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February 16th is celebrated by the Korean people and the world progressive people as the Day of the Shining Star because on the 16th of February 1942 ,comrade KIM JONG IL, the lodestar of independence and socialism was born in the Mt Paektu Secret Camp.
Comrade KIM JONG IL’s revolutionary activities were very diverse and covered a wide range of fields such as politics , philosophy , economics , national defence and culture. He was a man of many talents , indeed a man of all seasons .
The work of building an independent ,unique socialist country of Juche that was started and pioneered by the great leader comrade KIM IL SUNG, was carried forward by comrade KIM JONG IL . I can remember seeing a painting of President KIM IL SUNG and Chairman KIM JONG IL walking across a bridge in Pyongyang that was titled “Morning of the Juche country.”
In his famous poem which he wrote when he started his studies at KIM IL SUNG University in the early 1960s , comrade KIM JONG IL said ;
“As I stand on Ryongnam Hill at sunrise,
The land of 3,000 ri greets my eyes.
Learning the leader's great idea,
I will be the master of the revolution in this land, Korea.
0 Korea, I will add glory to thee.
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On the road of Juche I will be firm and steady
Under the guidance of the great leader.
Braving the raging waves and storms,
I will lead Korea into the future.
O Korea, I will make thee famous.
I will go on for ever with the cause of the sun
That shines over the whole world.
I will bring about the era of communism
When the red glow of Juche will cover the earth.
O Korea, my Korea!”
This beautiful and moving poem fully expressed the resolve of comrade KIM JONG IL to build a fine socialist country of Juche and for the Juche idea to shine out across the world .For the five decades that followed the writing of the poem “O ,Korea , I will add glory to thee “ ,comrade KIM JONG IL devoted his energy and efforts to building a fine and mighty socialist country of Juche , independent in politics , self-sufficient in the economy and self-reliant in defence . Comrade KIM JONG IL started work at the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea,the supreme general staff of the Korean revolution in June 1964 ,later he was elected to the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea(WPK) in 1970 and was elected as a secretary to the Central Committee of the WPK in 1973.
In February 1974 comrade KIM JONG IL put forward the programme of modelling the whole of society on the Juche idea . He also mobilised the Korean people to increase production .At a consultative meeting of senior officials of the Party Central Committee and provincial officials held on the 9th of October 1974 comrade KIM JONG IL made the speech 'Let Us Conduct a 70 Day Campaign with Vigour through the efforts of the whole party ' which signaled the launch of the 70 day campaign . Comrade KIM JONG IL prioritized the mining industry , transport and exports .He had agitation teams sent to key areas and also labour force.
The results were truly spectacular . Compared with the months prior to the 70 day campaign industrial output value leapt by a stunning 70 per cent and industrial output increased by 17.2 per cent in a year at a time when the capitalist world faced acute crisis and even the growth rates of some socialist countries declined or stagnated . In agriculture despite unfavourable weather conditions a bumper harvest was reaped and the target of 7 million tons was hit . The DPRK was able to export large quantities of grain to other countries .
In December 1978 , comrade KIM JONG IL put forward the revolutionary slogan “ Let Us Live Our Own Way “ at a time when the imperialists ,dominationists and revisionists were trying to suppress the independence of many different countries and carry out the intervention in many parts of the world. The slogan ' Let Us Live Our Own Way !’ was a militant declaration by comrade KIM JONG IL that the DPRK would reject outside pressure and interference from whatever quarter and forge ahead along the path of true socialism , Juche socialism and self-reliance.The DPRK lived its own way ,the way of Juche and self-reliance.
In the 1980s 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’ he 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.’
In the early 1990s when the dark clouds of anti-socialism and modern revisionism swirled around encircling the globe ,comrade KIM JONG IL ensured that the DPRK upheld the banner of Juche , the banner of real socialism saying “ Expect No Change “ from me in the difficult situation after the untimely passing away of the great leader comrade KIM IL SUNG.
Comrade KIM JONG IL rejected “ opening up’.’reform’ and globalisation . In 1997 he wrote the powerful work “ .On Preserving the Juche Character and National Character of the Revolution and Construction “ .In the work he stressed that “In the future, too, we shall firmly keep the Juche character and national character of the revolution and construction and fight staunchly along the road of Juche” . This was a cast iron affirmation that the DPRK would continue to build Juche -based socialism .Today, the DPRK is the most independent country in the world ;it has no foreign troops on its soil , it is not a member of the IMF, the World Bank, WTO, WEF or APEC or even BRICS or the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
A combination of pressure and sanctions by the imperialists plus consecutive natural disasters and the disappearance of the world socialist market caused the DPRK to suffer temporary difficulties during the mid and late 1990s which became known as the “Arduous march “. Comrade KIM JONG IL rallied the people and led the “Arduous March “ to victory in the spirit of self-reliance .Comrade KIM JONG IL worked day and night , often denying himself sleep and taking simple meals of rice balls in his car .
The DPRK launched its first artificial satellite in August 1998 . New land for agriculture was created by land rezoning .There was an upturn in industrial production .Juche steel flowed from the furnaces of the DPRK’s steel industry and the Vinalon industry (Juche fibre) was revived .
The achievements of comrade KIM JONG IL in guiding the building of an independent socialist country of Juche are massive and numerous .They will shine forever !
Dr Dermot Hudson
Chairman British Group For the Study of the Juche Idea
Chairman Korean Friendship Association UK
Secretary general European Regional Committee For Friendship with the Korean People.
Vice-Chair OCIFPGPP
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