KIM JONG IL
THE SONGUN-BASED REVOLUTIONARY LINE IS A GREAT REVOLUTIONARY LINE
OF OUR ERA AND AN EVER-VICTORIOUS BANNER OF OUR REVOLUTION
Talk to the Senior Officials of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea
January 29, Juche 92 (2003)
These days the Korean revolution, guided by the Party, has been making a victorious advance under the banner of Songun.
Thanks
to the Songun-based politics pursued by our Party, the revolutionary
armed forces have been incomparably strengthened, the defence line of
the homeland consolidated and a great change effected in the revolution
and construction.
By
dint of Songun politics we have smashed the anti-DPRK, anti-socialist
machinations of the imperialists step by step, defended the country and
the revolution and exalted the dignity and prestige of socialist Korea
in the eyes of the world.
The
Songun-based politics of our Party is a politics the invincibility of
which has been verified through, severe historical ordeals, and an
all-powerful sword for victory in the revolution. It is an invariable
conviction and will of our Party to defend and carry forward by force of
arms the sacred revolutionary cause which was pioneered and has won one
victory after another by force of arms. The whole Party, the entire
army and all the people must wage a resolute struggle under the banner
of Songun and thus build a great, prosperous and powerful socialist
nation, achieve national reunification and accomplish the revolutionary
cause of Juche.
Our
Party’s Songun-based revolutionary leadership, Songun-based politics,
is a revolutionary mode of leadership and socialist mode of politics
that gives top priority to military affairs, and defends the country,
the revolution and socialism and dynamically pushes ahead with overall
socialist construction by dint of the revolutionary mettle and combat
capabilities of the People’s Army. The underlying aspects of Songun
politics are that military affairs are of paramount importance, that the
army is the hardcore and main force of the revolution, and that the
army must be strengthened in every way. The essential characteristic of
Songun politics is that it safeguards the security of the country and
defends the revolutionary gains by developing the People’s Army into
invincible revolutionary armed forces, and that it builds up the driving
force of the revolution and deals with all affairs of socialist
construction in a revolutionary and militant way with the People’s Army
as the hard core and main force.
The idea and line of giving importance to force of arms and military affairs, advanced and consistently maintained by President Kim Il Sung, constitute the basis and starting point of our Party’s Songun politics.
The
struggle of the masses of the people for the cause of independence, the
cause of socialism, is accompanied by confrontation of power with
imperialism and all sorts of other counterrevolutionary forces.
Therefore, military affairs emerge as a matter of key importance on
which hangs victory or failure in the revolution and the rise or fall of
a country or a nation. A country or a nation can emerge victorious in
the revolution and defend the revolution, and carve out its destiny
independently only when it has its own powerful revolutionary armed
forces.
It
is the force of arms on which hinge the victory of the revolutionary
cause, independence and sovereignty, and the prosperity of a country or a
nation. This is the Juche-oriented principle of revolution and the law
of revolution, elucidated by President Kim Il Sung and whose soundness has been verified by history.
President Kim Il Sung
organized an armed unit first in the early period of his revolutionary
activities, achieved the historic cause of national liberation by force
of arms, and founded the Party and the State afterwards. In each period
and at each stage of the revolution after the liberation, he always paid
primary attention to military affairs and constantly strengthened the
revolutionary armed forces, and thus laid a solid military guarantee for
the victorious advance of the revolution and construction.
Our Party’s Songun politics is a powerful mode of politics of our era which was created by inheriting President Kim Il Sung’s
idea and line of attaching importance to arms and military affairs in
general, and by developing them in depth as required by the changing
situation. By dint of Songun politics we have been defending the
President’s great military thoughts and immortal exploits, further
exalting them on a new and higher level, and opening a vista for the
victory of the Juche revolutionary cause. The new era of Juche
revolution is the Songun era and it is a new and higher stage of our
revolution which is developing under the banner of Songun.
