Pyongyang, August 31 (KCNA) -- Pyongyang, the capital city of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, has a history of 5,000 years. Pyongyang noted for its scenic beauty boasts of being a cradle of human beings from the old stone age. It is clearly proved by Komunmoru relic of primitive men dating back more than a million years, which were discovered in Sangwon county, Pyongyang. Many fossils of palaeolithic and Neolithic men and sites of ancient shelters were unearthed in suburbs of Pyongyang. Pyongyang had been the capital of the country for more than 1,500 years from the time when Tangun, the ancestral father of the nation, built Kojoson, the first ancient kingdom in Korea, 5,000 years ago to the period around the 14th century B.C.
Pyongyang, August 29 (KCNA) -- The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) has vigorously pushed ahead with the Three-Revolution Red Flag Movement in keeping with the new requirements of the developing revolution since the middle of the 1970s. The Three-Revolution Red Flag Movement, which came into being as a result of the development of the Chollima Work-Team Movement in depth, is the highest level mass movement involving all people to accelerate socialist construction through vigorous ideological, technical and cultural revolutions.
The WPK saw to it that a torch was lighted to launch the movement at the Komdok Mine and the Chongsan Cooperative Farm at the end of Juche 64 (1975) and rapidly spread to all fields of socialist construction across the country. It put up the revolutionary slogan "Let us meet the requirements of Juche in ideology, technology and culture and "Let the whole party and all the people turn out in the movement while converting it into one of the popular masses themselves.
In the crucible of the movement people's mode of thinking and work style underwent a radical change, the revolutionary enthusiasm of the masses rapidly mounted and many three-revolution standard bearers, unassuming heroes and heroines and unassuming men of meritorious services were produced. In a little more than 10 years after the start of the movement, the Tower of the Juche Idea, the arch of triumph, the Changgwang Street, Munsu Street, the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital, Changgwang Health Complex and other grand monumental edifices were built to change the appearance of the country beyond recognition.
The world-level west sea barrage and ore pressing plant no. 3 of the Komdok Mine with an annual production capacity of 10 million tons made their appearance and miracles such as the manufacture of a 10,000-ton press were reported one after another to augment the economic power of the country significantly. The industrial production in the period of the second seven-year plan (1978-1984) showed an annual growth of 12.2 percent.
The successful implementation of the WPK's policy on intellectualizing all members of society led to the appearance of hundreds of thousands of intellectuals and brought about a radical change in the people's cultural and moral life. The WPK clarified principled issues and ways to further develop the movement through various meetings including the meeting of the three revolution team members held in 1984 and the meeting of the frontrankers in the Three-Revolution Red Flag Movement in 1986. The WPK has brought a new peak to the socialist construction by ensuring that the movement was conducted in close combination with various mass movements including drives to create the "Speed of the 80s" and the "Speed of the 90s". at least 10,000 units have won the Three-Revolution Red Flag.
Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- A national symposium was held at the People's Palace of Culture here on Friday to mark the 40th anniversary of the start of General Secretary Kim Jong Il's revolutionary activities at Kim Il Sung University. Kim Jong Il conducted his revolutionary activities at the university from September 1, 1960 and performed enduring feats for the accomplishment of the revolutionary cause of Juche.
Attending the symposium were secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea Central Committee Choe Thae Bok, vice-president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Yang Hyong Sop, vice-premier Jo Chang Dok, officials concerned and officials of party, military and power bodies, scientific, educational, cultural and art and press organs, revolutionary site and relics curators, officials of party cadre-training institutions and the youth league, and teachers and researchers of the university. Speeches were made by chief secretary of the University Party Committee Pak Ryong Mun, president of the Academy of Social Sciences Thae Hyong Chol, first deputy director of Kim Il Sung Higher Party School Ri Chang Hwa and others.
The speakers described Kim Jong Il's activities at the university as a historic event of weighty significance in carrying forward to completion the revolutionary cause of Juche. They referred to the ideological and theoretical activities he energetically conducted, firmly determined to more deeply grasp the revolutionary idea of the great leader President Kim Il Sung and prepare himself to assume the responsibility for the Korean revolution during his worthwhile days at the university. Meanwhile, a national seminar of students was held on August 24 and 25 to commemorate this anniversary. Hundreds of students made public their papers at the seminar divided into ten odd sections such as the economics, history, philosophy, mathematics, physics and chemistry.
Pyongyang, August 25 (KCNA) -- Today marks the 70th death anniversary of Kim Hyok, a communist revolutionary fighter of Korea. Kim Hyok was a young man with a strong sense of justice and ardent desire for learning, but had to experience a miserable fate as an intellectual of a colony.
It was not until the summer of Juche 16 (1927) when he went under the leadership of the President Kim Il Sung that he could turn over a new leaf in his life to find himself worth living. He became a member of the "down-with-imperialism union" and played a pivotal role at the Anti-imperialist Youth League and the Young Communist League of Korea. A member of the first party organization, he worked as chief editor of Bolshevik, a revolutionary publication, and a commanding officer of the Korean Revolutionary Army.
He energetically conducted propaganda about the greatness of Kim Il Sung among the people of broad segments including youth and students in rural areas. A revolutionary poet with burning passion, he created the revolutionary hymn "Star of Korea" carrying the ardent wish of all the fellow countrymen. This song was the first hymn dedicated by the Korean people to their leader. It was a great revolutionary song heralding a new history of the Korean revolution in which Kim Il Sung was acclaimed as its leader and the leader and the masses were united as one in mind. While carrying out the task assigned to him by President Kim Il Sung, he encountered with the enemy who surprised him at a secret rendezvous in Harbin. Having exchanged fire with the enemy, he jumped from the third floor of the building, resolved to die for the President's safety. A national memorial service for him was held at the People's Palace of Culture today to commemorate his 70th death anniversary.
