LET US USHER IN A NEW GOLDEN AGE OF THE MOVEMENT OF KOREANS IN JAPAN TRUE TO THE INTENTION OF THE GREAT COMRADE KIM JONG IL-KIM JONG UN

KIM JONG UN

LET US USHER IN A NEW GOLDEN AGE OF THE MOVEMENT OF KOREANS IN JAPAN TRUE TO THE INTENTION OF THE GREAT COMRADE KIM JONG IL

Letter to Chongryon and Koreans Resident in Japan on the Occasion of the 60 Anniversary of Chongryon’s Founding
May 25, Juche 104 (2015)


I am delighted that Chongryon (General Association of the Korean Residents in Japan) is greeting the 60th anniversary of its founding in the stirring period when a dynamic struggle is being waged to celebrate as grand national events the 70th anniversaries of national liberation and the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
On the occasion of this anniversary, I extend warm congratulations and compatriotic greetings to the officials of Chongryon including Chairman Ho Jong Man, and to all our other compatriots in Japan.
Chongryon is a prestigious organization of overseas citizens of our Republic, which the great Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il formed and led.
The proud road travelled by Chongryon bears the imprints of the wise guidance and painstaking efforts of the great leaders, who strengthened and developed Chongryon into a Juche-based overseas compatriots’ organization that represents the rights and interests of all Koreans resident in Japan.
The great Comrade Kim Il Sung was the pioneer of the overseas compatriots’ movement in the era of independence, the founder of Chongryon and the saviour and benevolent father of the Koreans resident in Japan.
With insight into the actual situation of the movement of Koreans in Japan, which was vacillating at a crossroads between rise and fall and searching for the correct path, the President saved the movement from its crisis by advancing a wise policy on changing its line, and had Chongryon, the first-ever Juche-based overseas compatriots’ organization, formed. He indicated the road ahead of Chongryon at every stage of the development of the movement of Koreans in Japan, and with great affection led the organization and the Koreans resident in Japan along a road resplendent with glory.
The great Comrade Kim Jong Il was an outstanding leader who, true to the President’s great idea, developed Chongryon into a vanguard patriotic movement, into a model of patriotic loyalty to the motherland and into a model overseas compatriots’ movement. He was also the saviour of the destiny of Chongryon and of the Koreans resident in Japan.
He built up the ranks of Chongryon officials to be single-hearted in their unity and strong in their ideology and faith, and defended the organization with the might of Songun. Regarding Chongryon as part of the socialist country and the Koreans resident in Japan as his own flesh and blood, he ensured that even in the most difficult days, when the country was undergoing the Arduous March, material and spiritual assistance was rendered unsparingly for the development of national education by Chongryon, of the dignity of the Koreans resident in Japan and of their stable life. Thanks to his trust and warm affection, Chongryon could demonstrate to the world its pride in being a model overseas compatriots’ organization.
Indeed, the 60 years of Chongryon is a brilliant history of the idea of the Juche-based overseas compatriots’ movement put forward by the great leaders and their wise guidance, and a history adorned with legendary tales of their ennobling love for the nation and their overseas compatriots.
Under the wise guidance of the peerlessly great men of Mt. Paektu and enjoying their affection, Chongryon has over the past six decades travelled a glorious road of development, and performed great exploits for the motherland and the nation.
Sharing its destiny with the great leaders and the motherland, it has developed invincible ranks that fully demonstrate its might of single-hearted unity. In the crucible of the struggle to establish the ideological and leadership system of Juche, it has become a truly Juche-based, patriotic organization that regards believing in and following only the great leaders and realizing their intentions and wishes as its inherent duty. Today, as a powerful body that has been rallied organizationally and ideologically based on the great Juche idea and that has struck deep root among the broad sections of the masses of the Koreans resident in Japan, it is forcefully promoting the movement of Koreans in Japan. This is a proud, genuine feature of Chongryon.
Chongryon is demonstrating its might as an able organization which is invariably carrying forward the baton of patriotic work. In the face of difficult conditions in an alien land, it is bringing up the children of the Korean compatriots as true patriots through its well-knit national education network ranging from primary school to university, and has trained the hard core of the masses of Korean compatriots of the new generation, including the core youth and businesspeople who will add brilliance to the history of the movement of Koreans in Japan and who are resolutely carrying on the lineage of patriotic devotion. This is a pride of Chongryon and a source of its might.
Chongryon has rendered an active contribution to the sacred cause of achieving the prosperity of the socialist DPRK and the reunification of the nation. Its officials and our other compatriots in Japan have performed distinguished service for the prosperity of their motherland out of ardent patriotism, breathing the same air and keeping step with the people in their homeland. With confidence in the justness of the policies of our Party and the government of the Republic on national reunification, Chongryon has done its best to implement them and contributed to cementing solidarity with the people of Japan and the rest of the world and raising the international profile of the Republic.
Our Party and the government of the Republic feel great pride in having Chongryon, a patriotic overseas compatriots’ organization that is boundlessly faithful to its leaders, the homeland and the nation.