The
Songun revolutionary line, Songun politics, is a scientific
revolutionary line and mode of statesmanship that most accurately
reflect the demands of the times and the revolution.
Our
Party started pursuing Songun politics on the basis of its scientific
analysis of the international circumstances of our revolution and of the
rapidly changing situation.
Entering
the 1990s, socialism collapsed in the former Soviet Union and the
Eastern European countries, giving rise to a great change in the world
political structure and balance of forces. Although the imperialists’ mouthpieces and
opportunists claimed that a new era of “detente and peace’’ had arrived
following the “end of the Cold War,” the world can never exist in peace
so long as imperialism remains rampant. By taking advantage of the
collapse of the global socialist system, the reactionary imperialist
forces intensified their offensive against the anti-imperialist
independent forces; in particular, the US imperialists, who had emerged
as the only superpower in the world, were more tenacious than ever in
the pursuit of their policy of aggression and war, in an attempt to
realize their ambition of world supremacy, wielding the power of
authority and arbitrariness in the international arena and violently
encroaching upon the sovereignty of other countries.
The
reactionary imperialist forces spearheaded their attack towards our
Republic, which is advancing constantly under the banner of
independence, the banner of socialism. The US imperialists and their
followers pounced upon us in all directions, stepping up their moves for
military aggression on an unprecedented scale to destroy our Republic
by means of force on the one hand, and putting pressure to bear upon us
in all spheres of politics, the economy, ideology, culture and diplomacy
on the other to squeeze us dry.
Due
to their anti-DPRK isolate-and-stifle schemes, the Korean revolution
came to face the severest trials and hardships of its history; we had to
bear the full brunt of the offensive of the imperialist aggressive
forces, in direct confrontation with the US imperialists.
The
showdown between us and imperialism is a confrontation of power; the
anti-imperialist military front constituted the major front line, the
first lifeline of our revolution, on which the destiny of the country,
the nation and socialism would be decided. We had to strengthen and rely
on the People’s Army by concentrating our efforts on military affairs.
In this way we were able to save the destiny of the country and the
nation, and lead the revolution and construction to victory. This is the
reason why we say the army means the Party, the State and the people.
Had we neglected military affairs and failed to strengthen the army, we
might have perished already, far from conducting the revolution and
construction.
Our
anti-imperialist, anti-US struggle is the grimmest war to defend the
country and a war in defence of socialism. It was only the People’s
Army, the revolutionary armed forces, that could perform its mission and
role as the standard-bearer of Songun politics. The Songun politics of
our Party embodies the high spirit of annihilating the enemy at all
costs, and the unshakable conviction and will to emerge victorious, on
the part of the People’s Army. It is entirely thanks to the heroic
efforts of the entire army and the whole nation in single-hearted unity
with the People’s Army as its core under the Party’s leadership that we
could overcome the difficulties in the way of revolution and win great
victories.
The
practical experience of our revolution has proved that Songun politics,
which gives precedence to military affairs and regards the
revolutionary armed forces as the pivot, is the most powerful mode of
politics of our era and revolution. Songun politics makes it possible to
defeat any enemy no matter how formidable, tide over any hardships and
trials, and guarantee the victorious advance of the revolutionary cause.
The Songun revolutionary line, Songun politics, is a strategic
revolutionary line and mode of politics that must be adhered to
constantly so long as imperialism exists on the earth and its aggressive
machinations continue.
The
Songun politics of our Party is a unique socialist mode of politics
that gives a new scientific clarification and solution to the issue of
the main force of the revolution.
On
the basis of its deep analysis of the development of the times and the
changed social and class relations, our Party put forward, for the first
time in the history of the revolutionary movement, the idea of
“precedence of the army over the working class,” giving prominence to
the People’s Army as the core unit and main force of the revolution. The
originality of Songun politics and its invincibility lie in the fact
that it gives prominence to the People’s Army as the core unit and main
force.
