• International E-seminar in Celebration of the 80th Birth Anniversary of General Kim Jong Il

Dear Comrades and Friends,

It is a great honour and privilege to be invited to deliver a speech in honour of the 80th anniversary of the birth of Chairman Kim Jong IL a great leader and general of the Korean people. In  celebrating this significant and historic occasion I do so along with the peace loving and progressive people of the world as a act of solidarity in support of all Korea people as they recall the revolutionary exploits of their beloved leader General Kim Jong Il.

General Kim Jong Il was born on the 16th February 1942 at the secret military camp at Mt Packetu, when the KPRA and the Korean people where still waging a heroic, bitter and fierce struggle against the Japanese Militarist under the leadership of General Kim Il Sung eternal President of Korea.

The KPRA was not simply a military force; it was a revolutionary army that considered both political and military affairs to be important. Acquiring political and military qualifications were essential, not only for the armed struggle but also for work among the people, united–front work and the efforts to demoralize enemy soldiers. That was why so much time and energy was spent on the political education and training of the soldiers of the revolutionary army. Studying was an important part of their training.

After many years of arm struggle against one of the most modern and best trained army in the world the KPRA finally defeated the Japanese army of occupiers and on August 15th 1945, (Liberation Day) the KPLA under the leadership of General Kim Il Sung victoriously entered Pyongyang and liberated Korea from forty years of Japanese barbaric militarist rule. With the founding of the DPRK on the 9th September 1948, the KPRA became the KPA, further consolidating the ideological politics of Songun, and army of the party, state and the people.

Fatherland Liberation War

Within a short period of two years the concept of Songun politics of army–people unity was further tested by the invasion of US Imperialism military forces with its 17 satellite states which resulted in a crushing defeat of the US imperialism and a brilliant victory for the Korean people in the Fatherland Liberation War. When signing the ceasefire documents at 10am on July 27th 1953 the Supreme UN Commander General Mark Clark later wrote “I gained the unenviable distinction of being the first US Commander in history to sign an armistice without victory.”

In the early 1960s eternal President and General KIM IL SUNG saw the inheritance and continuation of Songun revolutionary leadership as being fundamental to the revolutionary cause and assigned General KIM JONG IL with the task of developing a dialectical connection between the activities of the KPA and the party. This was the beginning of the Songun revolutionary leadership of General KIM JONG IL when he visited the Seoul 105th Tank Division of the KPA on August 25th which is now a national holiday in the DPRK and was the first of KIM JONG IL’s many visits to various KPA installations.

In the 1970s and 80s he concluded that as a fundamental task of army building, the  KPA must become an army of the leader and of the party and that it was essential for it to be strengthened politically, ideologically as well as technically and military. In the 1990’s there was a great change in the political composition of the world and the balance of forces. The US and the imperialist reactionary forces intensified military and political efforts to stifle the DPRK and its socialist development and to bring about regime change

Kim Jong Il Accepts Leadership

With the demise of Kim Il Sung on the 8th July 1994 the mantle of leadership to lead the Korean people was placed on the shoulders of Kim Jong Il. At the time of the demise of Kim Il Sung, the DPRK economy was under severe strain with the collapse of its socialist trading block and the impact of natural disasters, both floods and droughts destroying crops and causing huge damage to their agricultural production and huge problems to the food chain. Furthermore, it was still confronted with economic embargoes imposed by the US since 1950 and the intensification of US hostile policies. It was the time that the Korean people describe as the “Arduous March.”

Despite all the difficulties that confronted the Korean people during this time of intense economic pressure and outside hostilities and the tremendous social costs, the Korean people maintained their faith in Korean socialism and defied all the US predictions that it was only a matter of time before the collapse was imminent.

After suffering huge losses and economic destruction during the period of the Fatherland Liberation war 1950-53 the Korean people had no intention of abandoning their People Centred Socialism to the might of US militarism. After enduring some three years of immense struggle and pressure the Korean people sustained the worst and emerged from the period of the Arduous March stronger ideologically and politically with even a greater determination to defy US militarism and continue the path of building a powerful prosperous socialist country.

On October 8th 1997 the Workers Party of Korea elected Kim Jong Il to the position of General Secretary and in 1998 The Supremes People Assembly designated the late Kim Il Sung as eternal President of the DPRK which is enshrined in the country’s constitution.

DPRK is Songun Politics

General KIM JONG IL based on a scientific analysis of the changed situation, declared at home and abroad that the politics of the DPRK is Songun politics. At the first session of the 10th Supremes People Assembly in September 1998 a new system of state mechanism was introduced with the National Defence Commission being elevated to the leading body that the Songun politics of the party is the main political mode of socialism which began in the era of Eternal President KIM IL SUNG. General KIM JONG IL determined that there was a need for the line of the Songun revolution to be further strengthened as long as US imperialism and their lackeys survived and their aggressive attempts to overthrow socialist Korea continued.

It is also attributable to the Songun politics that the historical North-South Summits were held and the North-South Joint Declarations were adopted, which brought about the significant achievements of the June 15th reunification era.

The June 15th and October 4th Declarations are the reunification programs which reflect the demands of the changing and developing times and the desire of the Korean people.

The June 15th Joint Declaration is a manifestation that reflects a honest and sincere  program for the peace and reunification of Korea which illuminates clearly the fundamental principles to realize the reunification and which proceeds from the essence of Korean reunification.

The reunification of Korea, in its essence, is to realize completely the peaceful sovereignty on the national scale without any foreign domination and interference.

The June 15th Joint Declaration made public that the north and south will realize the country’s reunification independently by the Korean nation itself.

Based on this, the main ideal for the development of north and south relations has been the principle of “by our nation itself” which encourages both north and south acting as one nation, to join efforts and unify together for the settlement of the national reunification issue.

Marshall Kim Jong Un

Today under the leadership of Marshall KIM JONG Un the policies of Songun politics are being further strengthened and enhanced.  When celebrating the 110th anniversary of the birth of President Kim Il Sung and the 80th anniversary of Chairman Kim Jong IL the world progressive and peace loving forces will also celebrate and give appropriate recognition and respect to the 10th anniversary of the election of Kim Jong Un to the supreme leadership of the DPRK and the Workers Party of Korea. Since the accepting the mantle of leadership General Secretary Kim Jong Un has fortified Korea and enhanced its military capabilities with the development of a nuclear deterrent and the testing of hypersonic missiles.

Undaunted and staring down the face of US imperialism and its military might, the army people unity of Songun politics have refused to be intimidated and continue to push back  against the aggressive US military forces.

Despite all the machinations of US imperialism and the many obstacles and difficulties that they face, the heroic Korean people are marching victoriously forward in building and strengthening their socialist fatherland.  This historic march is taking place with the flag of Juche held high and under the banner of Songun politics.

Raymond Ferguson
National Secretary, Australia –DPRK Friendship and Cultural Society
Joint Secretary, APRCPRK