Availing myself of this opportunity, I pay tribute to the Chongryon officials of the older generations, including Han Tok Su, and the other patriotic compatriots who dedicated their lives to holding the great leaders in high esteem, organizing Chongryon and strengthening the movement of Koreans in Japan, and extend warm thanks to all the officials of Chongryon and other Korean compatriots in Japan who are devoting all their energies and zeal to accomplishing Chongryon’s patriotic cause without thought of any personal fame or reward.
Chongryon and our Korean compatriots in Japan are now faced with the honourable task of adding glory to the immortal exploits of the great leaders and bringing about a new upsurge in the movement of Koreans in Japan by keeping step with the people in the homeland on a general onward march. 
Chongryon should carry out all its undertakings thoroughly as intended and desired by the great leaders, and usher in a new golden age of the movement of Koreans in Japan, true to the General’s instructions.
It should strengthen and develop itself as befits a powerful, Juche-based overseas compatriots’ body that shines with the august names of the peerlessly great men of Mt.Paektu.
It should pay primary attention to establishing the ideological and leadership system of Juche across its organizations and carry on this work without letup.
It should hold the great Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in high esteem forever, and staunchly defend and add eternal brilliance to their idea of building up Chongryon and to their undying leadership exploits. It should take their ideology and achievements as an eternal guideline for the movement of Koreans in Japan, and thoroughly implement the instructions they gave to Chongryon and to the compatriots in Japan.
It should continue to give priority to consolidating the single-hearted unity of its ranks in every way.
All the organizations and officials of Chongryon, regarding this unity as the great foundation of the movement of Koreans in Japan, should rally around the central leadership with one mind and purpose, and accomplish its patriotic cause, which was launched through comradely unity, by dint of comradeship. Its organizations should always remember that the single-hearted unity of the ranks of Chongryon and the warm affection shared by the compatriots are a source of its might and represent a new golden age of the movement of Koreans in Japan, and make every possible effort to establish rock-solid unity among the masses of the compatriots.
It is important to conduct more dynamically information and education work aimed at giving full play to the spiritual strength of Chongryon officials and our other compatriots.
Chongryon should concentrate its efforts on educating its officials and our other compatriots in the greatness of the great leaders and Kim Jong Il’s patriotism, and make constant efforts to inculcate in them the Korean-nation-first spirit and the history and traditions of the movement of Koreans in Japan. In accordance with the present situation, it should intensify education in faith so that all its officials and other compatriots, including the new generation, will steadily follow the road travelled by the preceding generations, cherishing a firm belief in the invincibility of their socialist motherland and the validity of the patriotic cause of Chongryon.
In line with the demands and conditions of the prevailing situation, Chongryon should establish a well-knit information and education system and make strenuous efforts constantly to create new and effective forms and methods of information and motivation work. The mass media, including Joson Sinbo, should increase their appeal by writing and editing articles in a way suited to the characteristics and preparedness of the readers. The Kumgangsan Opera Troupe and the song and dance troupes in local areas should, as befit Juche-based overseas Korean national art groups developed under the guidance of the leaders, conduct brisk artistic activities suited to the emotional and psychological characteristics of the compatriots so as to implant the soul of the Korean nation deeply in them and ignite their patriotic enthusiasm.
Chongryon should build its subordinate organizations into powerful, patriotic ones which have taken deep root among the masses of the compatriots.
It should strengthen its chapters, branches and other grass-roots organizations into reliable buttresses infused with love for the homeland and nation. It should direct its efforts to solidifying its chapters, the regional bases of the movement of Koreans in Japan. It should also inspire its branches, the basic units of the compatriots, so that every place where Koreans live brims over with harmony, unity and love for the country and nation.
Chongryon organizations and affiliates at all levels should conduct powerful mass political work among the compatriots to rally them in larger numbers. By doing so, it can consolidate and continuously expand the mass foundations of the movement of Koreans in Japan. Adhering to the mass line in all its work, Chongryon should give top and absolute priority to improving the lives of the compatriots and defending and guaranteeing their interests, and solve all problems by relying on their patriotic enthusiasm and creativity.
In order to expand and strengthen its patriotic motive force, Chongryon should channel all its efforts into a campaign to win back the compatriots while promoting it in close combination with various movements to develop national culture, mass-based sports activities, campaigns to defend Koreans’ rights, and service and welfare activities. By doing so, it can develop the campaign to win back the compatriots into a powerful one that is advanced by the efforts of Koreans, its master.
It should continue to direct strenuous efforts to championing the democratic national rights and interests of the Koreans resident in Japan and to developing national education, work with the young people of the new generation and work with businesspeople.
Defending and guaranteeing the democratic national rights and interests of the Koreans resident in Japan is the basic mission and duty of Chongryon. Chongryon should make positive efforts to safeguard and expand all the rights our compatriots are entitled to as overseas citizens of a sovereign state, such as the rights to be educated, conduct business and travel freely to their motherland, and staunchly resist all discriminatory measures and inhumane acts that infringe upon their rights and interests.
