Keynote Speech to International E-seminar

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

Keynote Speech to International E-seminar

Peter Woods and Damian Ogbonna, Co-chairs of OCIFPGPP

Dear friends,

First of all, we would like to pay the highest tribute to His Excellency Kim Jong Il, eternal incarnation of Juche Korea and the great leader of global independence cause, and pray for his immortality on the occasion of his 80th birth anniversary.

At the same time, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all of you for your great interests in and active contribution to the International E-seminar in deep memory and reverence of His Excellency Kim Jong Il.

As recognized by the world, His Excellency Kim Jong Il was a veteran statesman of extraordinary caliber and brilliant commander of Songun who led the socialist construction of Korea and the cause of global independence to victory with his profound ideology and theory, unparalleled leadership and ennobling devotion.

He was born as a son of a partisan and creation of anti-Japanese revolution in a small log cabin in the primitive forest of Mt. Paektu, a sacred mountain of the Korean nation, on February 16th, 1942 at the time when Korea was under the colonial rule of the Japanese imperialists.

The Korean people celebrated the birth of His Excellency Kim Jong Il as the greatest jubilation and bright prospect for the nation, and praised him as the Bright Star of Mt. Paektu, meaning that he would be a lodestar to glorify Korea. True to their expectations and desire, he grew to be a lodestar and the sun that shone and led not just Korea but the entire world.

His Excellency Kim Jong Il was a genius of ideology and theory.

He systematized and developed the Juche Idea which was authored by President Kim Il Sung, in a comprehensive way by the energetic ideological and theoretical activities, thus adding luster to it to be the great guiding ideology of an independence era. He also set forth ideas and theories of Juche-oriented, revolutionary, scientific and original character in the fields of politics, economy, culture and military affairs.

His ideas and theories are regarded as theoretical and practical guidelines and encyclopedia of universal significance not only in Korea but also in all the different countries and for its peoples who aspire after independence, self-sufficiency and self-reliant defence. As a result, many political parties, organizations and figures even nowadays study his works in earnest and apply it into practice.

His Excellency Kim Jong Il was a prominent statesman and great master of leadership. In a word, his leadership can be characterized as an independent, Songun-oriented and benevolent one.

As one can understand from the slogan, "Let us live our own way!" that His Excellency Kim Jong Il laid forth in his early years, he settled all the issues arising in the revolution and construction in an independent and creative manner as suited to the specific conditions of the country and required by the people while resolutely frustrating any slightest attempts to infringe upon the national sovereignty.

Thanks to his leadership, when the world's socialist cause was suffering from severe setback in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Korean style socialism did not deviate by an inch. And Pyongyang Declaration on defending and advancing the cause of socialism, which was adopted in April, 1992, has been serving as the program of struggle for the world's progressive political parties.

When the DPRK was faced with the most trying ordeals, His Excellency Kim Jong Il firmly safeguarded the national sovereignty and the right to development of the country by dint of Songun politics, indicating a way out to the great prosperity.

Since President Kim Il Sung, the founder of the socialist Korea, passed away on July 8th, 1994, the political and military provocations, sanctions and blockades of the hostile forces towards the DPRK reached its extreme. The Western media predicated that a socialist flag would be hoisted down in the DPRK within three years, or even in three months to be earliest.

However, thanks to the original Songun politics of His Excellency Kim Jong Il, the DPRK firmly defended national security by decisively containing military provocations and threats of the hostile forces while making miraculous developments relying on the independent national economy of solid foundation and the huge army of technicians and scientists of its own.

Especially a successful launch of its first artificial satellite Kwangmyongsong No.1 had demonstrated that the determination of the DPRK to maintain and further develop its ideology and system was rock-firm and nothing could stop its advance.

Observing the DPRK which rose up as the stalwart political and military power with many places across the country transformed as remarkable fairylands ushering in the 21st century, the world exalted His Excellency Kim Jong Il as the audacious and distinguished statesman, the iron-willed brilliant commander of invincibility.

His Excellency Kim Jong Il was an incarnation of love and affection who pursued the politics of love and trust, and the benevolent and all-embracing politics.