The
preceding revolutionary theories of Marxism viewed the working class as
the main force of the revolution. Having analysed the social and class
relations in the Western capitalist countries in the mid-19th
century, Marx identified the working class as the most advanced and
revolutionary class entrusted with the mission of liquidating the
domination of capital and all sorts of exploitation, and building
socialism and communism, and defined it as the leading class and, the
main force of the revolution. This was the reflection of the reality of
capitalist society in those times. Later, socialist revolutions emerged
victorious in several countries of the world, and socialist construction
got under way, with the working class as the main force. As a result,
it had been recognized as an unbreakable revolutionary formula in
carrying out the cause of socialism to conduct the revolutionary
struggle and construction work with the working class as the core and
the main force.
However,
Marx’s theories and formulas, which had been set forth one and a half
centuries before, cannot accord with the present reality. The times have
advanced further, witnessing a great change in social atmosphere, class
relations and the status of the working class. With the development of
capitalism, especially with the rapid development of science, and
technology and the arrival of the IT age, the living basis of the
working class has been changed and work is being done on a more
technological and intellectual basis. The ranks of the working class
have been intellectualized and the working masses engaged in technical,
intellectual and mental labour are quickly outnumbering manual workers.
Moreover, the development of capitalism consolidates the domination of
monopoly capital and adds to the prevalence of reactionary bourgeois
ideology and culture, which greatly acts to control the class
consciousness, awakening and revolutionary assimilation of the working
class. The working class of the present times cannot be identified with
the working class in the period of industrial capitalism or proletarian
revolution, in the fight of either the situation of the times or the
actual reality of the labour, social status and labour movement of the
working class. The changed situation and the reality require a new
ideology and theory, strategy and tactics with which to awaken and rally
the broad sections of the masses who oppose the domination of monopoly
capital and the aggression and war policy of imperialism, train
hard-core elements among them and expand and strengthen the
revolutionary forces.
The
limitations of Marxist revolutionary theories were also manifested in a
socialist society where the working masses, including the working
class, have become the masters of the State and society. The preceding
theories based on the materialistic conception of history considered
that the revolution is completed once the working class seizes power and
establishes socialist relations of production. For this reason, they
failed to make a correct clarification of the law-governed course of
socialist construction subsequent to victory in revolution; in
particular, they failed to raise the issue of remoulding man, the
ideological revolution, in a socialist society.
For the first time in history, President Kim Il Sung
advanced the outstanding idea that the course of building socialism and
communism is, in view of the class relations, the process of modelling
the whole society on the working-class pattern and gave scientific
explanations of the role of the working class, the development of class
relations and the law governing the remoulding of man in a socialist
society.
Thanks
to his original theory on building socialism and under his wise
leadership, the working class and other working masses have been
transformed into socialist workers in our country and they all work and
live basing themselves on the collectivist principle under the socialist
system. Our Party has firmly equipped the masses of the
people with the Juche idea and upgraded the process of transforming the
whole of society on the revolutionary and working-class patterns by
giving definite precedence to the remoulding of man, the ideological
work, in the socialist cause. Thus it has brought about a radical change
in the socio-economic lives and politico-ideological traits of our
people. The Korean people are revolutionary and boundlessly faithful to
the Party and the revolution since they have been educated and trained
in a revolutionary way in the embrace of the socialist motherland under
the guidance of the Party and the leader. These days the masses of the
people, who are solidly united behind the Party and the leaderwith one mind and will, constitute a powerful driving force of socialist construction in our society.
Needless
to say, class differences still remain between the working class and
the cooperative farmers, and the revolutionary and working-class
assimilation of intellectuals cannot be said to have been completed. The
working class is as advanced a unit of our society as ever, and has a
higher sense of class consciousness, collectivism and revolution than
other working masses. Furthermore, it is still in charge of industry,
the leading sector of the national economy; especially the workers in
the key industries and munitions industry play a very important role in
the revolution and construction. That is why our Party treasures the
working class and always pays deep concern to further revolutionizing it
and enhancing its role.
