President KIM IL SUNG the great pioneer of the Songun Idea and Songun revolution ! Speech of Dermot Hudson to 02.04.2016 meeting of ASSPUK, JISGE and UK KFA

The life of the great leader President KIM IL SUNG was intimately connected with the Songun revolution . President KIM IL SUNG was the pioneer of the Songun (army first )Idea.

The truth of Songun was first realised by the President KIM IL SUNG . He recognised that Korea’s independence could not be obtained by peaceful means. Many Korean people tried to obtain independence by peaceful means such as petitions, strikes or even appeals to the goodwill of big powers. All these failed. The Japanese imperialists imposed the most violent colonial rule over Korea, the rule of the bayonet and the sword. President KIM IL SUNG realised that violence must be countered with violence. President KIM IL SUNG was handed 2 pistols that were bequeathed to him by his late father Mr KIM HYONG JIK . At a series of historic meetings the great leader President KIM IL SUNG put forward the line that the revolution is advanced and defended by arms. At the Kalun meeting held from June 30 to July 2nd on the great leader President KIM IL SUNG explained that“As the historical experience and lessons of the anti-Japanese struggle show, no one can bring us independence on a tray; we can never vanquish the Japanese imperialists and win national independence by peaceful means.

Moreover, the present situation urgently demands that we wage an organized armed struggle against the Japanese imperialists. Since the Japanese imperialists are intensifying their suppression without precedent and we are dealing with an enemy armed to the teeth, we must gradually build up the violent mass struggle into an organized armed struggle”

Thus the Korean revolution should follow the road of armed struggle, the road of Songun.

In 1931 on the 16th of December President KIM IL SUNG held the historic Mingyuegou meeting at which he put forward the line of armed struggle saying

“Oppose armed force with armed force and counterrevolutionary violence with revolutionary violence!”. At the moment he put forward a unique line of guerrilla warfare. Previous revolutionary theories of the working class had asserted that armed struggle is a temporary struggle occurring in the decisive period of changing the regime.(or the ‘point of change ‘ to use the classical Marxist expression whereas the Songun based theory of President KIM IL SUNG on guerrilla warfare was to ultimate victory on the strength of the arms in the early period of national liberation struggle.

President KIM IL SUNG went on to form the Anti-Japanese Guerilla Army on the 25th of April 1932 , in the forests of Antu in Manchuria which later became the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army the forerunner of the glorious and heroic Korean People’s Army.

Korea followed a different road to other countries as in Korea the armed forces were founded before the Party . This is a very important fact that must be borne in mind when studying Songun. t can be considered that the history of the revolutionary struggle of the working class in the past was the history of building the party before the armed forces for example in Russia although the Bolshevik Party was formed in 1903 , the Worker-Peasant Red Army was not formed until 1918 and in China the Communist Party was formed in 1921 but the Worker-Peasant Red Army was formed until

1927. Thus Korea followed the new road of Songun !

The anti-Japanese guerrillas led by President KIM IL SUNG fought the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and the Juche Idea . They seized weapons from the Japanese aggressors or manufactured their own . Some hoped that the Soviet Union, the first socialist state, would supply them with a hand-grenade factory but this never materialised so they made their own hand-grenades the 'Yongil bomb'(of course today the DPRK has its own nuclear 'Yongil bomb'.)

In March 1934 the Anti Japanese People's Guerrilla Army became the Korean People's Revolutionary Army . Under the command of the great leader President KIM IL SUNG, an ever victorious iron-willed brilliant commander, the stout hearted and heroic guerrilla revolutionary fighters of the KPRA fought many battles against the Japanse imperialist aggressors such the battle of Pochonbo and the battle of Musan to name just a few . The battle of Pochonbo on the 4 June 1937 was most significant as it symbolised the KPRA's advance into the Korean homeland. One third world revolutionary figure on visiting the monument to the Pochonbo battle said "the beacon fire of Pochonbo marked a great event which gave confidence in struggle not only to the Korean people under the colonial rule of Japanese imperialism but also the world's revolutionary people groaning in those days under the heels of imperialist aggressors- fascist Germany, Italy, Japanese imperialism , and American and British imperialism "

President KIM IL SUNG adopted adroit guerilla tactics . The KPRA under his leadership showed great tactical flexibility for example switiching to small unit activities in 1940 in order to preserve and accumulate the revolutionary forces.

The hard and arduous revolutionary armed struggle led by the great leader President KIM IL SUNG paid off in the end on the 9th of August 1945 general KIM IL SUNG gave the order for the final offensive against the Japanese marauders . The KPRA together with Soviet army units surged into Korea , the KPRA often taking the lead in the more difficult battles. On August 15 1945 Korea was liberated at last from Japanese imperialist rule. 36 years of dark oppressive rule by the fascist Japanese and their decadent Samurai culture came to an end in a day . This was the feat of the great leader President KIM IL SUNG an ever victorious iron-willed brilliant commander and gifted military strategist.

After liberation President KIM IL SUNG pushed ahead with the Songun revolution . Liberated Korea faced a most difficult situation because it was divided by the US imperialists and the US wanted to invade the northern half of Korea. Some factionalists said that the new Korea should not build up its own armed forces until Korea was reunified or that Korea could rely on another country to defend it . However President KIM IL SUNG In November 1945, he established the Pyongyang Institute, the first training centre for the military and political officers of a modern regular army in Korea, and made it the parent body for the establishment of military schools for the three services and different arms. He also organized the security corps, border guards and railway guards in all parts of the country for safeguarding the work of nation building and the security of the people. On this basis, he ensured the establishment of the Security Officers Training Centre, the hardcore unit of the regular army. On the 8^th of February 1948 President KIM IL SUNG formed the Korean People's Army . Thus the KPA was formed some 7 months before the foundation of the DPRK itself.

Thus President KIM IL SUNG was the great pioneer of the Songun Idea and Songun revolution .