H.E. Kim Il Sung
The following figures can help to understand what kind of person Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), founding father of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, was.
Walking One Thousand-ri at the Age of 11
In March 1923 when Kim Il Sung was studying at a primary school in Badaogou in Northeast China, his father told him to go back to his native home at Mangyongdae in Korea, saying: A man born in Korea must have a good knowledge of Korea; if you get to understand clearly while you are in Korea why it has been ruined, that will be a great achievement; share the fate of the people in your home town and experience how miserable they are; then you will see what you should do.
Kim Il Sung set out on the journey. He had to travel 1 000 ri (approximately 250 miles–Tr.) all alone. To make matters worse, for more than half the journey he would have to walk over steep, craggy mountains which were virtually uninhabited; even in full daylight beasts of prey prowled about there. At that time he was merely 11 years old.
Two years later, while studying in Korea, he made a determination never to return home before he won back the country from the Japanese imperialists. Then he crossed the Amnok River again and started his revolutionary activities.
On October 17, 1926, while attending Hwasong Uisuk School that was set up to train political and military cadres for the Independence Army, he formed the Down-with-Imperialism Union (DIU), the first revolutionary organization of Korea, with young communists of the new generation. The immediate task of the DIU was to defeat Japanese imperialism and achieve the liberation and independence of Korea, and its final objective was to build socialism and communism in Korea and, further, destroy all imperialism and build communism throughout the world.
Defeating Two Imperialist Forces in One Generation
On April 25, 1932, Kim Il Sung founded the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army, the first revolutionary armed force of the Korean people, in Antu, Northeast China. Since then the Korean people called him General Kim Il Sung.
He led an arduous armed struggle against Japan, without the backing of a state and support of a regular army, and liberated Korea on August 15, 1945.
On June 25, 1950, as part of its strategy for world supremacy, the United States ignited a war in Korea to occupy the whole of the Korean peninsula, and hurled into the war over two-million-strong forces including one-third of its ground force, one-fifth of its air force, most of its Pacific Fleet, some of its Mediterranean Fleet, as well as the troops of its 15 vassal states, south Korean army and even the remnants of the former Japanese army.
Although the DPRK was barely two years old, he led his people and army to win the war.
Francisco da Costa Gomes, former Portuguese president and chief of staff of the Portuguese forces in Macau during the Korean war, once said: The operations plans of the United States were brought to completion through several rounds of discussion by scores of generals including chiefs of staff and military experts of the Western countries which took the side of the United States. But General Kim Il Sung foiled them virtually single-handedly. While witnessing this with my own eyes, I came to realize that he was the greatest military strategist and commander the world had ever seen.
Leading Two Stages of Social Revolution to Victory
Having clarified that the liberated new Korea should follow the road to democracy of the Korean style, not that of the Soviet or US style, Kim Il Sung inspired all the Korean people to carry out an anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution.
Under his leadership, the Agrarian Reform Law, the Law on the Nationalization of Major Industries, the Law on Sex Equality and other democratic laws were enforced in succession in keeping with the surging passion of the people for the building of a new, democratic Korea, putting forward workers, peasants and women, who had been subjected to maltreatment of the Japanese imperialists and traitors to the nation in the past, as masters of the country and society. This led to the liquidation of the remnant forces of Japanese imperialism and feudal landownership once and for all and establishment of the most advantageous people’s democratic system for the first time in history.
When everything had been reduced to ashes by the US imperialists during the Korean war, he, with the conviction that the socialist revolution alone could guarantee the independent development of his country, pushed forward with the cooperativization of the rural economy and the remoulding of private handicraftsmen and entrepreneurs along socialist lines. 1958 saw the establishment of socialist system in the DPRK.
Then the Korean people vigorously waged the Chollima movement at his proposal, turning their country into a powerful socialist industrial state in a matter of 14 years.
Surprising Figures
During his lifetime Kim Il Sung made public more than 10 800 works dealing with the political, economic, military, cultural and all other realms of social life. Many publishing houses in about 100 countries published his works in scores of languages.
He met as many as 70 000 foreigners including 400 state, government and party leaders of 136 countries, or about 1 400 a year and nearly four a day on average.
In recognition of his exploits for the cause of global independence, 78 countries and 13 international organizations conferred 77 orders, 154 medals and 142 honorary titles upon him in his lifetime and after his death. He was awarded the title of honorary citizen by about 30 foreign cities and towns, and titles of honorary professor and doctor by about 20 renowned universities of foreign countries. The statues of him were erected in China and Mongolia, and about 480 streets, organs and institutes in 100-odd countries were named after him.
He was presented more than 71 000 gifts from heads of party, state and government of about 170 countries, party and social figures and international organizations.