Applying
Songun politics, our Party has given prominence to the People’s Army
over the working class, prompted by a new viewpoint and attitude towards
the issue of the main force of the revolution and the role of a
revolutionary army in the revolution and construction.
The
question of the main force of the revolution is one of the fundamental
problems in strengthening the motive force of the revolution and in
developing the revolutionary movement by enhancing its role. Which
class, stratum or social collective becomes the main force of the
revolution is decided by its position and role in the revolution and
construction, its sense of revolution, organizational discipline, and
combat capabilities.
The
question of the main force of the revolution cannot remain invariable
in any era, society or revolution, nor is it a question that can be
solved only on the basis of class relations. Hence, regarding the
working class as the main force of the revolution anytime and anywhere
is an expression of a dogmatic viewpoint toward the preceding theories
and is not correct in principle either.
Unfettered
by any established theories or formulas, out Party strictly rejected
any expression of dogmatic attitude to and revisionist distortion of the
preceding theories, and strengthened the army and upgraded its role as
required by the development of the situation and the revolution, thus
leading the revolution and construction to victory.
For
our Party to give prominence to the People’s Army as the main force of
the revolution is essential to the accomplishment of the revolutionary
cause of Juche, in view of the position and role of the People’s Army in
our revolution at present and in the light of its revolutionary mettle
and combat efficiency.
The
People’s Army is the revolutionary ranks that defend the first lifeline
of our revolution. It defends the Party and the revolution, the country
and the people by force of arms and at the cost of life in direct
confrontation with the strong imperialist enemy. On the bayonets of the
People’s Army hinge peace, socialism and worthwhile and happy life of
our people.
This
is the noble mission and the heaviest yet most honourable revolutionary
task of the People’s Army, for which neither the working class nor any
other social group can substitute.
The
People’s Army is the most revolutionary, militant and powerful
revolutionary group in our society. No group is equal to the People's
Army in terms of the sense of revolution and organization and combat
efficiency.
Our
People’s Army is unfailingly loyal to the Party and the revolution and
very strong in ideology and faith, and it is the most organized combat
unit. It defends the Party and the leader and carries out the Party’s
policies at all costs, and fights to the death for the cause of the
Party, the cause of socialism. The men and officers of the People’s
Army, who defend the country and the revolution by force of arms in the
van, love their country more dearly than anyone else, are eager to
defend socialism and fight uncompromisingly against imperialism and the
class enemy with intense hatred. The People’s Army is a revolutionary
unit that brims over with revolutionary faith, iron will and militant
spirit. It is stronger than any other collective in the sense of
collectivism, organization, discipline and unity.
The
entire army is single-heartedly united behind its Supreme Commander,
and moves as one under his command and directive; it arranges all of its
soldiers’ routine life and activities as required by military rules and
discipline. The collectivist principle and organization and discipline
have become the lifeblood and requirements of the routine life of the
People’s Army.
The
high sense of revolution and organization of the People’s Army is
reflective of the characteristics of the armed unit and the mettle
unique to the revolutionary army, and constitutes a basic factor of
upgrading the combat efficiency of our army and improving its
politico-ideological might.
It
is not that any army that takes part in the revolution or any socialist
army acquires the traits and qualities befitting a revolutionary army
and, moreover, can become the main force of the revolution. The working
class or the army can become a revolutionary class or revolutionary
armed forces and play an
important role in the revolution only when it is awakened and organized
under the leadership of a revolutionary party. Apart from the correct
leadership of the party and the leader, it is impossible to train any
hardcore unit of the revolution or to awaken and rally the broad sections of the masses around the revolutionary ranks.
Our
People’s Army has grown up into genuine revolutionary armed forces, an
invincible army to perform its honourable mission and duty with credit
as the hardcore unit and main force of the revolution, thanks to the
leadership of President Kim Il Sung and the great Workers’ Party.
