Saturday 12 February 2022

KIM JONG IL and the high growth socialist economy - special article by Dr Dermot Hudson




The life of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL is deeply associated with his leadership for the construction of socialism in Korea . He was actually a direct participant in the battles for socialist construction in People’s Korea ; at an early age he took part in construction work in Pyongyang City and later worked at Lathe No 26 in the Pyongyang Textile Machinery Factory .


   Comrade KIM JONG IL began working at the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea  on the 19th of June 1964. In October 1972 he was elected as a member of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) and in September 1973 he was elected as a Secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK . In February 1974 he was elected to the Political Bureau of the WPK . Comrade KIM JONG IL took a central role in guiding the work of socialist construction . He not only put forward the grand programme of modelling the whole society on the Juche idea in February 1974 but also took the lead in ensuring the completion of the 6 year plan for the development of the national economy which  had been put forward at the historic 5th Congress of the WPK in 1970 . Comrade KIM JONG IL took the initiative in organising the amazing ‘70 Day Campaign ‘ .On the 9th of October 1974 at a meeting of senior officials of the WPK and DPRK government comrade KIM JONG IL made the speech ‘ , Let Us Launch a 70-day Campaign as a Party-wide Drive” and the 70 Day Speed Campaign was launched at the end of October 1974 . A new Chollima speed was created , industrial production shot up by an astounding 70 per cent as compared to the preceding period and industrial output increased by 17.2 percent  for the year .  In agriculture  a bumper harvest was reaped and the DPRK exported lots of grain . By 1975 the DPRK had basically fulfilled the 6 year plan 1 year ahead of schedule.A phenomenal result especially when you consider that at the time  the capitalist world was in a deep crisis with recession , unemployment and inflation shaking it to its foundations and even some socialist countries experienced a slowing down of economic growth .


In the late 1980s when modern revisionism, under the guise of ‘glasnost ‘ and ‘perestroika ‘ was running riot and causing  a number of problems in some socialist countries, comrade KIM JONG IL initiated a 200 day campaign  . Comrade KIM JONG IL in his talk to senior officials of the Workers Party of Korea in 1988 titled ‘ Let Us All Live And Struggle Like Heroes’  said that ‘ Our Party and our people have assumed a heavy responsibility to our times and to history. We must keep the banner of revolution, the banner of socialism, flying, by foiling the enemy's frenzied attacks and effecting a steady advance in socialist construction. We must never weaken, but continue to maintain the high enthusiasm being displayed in the current 200-day campaign. We must follow this campaign with a 2,000-day campaign and then a 20,000-day campaign. This is the way to carry the revolutionary cause of Juche through to the end and to discharge the heavy responsibility we have assumed before the world revolution.


  Many successes were reaped in the 200 Day campaign  and a breakthrough  was made in the third seven year plan . Later comrade KIM JONG IL encouraged the movement to create ' the speed of the 90s' . The DPRK was able to increase industrial output despite the collapse of the socialist camp.




During the Arduous March comrade KIM JONG IL ensured that socialist construction was carried on despite the most trying conditions , bya applying the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance. The gigantic Anbyon power station which was in terms of construction costs , materials and resources was double that of the West Sea Barrage which was constructed in the 1980s at the cost of $4million.Many small and medium sized power stations were also built. The KPA  between 1995 and 2000  built the Chongynu Bridge, the Kumnung Tunnel No 2 , the Pyongyang-Hyangsan motorway, the Thaechon Power station no 5 and the April 25 hotel.

    Measures were taken one by one to alleviate the food shortage issue.  Chairman KIM JONG ILsaid that the entire army and all people must be mobilised for effective farming that year by all means, so as to solve the food problem decisively and bring the “Arduous March” to a successful conclusion. The People’s Army, he said, should give active, large-scale support to farming that year, organizing support to the countryside down to the last detail. Land rezoning was carried out on a massive scale so as to eliminate any residual vestiges of feudal land ownership, making it impossible to restore capitalism in the DPRK countryside and boosting production by allowing the more widespread use of machinery.In 2009 a 100 day and 200 day campaign were launched . Under the 100 day campaign, the growth in industrial output value topped 30%, a truly phenomenal figure without parallel in the world and much higher than the figure for south Korea. This figure showed that the DPRK was the fastest growing economy in the world.

  In 2010 the February 8th Vinalon Complex was recommissioned and put back into operation , vinalon being known as the Juche fibre (which is made from limestone, a true example of self-reliance). The KPA also built the Huichon Power station  , the Taedonggang Fruit Farm  and renovated the Kosan Fruit Farm.

  Under the leadership of comrade KIM JONG IL , whatever the difficulties ,there was a rapid growth of the independent socialist national economy  thanks to comrade KIM JONG IL’s original ideas and theories on building the socialist economy . Today the idea of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL on the socialist economy are carried through by dear 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 Korean Friendship Association UK 

President Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK

Chairman British Solidarity Committee for Peace and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula.

Hon Secretary General International Central Committee for Songun Study .


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