One winter morning ,on the 17th of December 2011 , the heart of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL ,the Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea(DPRK ) and general secretary of the Workers Party of Korea , stopped beating . It was a truly heartrending loss for the Korean people and the progressive people of the world . It was a great shock to the Juche idea followers of the world .
Comrade KIM JONG IL had led the Korean revolution and construction of socialism in People’s Korea for many decades beginning with his guidance to the Korean People’s Army on the 25th of August 1960 and when he started work at the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea on the 19th of June 1964. Chairman KIM JONG IL was the successor to the great leader comrade KIM IL SUNG and worked hard to implement his revolutionary ideas and carry them forward.
The revolutionary activities and achievements of comrade KIM JONG IL are many ,wide and varied . It is hard to recall all of them and write about them in a single article or even a book.
As a writer I would like to recall the work of comrade KIM JONG IL in building Juche-oriented socialist culture . Of course comrade KIM JONG IL is well known for his classic treatise “On the Art of the Cinema “ that was written in 1973 which is an internationally acclaimed work. Both President KIM IL SUNG and Chairman KIM JONG IL paid great attention to culture and saw it as central to the work of building a new socialist society .Comrade KIM JONG IL whilst working at the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea gave guidance to the cultural sector including cinema , music , opera and art . In addition to his classic work “ On the Art of the Cinema “ he wrote many other works on culture, such as, "On The Art Of The Opera", "On Fine Art","On Juche Literature", "On The Art Of Drama" and "On The Art of Music".
Comrade KIM JONG IL strived to build a new Juche-oriented socialist culture that was totally different to the corrupt,decadent culture of the imperialist and capitalist countries which comrade KIM JONG IL characterized thus “"Bourgeois tastes are just like narcotics. A person begins by taking a drug, but eventually he is himself taken by the drug. There are many foreign films full of narcotics. If we watch them not from the Party,Juche stand, but merely out of interest, we might be poisoned by these narcotics and infected by evil ideas before we know”
Comrade KIM JONG IL also rejected modern revisionism in culture pointing out that “ The modern revisionists ,in sympathy with bourgeois art,are adopting it,denying Party spirit ,working -class spirit and popular character of art and literature”
Comrade KIM JONG IL took a keen interest in film production and worked day and night guiding the DPRK's film industry.
Comrade KIM JONG IL was involved in the production of the films "The Path to Awakening " and the classic anti American , anti-imperialist film of the DPRK " Family of Choe Hak Sin . This film is based on the true story of the Christian pastor in Taedong county. In the film the central character is the Christian preacher Choe Hak Sin who enthusiastically welcomes the US imperialist troops to his village only for his wife and some of his children and an old bellringer to be slaughtered in cold blood by the Americans. Comrade KIM JONG IL wrote "The workers in the arts must express anti-US sentiments thoroughly,through the depiction of characters̄ personalities and in their words as well as in the scenes, and complete The Family of Choe Hak Sin so as to make it an excellent piece, both in terms of ideological and artistic quality."
The family of Choe Hak Sin is a very atmospheric film. The film climaxes when Choe Hak Sin's son who is a south Korean puppet army officer is ordered by the US imperialists to shoot dead the old bellringer , however he shoots the Yankee officer so the Americans kill both him and the bellinger . Then US planes bomb the area destroying the Christian church. Choe Hak Sin having lost his son , daughter and wife and his church now realises how wrong it was to support the US imperialists and calls for the Korean People's Army and People's Guerrilla units to take revenge on the US imperialist aggressors. The film really does infuse people with a hatred of the US imperialists, it is most impressive to watch.
Comrade KIM JONG IL was responsible for making the classic revolutionary operas such as the "Flower Girl " and the "Sea of Blood " into films . The "Flower Girl " won an award at the 18th
Karoly Vary film festival.
The film industry was just one of the areas of culture that the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL guided. Literature, music and art were also guided by comrade KIM JONG IL. In the 1960s and 1970s comrade KIM JONG IL totally revolutionised Opera in the DPRK. Previously opera was an art form associated with Europe. Moreover it was also very much associated with the bourgeoisie and aristocracy in European countries . Workers were too poor to buy opera tickets that were expensive .Working class people in European countries also viewed opera with contempt seeing it as the art of effete dilettantes.It was a big challenge to make Opera Juche-based, revolutionary and relevant to working class people. Only a great leader and great thinker could rise to such as a challenge. Comrade KIM JONG IL revolutionised the opera in the DPRK by inroducing "pangchang" which is an off stage chorus. He oversee the production of many classic revolutionary operas such as the "Sea of Blood " and "True Daughter of the Party " .
Always a people's leader and a true populist comrade KIM JONG IL in the 1980s turned his attention to the production of modern popular music. Under his sublime guidance the "Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble " and "Wangjaesan Light Music band " were created . These groups were known for their wonderful music. I always found the tunes of these groups very catchy to listen to. It was a real delight to see the artistes from these two groups at the 10,000 person gala performance on the River Taedong to mark the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers' Party of Korea.
The DPRK's Juche-based culture, which is associated with the guidance of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL and his work , shines out as a brilliant culture that is modern , is socialist and is national in form. One is always struck by the contrast between the healthy , vibrant and cheerful culture of the DPRK and sick , decadent and moribund culture of the West. The DPRK is sure to win the cultural war with imperialism, indeed it is winning ,thanks to the work done by the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL who was the great builder of Juche-based socialist culture . Today the work of comrade KIM JONG IL is continued by respected Marshal KIM JONG UN.
Dr Dermot Hudson
Chairman British Group for the Study of the Juche Idea
Chairman Korean Friendship Association UK
Official Delegate of KFA for the UK .
Secretary General European Regional Committee For Friendship with the Korean People
Hon Secretary General Global Farmy for the People-First Policies
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