President Kim Il Sung
built our People’s Army into a prototype of a revolutionary army and
laid eternal foundations for its development by thoroughly applying the
principles and ways he had put forward for the building of Juche-type
revolutionary armed forces. He built the People’s Army into an army of
the Party and the leader, a genuine army of the people, and developed it
as an armed unit of ideology and faith, possessed of all the
politico-ideological traits required of a revolutionary army. Under his
wise leadership an independent and modern munitions industry was created
and so developed as to serve as the material and technical foundations
for the modernization
of the entire army. The imperishable exploit he performed for the
building of the armed forces is the most valuable of his revolutionary
achievements and it is now proving its worth as the solid foundation and
priceless asset for our Party to further strengthen the People’s Army
and pursue Songun politics.
On
the basis of his great achievements in army building, our Party gave
prominence to the People’s Army as the standard-bearer and main force of
Songun-based revolution, and directed all its efforts to upgrading it.
Through the continuous field inspections of the units of the People’s
Army, our Party always went deep among the servicepersons and took care
of them with love and trust. It strengthened the army through
revolutionary education and training by decisively intensifying Party
political work within the army and unsparingly supplied everything
necessary for the army. The Party took revolutionary measures to firmly
equip the People’s Army with our own unique strategy and tactics, and
radically improve its military and technical preparedness as required by
the characteristics of modern warfare and tense situations. Our Party’s
energetic guidance has given rise to a fresh turn in the
politico-ideological traits and fighting spirit of the People’s Army,
making its combat efficiency and might better than ever before. Being an
army of the Party and the leader and an army of the Supreme Commander,
in name and in reality, our People’s Army has grown up to be
revolutionary ranks of loyalists full of the spirit of defending the
leadership of the revolution at all costs, and the entire army from the
Supreme Commander to the rank and file has formed a harmonious whole on
the basis of revolutionary comradeship. The Party’s leadership over the
army has its firm place within the People’s Army, a revolutionary and
military spirit prevails in the entire army, and the good traits of
unity between superiors and subordinates, between officers and rank and
file and between commanding officers and political officers are
manifesting themselves to the full within the army.
The
noble politico-ideological traits, revolutionary spirit and fighting
mettle of the People’s Army are expressed in a concentrated way in the
revolutionary soldier spirit. The revolutionary soldier spirit, which
was created and has been given full play within the People’s Army under
the leadership of the Party, is the lofty revolutionary spirit of our
army, characterized mainly by a spirit of defending the leader at the
risk of one’s life, a spirit of carrying out tasks at all costs, and a
heroic self-sacrificing spirit. It is a death-defying spirit with which
the soldiers of the People’s Army fight for the Party and the leader,
for the country and revolution at the cost of their youth and lives; it
is a revolutionary spirit of sure victory, a spirit of confronting any
enemy no matter how formidable head-on and breaking through any
difficulties and trials.
The
revolutionary soldier spirit of the People’s Army is a noble
revolutionary spirit symbolic and representative of the great Songun
era. And it constitutes the most revolutionary and militant ideological
and spiritual weapon, which makes it possible to create miracles and
perform meritorious deeds in the course of the revolution and
construction. In the Songun era the working class, too, can perform its
class duty and mission only when it is equipped with the revolutionary
soldier spirit, and all the other working people can maintain and add
luster to their honour of being the masters of the State and society,
their honour of being the socialist working masses, only when they learn
from the revolutionary soldier spirit. When the entire army and all the
people live and struggle with the revolutionary soldier spirit and
fighting spirit, united single-heartedly behind the Party, there will be
no enemy in the world strong enough to resist us and no fortress we
cannot conquer.
Since
our People’s Army is the creator, personifier and pioneer of the
revolutionary soldier spirit representative of the times and the most
powerful combat unit that defends the first lifeline of our revolution,
it is the standard-bearer, hardcore unit and the main force of the
Songun revolution and, has been exalting the honour to a high degree.