Though he enjoyed boundless respect and admiration as an outstanding leader of versatile talents, His Excellency Kim Jong Il always respected people as his teacher and believed them as in Heaven while devoting his everything to the happiness of people.

Apart from his benevolent and all-embracing politics is it inconceivable that the Workers' Party of Korea was strengthened and developed as the party which is firmly united around its leader and absolutely supported by the people with firm mass foundation, and that the single-hearted unity of the leader, party and people was realized in Korea.

His Excellency Kim Jong Il in his lifetime traveled for field guidance equivalent to nearly 17 rounds of the distance round the Earth to visit some 14,200 local units. With these surprising two numbers only, it's enough for us to bow with respect to his ardent love and devotion to the fatherland and its people.

It is told that he once said the field train was felt as his home, and that if his whole life was to be compressed to describe there would be only one word with two syllable – People.

His Excellency Kim Jong Il's original politics and ennobling benevolence deserved to stand in the limelight of the world since it enabled to break through the worst ever difficulties and trials on its own under the banner of independence, and heralded in prosperity and development.

To enumerate, President Putin of Russia and President Hu Jin Tao of China visited the DPRK respectively in July 2000 and September 2001. In September 2002 the heads of the enemy states visited the DPRK one after another; Prime Minister of Japan, the former Presidents and the incumbent Secretary of State of the USA came to Pyongyang to propose improving the relations. On the other hand, the EU and many countries in the Western Europe and around the world established or resumed their diplomatic relations with the DPRK.

Witnessing the dramatic changes in the DPRK, the world's progressive peoples unanimously praised His Excellency Kim Jong Il as the veteran statesman of the world and the great leader of the independent era, and they reaffirmed that the future of the independent era in the 21st century hinged upon him.

As a result, the personalities from various countries around the world came together at Kim Jong Il's birthplace in the Paektusan Secret Camp to hold a Gathering to Greet the Sun of the 21st Century in February, 2002, and highly lauded him as the Sun that would lead the independent cause of humankind to victory – this is the event which was later recorded as the 1st International Festival in Praise of the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu.

How high the world's respect and admiration His Excellency Kim Jong Il commanded is mirrored in the fact that some 190 countries in the world and international organizations, even the countries in hostilities with the DPRK expressed the deepest condolences and held various memorial services in solemnity when he passed away to the deep regret on the journey of the field guidance.

Today the ideology and cause of His Excellency Kim Jong Il are carried forward in the most faithful way by His Excellency Kim Jong Un to be translated into reality in Korea.

Under the wise leadership of His Excellency Kim Jong Un, the cause of building a thriving nation that His Excellency Kim Jong Il longed for is being brought into reality successfully; the DPRK joined the front rank of the world powers and it is dynamically advancing towards the comprehensive development of socialism and the ideal society of humankind where the dreams of people will come true.

The DPRK-U.S. Summits and the historic events that recently occurred on the Korean peninsula and in the region in the spotlight of the world allow us to look back on the days nearly 20 years ago when the whole world focused its attention on the DPRK.

History never remains still in the past memory.

The ideology and achievements of His Excellency Kim Jong Il are permeated and practiced in the struggle and life of the Korean people and the world's progressive peoples that aspire after independence.

The organizations and units that named after His Excellency Kim Jong Il are running in many countries and regions of the world, and the world's progressive peoples are highly appreciating his achievements and life on every meaningful holiday and occasion of the DPRK, especially on the Day of the Sun and the Day of the Shining Star.

His Excellency Kim Jong Il will live forever in the minds of the Korean people and the progressive humankind as the eternal incarnation of Juche Korea and the great sun of the independent era for his great feats accomplished throughout his entire life in the Korean revolution and the cause of global independence under the banner of independence and patriotism.

Remaining confident that this E-seminar will serve as an important opportunity to manifest the unanimous and boundless admiration for His Excellency Kim Jong Il and express support to and confidence in the ever-prospering socialist Korea under the leadership of His Excellency Kim Jong Un, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks again to everyone contributed to this E-seminar.

Thank you.