Today we mark the solemn occasion of the 8th anniversary of the passing away of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL . Our UK Korean Friendship Association and Juche Idea Study Group of England upholds the memory of comrade KIM JONG IL and remembers his great revolutionary activities. The achievements of comrade KIM JONG IL are varied and manifold so it is difficult to recount them in a short space of time.
Throughout his life the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL worked hard , day and night for the people saying that if the people want it then we must make flowers bloom on a rock.
Chairman KIM JONG IL passed away whilst working ( he actually worked past retirement age in the DPRK) on the cold wintry day 17th of December 2011 .
Chairman KIM JONG IL was a true people’s leader who worked all his life for the people often denying himself rest and sleep , he never took it easy .He was always dressed in simple clothes. He immersed himself in giving on the spot-guidance ,travelling some 669,844 miles which is the equivalent of going around the world 17 times.
Comrade KIM JONG IL was the successor to the great leader comrade
KIM IL SUNG . When comrade KIM JONG IL started working at the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea in June 1964 comrade KIM JONG IL made sure the ideology of comrade KIM IL SUNG , the core of which is the Juche idea . Juche does not simply mean self-reliance , it stipulates that humans are the masters of their destiny and have the power to carve it . Juche , therefore, rejects all kinds of superstitious and fatalistic notions about the fate of humans either being predetermined or controlled by an unseen mysterious deity existing outside time and space .comrade Kim Jong Il defended the purity of the Juche Idea and developed it in depth. He systematised and enriched the Juche idea in his historic 1982 thesis “On the Juche Idea “. This work constitutes an almanac of the Juche idea which clarified its philosophical essence and that man has independence, consciousness and creativity. Thus the Juche idea shines out a philosophy for achieving the independence of the popular masses . The Juche idea is a powerful weapon for achieving human emancipation from all kinds of misery and oppression. Today the Juche Idea is studied by people in many parts of the globe , 1,000 Juche Idea Study groups exist in the world including our very own Juche Idea Study Group of England.
When comrade KIM JONG IL took the baton of supreme leadership in the mid 1990s the DPRK faced multiple challenges , difficulties and obstacles .The country was mourning the loss of the great leader President KIM IL SUNG, repeated severe natural disasters hit the DPRK continuously ,the imperialists tightened their sanctions against the DPRK , the world socialist market collapsed depriving the DPRK of 80 per cent of its foreign trade and there was no one willing to lift a finger to help the DPRK . The doom mongers of the imperialist media predicted the end of the DPRK. Others claimed that the DPRK would ‘reform’ and ‘open up’ but Chairman KIM JONG IL declared “Expect No Change from Me ” . The imperialist scenario for the DPRK was for the overthrow of the socialist system in the DPRK or for a policy change which eventually led to the dismantling of the socialist system in the DPRK . Comrade KIM JONG IL resisted it .Comrade KIM JONG IL was determined to stick to the Juche idea come what may and the Juche idea is the bedrock of the DPRK’s independence and its durability.
The DPRK’s resistance to imperialist regime change is a great example for us when you consider that some progressive regimes like Bolivia were overthrown almost with a snap of the finger.
Indeed comrade KIM JONG IL should be remembered for opposing imperialist globalisation.He wrote the excellent work “On Preserving the Juche Character and National Character of the Revolution and Construction” which was a powerful anti-imperialist manifesto against globalisation .Comrade KIM JONG IL wrote “We must smash up the vicious and cunning policy of the imperialists who seek to obliterate nations and the reactionary doctrines which try to justify this policy.”
Comrade KIM JONG IL rallied the people to overcome the difficulties . During this difficult period the DPRK was able to construct the Anbyon Power station and other large structures as well as launching its first artificial satellite the Kwangmysong 1 on the 31st of August 1998. Comrade KIM JONG IL stressed that self-reliance was the key to overcoming difficulties and smashing the blockade of the imperialists . Self-reliance is the secret weapon of People’s Korea against the imperialists . In my opinion the imperialists fear self-reliance more than nuclear weapons , indeed it is more powerful than a 1,000 nuclear weapons.
Comrade KIM JONG IL also practised the Songun or Army-first policy in order to defend People’s Korea and secure its independence .
Thanks to the leadership of comrade KIM JONG IL the situation was turned around and the DPRK prospered . Some of the countries that had conspired to isolate and stifle the DPRK even opened diplomatic relations with the DPRK , one after the other . The fortitude of comrade KIM JONG IL brought about the first -ever inter-Korean summit,in 55 years , on June 15 2000 .
The legacy bequeathed to history by the great leader comrade
KIM JONG IL is today’s People’s Korea which is led by dear respected Marshal KIM JONG UN who is continuing with the lines and policies of comrade KIM JONG IL . This year I have visited the DPRK 3 times including in October when I visited with a delegation of the Juche Idea Study Group of England , Juche Idea Study Group of Scotland and UK KFA . During my visits I did not see one homeless person or beggar . There appeared to be no effect of the sanctions as shops seemed well stocked . The prices in the hotel shop were the same as in September 2018. The price of a Pyongyang Metro ticket is about 3p in British money and is unchanged from at least September 2012 . We were able to see self-reliance in action at the KIM JONG SUK Textile Mill , a big factory near the centre of Pyongyang which has 1,600 workers , where the machines were DPRK made and not imported plus extensive recycling and use of waste products was being carried out.
We also visited the Party Foundation Monument in East Pyongyang which was built under the guidance of comrade KIM JONG IL in 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea . People who want to read more can find reports by myself and James Taylor on the internet.
My visits to the DPRK this year reaffirmed my faith in the Juche idea which is deeply associated with the life and work of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL . Seeing the achievements of People’s Korea made me recall the exploits of comrade KIM JONG IL who worked so hard to defend the independence of the country and to build it up as prosperous self-reliant socialist nation.
GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF THE GREAT LEADER COMRADE
KIM JONG IL