Songun
politics, which gives prominence to the People’s Army as its main
force, makes it possible to firmly maintain and apply to the letter the
fundamental ideals and the basic principles of the revolution. Socialism
is the fundamental ideal of our revolution to realize the independence
of the masses of the people, and socialist society is a society which
embodies the class demands and aspirations of the working class. Apart
from the intrinsic desire and class principle of the working class, it
is impossible to realize the independence of the masses of the people
and complete the socialist cause. We are striving to build a great,
prosperous and powerful socialist nation and reunify the country in the
midst of a severe class struggle against the US imperialists and other
enemies. The complex and grave situation of our revolution demands that
the edge of class struggle be sharpened and the working-class principle,
the revolutionary principle, be maintained more thoroughly in all
spheres. Our Party has upheld the banner of Songun in the acute
confrontation with imperialism. Our rifle is the rifle of class, the
rifle of revolution, and it is the most powerful weapon for
anti-imperialist class struggle. The revolutionary soldier spirit of the
People’s Army is the highest expression of class consciousness and the
revolutionary spirit of the working class. Today our Party is totally
serious and uncompromising about its demand for adherence to the class
principle, the revolutionary principle, in all spheres of the revolution
and construction and for farther intensification of class education and
revolutionary education among the soldiers and the people, as required
by the Songun era. When our army and people are firmly equipped with a
high level of class consciousness and the revolutionary soldier spirit
in support of the Party’s Songun-based leadership, the socialist class
position will be further cemented, and the socialist cause will be
defended and, completed with victory under any circumstances.
The Songun politics of our Party is the most powerful and dignified politics of independence which embodies the Juche idea.
Independence
is the life and soul of a social being, the masses of the people, a
country and a nation. The man-centred Juche idea is an idea of
independence, and all revolutionary struggles are ones for independence.
The Juche idea correctly combines love for the masses of the people
with that for the country and the nation, and the independence of the
masses of the people with that of the country and the nation, and
scientifically elucidates the ways for its realization. The politics
that defends and realizes the independence of the masses of the people,
the country and the nation on the basis of the fundamentals and
principles of the Juche idea is the most revolutionary and scientific
politics, and it also constitutes genuine politics of love for the
country, the nation and the people.
Our
Songun politics that relies on the invincible revolutionary armed
forces is a principled and righteous politics of anti-imperialist
independence and politics of love for the country, the nation and the
people, the politics which reliably defends and guarantees the
independent demands and interests of the masses of the people, and the
sovereignty and dignity of the country and the people from infringement
by the imperialist reactionaries. As self-defensive revolutionary armed
forces, our People’s Army is defending by force of arms the dignity of
our Party and revolution, our ideology and system and our country and
people, smashing the enemy’s war provocations and safeguarding the
security and peace of the country. Thanks to Songun politics we are
conducting the revolution and construction fair and square in our own
way and as suited to the reality of our country and the interests of our
revolution, and according to our own ideology and faith, holding up the
banner of independence in spite of such complicated and acute situation
as today. It is because we have strong military power and an
ever-victorious strategy and tactics that we are firmly maintaining the
independent principles in politics, resolutely rejecting all manner of
outside interference and pressure, and pushing ahead with all our
endeavours boldly as we intend, unfettered by anything.
Thanks
to Songun politics, our independence remains firmly guaranteed and our
socialist motherland is demonstrating its dignity and honour, authority
and might as a fortress of independence. Our Party’s Songun politics is
literally a politics for the people and a politics geared to defending
and ensuring the independent rights and fundamental interests of the
masses of the people. For this reason, the entire people support it
absolutely and uphold it with loyalty. The unfurled banner of Songun
upheld by our Party has become a great national banner inspiring the
consciousness of national independence, self-respect and sense of
national pride and honour among the fellow countrymen in the north,
south and abroad, and opening up the road to the national reunification
and prosperity.