National education is something Chongryon should invariably hold fast to as one of its central tasks. It should direct its main efforts to establishing the Juche orientation in its educational work and thus imparting love for the country and national identity, while improving the contents and methods of education as appropriate to the era of the knowledge-based economy, thus giving play to the advantages and vitality of democratic national education. Korea University should steadily raise the level of its education as befits a base for training able personnel for Chongryon, and thus bring up its students into genuine patriots and able specialists. By doing so, it can exalt its authority and fame as the dignified university of the Republic’s overseas citizens.
In the present situation when the younger generation is emerging as the leading force of the patriotic movement of Chongryon, the future of the movement of Koreans in Japan depends on how these young people are brought up. Chongryon should train them into reliable successors who will invariably, whatever the trials, carry forward the cause of Chongryon, a patriotic legacy bequeathed by the great leaders. The Korean Youth League in Japan, the Association of Korean Young Men of Commerce in Japan and the Union of Korean Students in Japan should add brilliance to the priceless inheritance bequeathed to them by the preceding generations and lead the young Korean compatriots always to live honourably, keeping in mind that they are Koreans by origin. The Union of Democratic Korean Women in Japan should intensify its work with the women compatriots of the younger generation so that they preserve the national identity of the Korean community and carry forward the proud tradition of turning one of the wheels of the patriotic movement of Chongryon.
Businesspeople, a basic section of the masses under Chongryon and the main force in the movement of Koreans in Japan, should be actively enlisted in the patriotic work of Chongryon. The Federation of Korean Men of Commerce in Japan and other business organizations should protect and render wholehearted assistance to the compatriots in their commercial and business activities, and thus ensure that they work with great vigour.
By helping to hasten the prosperity and development of their socialist motherland and national reunification, Chongryon and our compatriots in Japan should perform the mission and patriotic duty they have assumed before the country and the nation.
They should devote their patriotic efforts to the sacred cause of achieving the prosperity of their socialist motherland.
The destiny of our overseas compatriots is linked with that of their motherland; when their motherland becomes strong, the prestige of their organizations and of they themselves is enhanced. Chongryon officials and our compatriots in Japan should champion the dignity and prestige of their socialist motherland in every way possible, and contribute to building a thriving socialist nation, those with strength dedicating their strength, those with knowledge devoting their knowledge and those with money donating their money.
They should uphold the three charters for national reunification, the June 15 Joint Declaration and the October 4 Declaration, and wage the national reunification movement dynamically. Chongryon should strengthen national unity with Koreans affiliated with Mindan (pro-south Korean Federation of Korean Residents in Japan), and support and encourage the just struggle of their fellow countrymen in south Korea for independence, democracy and national reunification.
Based on the ideals of independence, peace and friendship, Chongryon should develop friendly ties with progressive people from various strata and other people in Japan so as to create on its own initiative an environment and conditions favourable for its work and the movement of Koreans in Japan and help promote DPRK-Japan relations.
For the moment, in ushering in a new golden age of the movement of Koreans in Japan, Chongryon should establish a well-regulated system for its work and improve its guidance methods in keeping with the changed situation and environment.
The Central Committee of Chongryon should, on the principle of democratic centralism, consistently carry out the tasks it has discussed and decided on, and intensify its unified guidance over its subordinate organizations, affiliates and other organs at all levels to ensure that they work in a lively manner and fulfil all their tasks. The prefectural headquarters of Chongryon should establish proper discipline and order so that they carry out the decisions and directives of the Central Committee by relying on the collective wisdom, and discharge their responsibilities and perform their role as regional leadership units of the movement of Koreans in Japan. The central leadership bodies of the affiliates and other organs of Chongryon should establish a well-regulated system of working in line with their characteristics, and bring guidance and assistance closer to their subordinate units so that they perform with credit the patriotic work in their respective fields.
It is important to improve the work methods as demanded by the actual situation of Chongryon and the realities of the Korean community.
By means of innovative insight, a fresh style of work and seasoned and experienced methods of work, Chongryon’s organizations, affiliates and other organs at all levels should create a new spirit, a new feature of the movement of Koreans in Japan that is advancing full of vigour and vitality.
Whether a new golden age of the movement of Koreans in Japan is ushered in or not depends on the role of Chongryon officials.
Chongryon officials, regarding the instructions of the great leaders as guidelines in their work and life, should always go among the masses of the compatriots and become organizers and motivators who share good times and bad with them, and enlist their spiritual strength. Maintaining the compatriots-first principle, they should display the spirit of boundless devotion and self-sacrifice in working for the national rights and happy future of their compatriots in Japan, who will thus regard Chongryon as their mother’s embrace and sincerely trust, love and rely on it.
Chongryon is part of the socialist DPRK and the Koreans resident in Japan are brothers and sisters and family members of the motherland.
Our Party and the government of the Republic will take care, on its own responsibility, of the destiny and future of Chongryon, which the great President and General bequeathed, and of the Koreans resident in Japan, and do their best for the development of the movement of Koreans in Japan.
I firmly believe that Chongryon officials and all other Korean compatriots in Japan will, in the future, too, throw in their lot with their socialist motherland and fulfil their honourable responsibilities and duties in their efforts to usher in a new golden age of the movement of Koreans in Japan.