Chairman Kim Jong Il and Songun

Chairman Kim Jong Il of the DPRK National Defence Commission made ceaseless field inspections of the Korean People’s Army units during his whole life to develop it into an army which is fully prepared both for offensive and defence.

In early January 1995, the next year after President Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea passed away, a publication of a western country carried an article which read:

It is meaningful that Kim Jong Il, de facto successor to President Kim Il Sung, did not deliver a New Year’s Address but instead inspected a Korean People’s Army unit at the beginning of the new year.

The future direction of the statesmanship of the new leader of a country and the main political force he will rely on are usually decided by the first item on his agenda. Proceeding from this fact, it will be interesting to wait and see what the significance of Kim Jong Il’s recent inspection would be. …

In those days socialist Korea was experiencing the severest trials.

The imperialist allied forces, taking advantage of the collapse of socialism in Eastern European countries, turned the spearhead of its anti-socialist offensive to the DPRK. Worse still, devastating natural disasters hit the country for several consecutive years. Hostile forces intensified economic blockade against it and sent military reinforcements to wage war rehearsals on the Korean peninsula, aggravating the situation to the extreme. Their intention was to make the country kneel down or occupy it by force of arms.

To cope with the prevailing situation, Chairman Kim Jong Il (1942-2011) of the DPRK National Defence Commission chose the road of Songun. During his ceaseless field inspections of the KPA units he paid a special attention to intensifying politico-ideological education of service personnel to imbue them with a firm will to fight for the country, socialism and people at the cost of their lives. He also paid close heed to developing defence industry on a preferential basis and thereby building the KPA into a powerful army equipped with modern military hardware. Under his leadership the KPA was developed into an army which is fully prepared both for offensive and defence.

He set up the KPA as the motive force not only of national defence but also of socialist construction. The fighting spirit the soldiers had displayed in building a large-sized power station was named the revolutionary soldier spirit and spread throughout society.

As a result, the DPRK safeguarded its socialism and has entered a new era of building a powerful socialist country.

Now the Korean people are confident about the future of a powerful socialist country. History has proved that option of Chairman Kim Jong Il was correct.