Our
Party’s Songun idea, Songun politics, has proved its validity,
superiority and great vitality, and is demonstrating them all the more
with each passing day in the practice and reality of our revolution.
First of all, the military position of our revolution has been fortified impregnably under the Party’s Songun-based leadership.
The
military might of the country constitutes the foremost rational power
in the struggle for independence and socialism and against imperialism.
If one defeats the enemy on the military front one will emerge
victorious on all other fronts.
Our
People’s Army has grown up to be invincible revolutionary armed forces,
and our socialist motherland has emerged as a military power in the
international arena. We have won one victory after another in the fierce
political and military showdown with the imperialists, and defended the
country, the revolution and socialism from all manner of aggressive
machinations of the enemy.
The
distinguished successes and achievements we have made in the military
field are precisely the great victory of our Party’s Songun-based
leadership, Songun politics, and clear manifestation of its validity and
might. The military position of the revolution that has been cemented
into an impregnable fortress, with the People’s Army as the core, thanks
to our Party’s Songun-based leadership serves as a basic guarantee for
the completion of the Juche revolutionary cause.
Our
revolutionary ranks have been united more solidly than ever and the
single-hearted unity of our whole society has been further strengthened
in the Songun era.
Today
the People’s Army and the people have forged a genuine comradely
relationship whereby they share weal and woe on the road of Songun-based
revolution under the leadership of the Party, and the whole society is
brimming over with the beautiful trait of unity between the army and the
people. The servicepersons are serving the people with devotion while
the latter are taking loving care of the former as their own flesh and
blood, assisting them with all sincerity, and devotedly learning from
the revolutionary soldier spirit and fighting spirit of the People’s
Army. As a result, both the servicepersons and the people share the same
idea and fighting spirit. In the Songun era the People’s Army is
playing a pivotal, vanguard role in all spheres of the revolution and
construction, while the people are treasuring the former above all else,
and displaying the trait of supporting and assisting the army,
resulting in further solidity of comradely unity between the army and
the people.
As
a result of our Party’s Songun-based leadership and politics of love
for the soldiers and the people, the single-hearted unity of our society
has been upgraded to a single-hearted unity of the whole Party, the
whole army and the whole nation based on one ideology and faith, and
comradely love and obligation. Furthermore, the politico-ideological
might of our revolution has been further strengthened to an incomparable
degree.
The great viability of Songun politics has been confirmed in the process of socialist construction.
As
the main force of the revolution, the People’s Army stands in the van
in all spheres of socialist construction and has been performing labour
feats, setting a shining example. The officers and men of the People’s
Army have erected numerous monumental edifices and modern factories
through their heroic struggle in full support of the Party’s idea and
policies, and made breakthroughs in the difficult yet important sectors
of the national economy. They were the first to overcome manifold
hardships and trials and created miracles and brought about innovations
in all spheres, thus inspiring the working masses throughout the country
to a revolutionary upsurge.
Taking
their cue from the revolutionary soldier spirit and the fighting spirit
of the People’s Army, the working class and other working masses
created the Kanggye spirit and kindled the torch of Ranam, bringing
about a sweeping innovation in overall socialist construction. By dint
of Songun politics relying on the People’s Army as the main force, we
were able to endure the severest “Arduous March” and the forced march,
open up a road towards building a great, prosperous and powerful
socialist nation and push forward with the revolution and construction
in a bold and positive way despite the difficult situation. Our
experience shows that if all the officials and the working people uphold
the Party’s Songun-based leadership and work as the People’s Army does,
it is possible to conquer the fortress of cutting-edge science and
technology, build an economic power, establish an assiduous manner in
the management of livelihood and a noble way of cultural and emotional
life throughout society, and provide our people with affluent lives in a
short period of time.
Our
Party’s Songun politics has registered a turning-point in the cause of
national reunification, furthered the international solidarity with our
revolution and radically expanded the external relations of the country.
