ advance along the road of independence are the main trend of our times, which no force can ever check. All nations round the world must respect, cooperate with one another and make joint efforts to achieve the common prosperity of mankind, on the principles of international justice and equality, in accordance with the trend of our times towards independence.
“We hope that the United States will also abandon its outmoded cold war conceptions and keep pace with the age of independence. Then the US will make a notable contribution to world peace and progress.”