Songun
politics, which is imbued with the principle of national independence
and the spirit of love for the country and the people, our policies for
national reunification based on it and our positive efforts gave rise to
the historic Pyongyang summit, followed by the adoption of the June 15
North-South Joint Declaration, and the further development of
inter-Korean relations of reconciliation and cooperation in several
sectors. The trend of struggle against the US and other foreign forces
and for independent national reunification is mounting to a crescendo on
an unprecedented scale in south Korea.
Songun
politics, which opposes imperialist aggression and war policies and
defends the independence of the country and the nation, is winning broad
support among public circles and the progressive peoples of the world.
It gives a blow to the aggressive
forces of imperialism and encouragement to the anti-imperialist
independent forces in the international arena, stimulating the cause of
making the whole world independent.
Upholding
the banner of Songun under the leadership of the great Party, our army
and people have traversed a glorious road of victory, pushing their way
through raging storms and creating miracles in history. The Songun-based
revolutionary line of our Party is a great revolutionary line of our
era and an ever-victorious banner of our revolution. In the Songun-based
revolution lie the building of a great, prosperous and powerful nation,
national reunification and the victory of the revolutionary cause of
Juche. Now that the situation is very complicated and tense at home and
abroad, we must hold the banner of Songun higher. The whole Party, the
entire army and all the people must advance more resolutely towards a
new great victory of our revolution in support of the Party’s
Songun-based leadership.
First
of all, great efforts should be directed continually at strengthening
the People’s Army. The might of Songun politics is precisely the might
of the People’s Army; its superiority and might can be given full play
only when the People’s Army is soundly prepared politically and
ideologically, militarily and technically.
The
Party’s leadership is the lifeblood of the People’s Army. Our People’s
Army should be strengthened as the first defender of the Party, as the
revolutionary armed unit that fights to the death in support of the
Party’s idea and leadership, so that it can inherit and add luster to
its glorious history and tradition as
the army of the Party and the leader. The more complex and tenser the
situation is, the more efforts should be made to intensify
politico-ideological education and military training within the People’s
Army so that all the servicepersons trust and follow only our Party
under any circumstances and conditions, heighten their revolutionary
vigilance and maintain their preparedness. The People’s Army should be
fully ready to mercilessly annihilate the imperialist aggressors
whenever and wherever they attack.
The
politico-ideological and military positions of our .revolution must be
fortified rock-solid by firming up single-hearted unity of the army and
the people. There is nothing to fear or impossible to do when the army
and the people fight with single-hearted unity under the Party’s
leadership. The tradition of army-people unity-both treasuring and
loving each other and sharing weal and woe-should be given farther play
in the Songun era.
It is important to establish a sound habit, of attaching importance to military affairs throughout society.
The
work of consolidating the defence capabilities of the country is an
undertaking shared by the entire Party, the whole country and all the
people. Our officials and working masses must organize and conduct all
work on the principle of giving precedence to military affairs, and make
energetic efforts to build up the military might of the country, in
addition, the paramilitary forces must be strengthened and the whole
country turned into a solid fortress.
It
is imperative to expedite overall economic construction while giving
precedence to the defence industry, as required by the Songun era, so as
to support the Party’s Songun politics both materially and
technologically, and radically improve the people’s living standards in a
short period of time.
All
the officials and working people must cherish the validity and
invincibility of the Party’s Songun idea, Songun politics, as their
unshakable faith, work and live as required by it at all times and
strive to make the whole society overflow with such revolutionary mettle
and militant spirit as can be found only in the People’s Army.
Our
People’s Army and people have burnished the new era of the Juche
revolution as a great Songun era under the leadership of the Party. We
will victoriously advance the revolutionary cause of Juche and bring it
to completion under the banner of Songun.
All
the officials, Party members and other working people must become
ardent followers of the Songun idea and staunch defenders and
implementers of Songun politics, and loyally uphold our Party’s
Songun-based revolutionary leadership.