Kim Il Chol, Minister of the People's Armed Forces, said in his memorial address:
The noble revolutionary life of Kim Hyok, a communist of younger generation, is a brilliant model for all of us, which tells how a revolutionary soldier of Juche type should safeguard his leader and live and fight for the country and revolution. All the servicemen and working people including the party members should vigorously travel a new long journey of the revolution, actively learning from the steadfast revolutionary outlook on the leader and the total dedication to the revolution Kim Hyok, Cha Kwang Su and other fighters of the first generation of the Korean revolution had. Present at the memorial service were Hong Song Nam and other senior party and state officials. Pyongyang-based newspapers today dedicate articles to this anniversary.
Pyongyang, August 24 (KCNA) -- The Worker's Party of Korea (WPK) has wisely led the work to steadily develop the system of free and compulsory education at each new stage where the revolution and construction made progress and the economic foundation of the country grew strong.
The WPK saw to it that universal compulsory primary education was enforced at state expense in August Juche 45 (1956), to be followed by universal compulsory secondary education in Juche 47 (1958) and universal compulsory 9-year technical education in Juche 56 (1967). In the 1970s, the WPK dynamically pushed ahead with the work to introduce universal compulsory 11-year education. This was free education system like the preceding systems. The WPK put forward tasks to enforce the compulsory 11-year education at a meeting of the secretariat of its central committee held in September Juche 59 (1970) and other meetings. Then it proposed to move down the school age by one year for introducing 11-year compulsory schooling. It ensured that education was conducted on an experiment basis at classes made up of six-year-old children at over 40 schools in urban and rural areas, plain and mountainous for two years from October Juche 59 (1970).
On this basis, the law "on introduction of universal ten-year compulsory education and one-year compulsory preschool education" was promulgated at the second session of the DPRK fifth Supreme People's Assembly in April Juche 62 (1973). Brisk preparations for the introduction of the compulsory 11-year education were made under the care of the whole party and the country. As a result, the number of primary schools reached 4,700 and that of senior middle schools 4,100 and the number of teachers over 200,000 in Juche 64 (1975). The WPK took measures to set up branch schools in the mountainous villages, at mines and forestry workers' villages and operate commuter trains and buses. The universal compulsory 11-year education was thus introduced across the country from Sept. 1, Juche 64 (1975). This education system has brought about a signal advance in consolidating and developing the socialist education system and carrying out the cultural revolution in Korea.
Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- The site of the Ryongthong Temple, a Buddhist temple of the Koryo dynasty which existed between 918 and 1392 as the first unified Korean state, has recently been discovered in Ryonghungdong, Kaesong, in the middle of Korea. From its outset, Koryo set Buddhism as its state religion and started building temples on a large scale along with royal palaces. The Ryongthong Temple was one of the large temples built on a wide complex, surrounded by many buildings including the main shrine and stone structures. The temple had fame for Ui Chon, scholar and monk of the 11th century, lived and was buried there. Ui Chon (1055-1101) was the fourth son of Mun Jong, the 11th king of Koryo. Although he was a prince, he entered priesthood when he was ten years old. He was always concerned about the socio-economic affairs of the country and wrote many books, including those which advocated the need to introduce metallic currency and literary works contributing greatly to the development of the socio-economy and culture at the time. Later, the temple was burnt by foreign invaders.
The excavation revealed that there remained the site of the tomb of Ui Chon with gravestone, a five-storied stone pagoda and two three-storied pagodas, a stone post and the area of monks' tombs.
Archaeologists from the Academy of Social Sciences carried out an overall excavation of the tomb of Ui Chon, eastern and western sections of the temple and the area of the monks' tombs.
According to the investigation, the site of the temple consists mainly of the entrance, building sites, the tomb of Ui Chon and the area of monks' tombs, covering an area of 40,000 square metres.
Relics were also discovered, including a small pagoda, the hair model of a Buddhist statue, an iron Buddhist image, the head of a stone Buddhist image, various kinds of beads, roof tile, Koryo celadon and metalwork. The excavation of the temple serves as a source of knowledge about Buddhist culture which thrived in the Koryo period.
Pyongyang, August 22 (KCNA) -- Kanggye, a northern inland city of Korea, has a time-honored remain--Kanggye government office from the Ri dynasty (1392-1910). Formerly the office cum residence of the Kanggye deputy magistrate (doubling as local garrison commander), it was a courtyard home of many buildings but now only three remain--east house, inner house and hexagonal arbor. The east house, where the deputy magistrate carried out official duties, runs 21.8 metres long and 9.8 wide and has a floorage of 213 square metres. It is supported all around by two rows of 40 columns with a corridor in between. The inner-row columns are linked by screens, the partitions that could be moved up to a height for a larger space. The corridor is flanked by a backed railing. The columns are very thick for their height and carved with lotus patterns, and those at the four corners have tops shaped like a dragon's head in an imposing yet beautiful scene. The east house was built in 1663 but later burnt down, and rebuilt in 1888. The inner house, the residence of the deputy magistrate, is 20.05 metres long and 4.6 wide and has columns with a double bracketing system. The hexagonal arbor was an archery ground for the soldiers defending the northwestern areas. This unit was severely damaged during the Korean War (1950-1953) but has since been restored to state.
Matsuura Koichiro, director general of UNESCO, and his party were also present there. Speeches were made at the ceremony. Its participants looked round photos of Koguryo murals whose colors remain unfading even after the lapse of more than a thousand years and which are distinct and beautiful in drawing techniques and unique in their themes and well composed to match walls.
Pyongyang, August 20 (KCNA) -- Senior party and state officials and working people yesterday laid wreaths before the grave of Kim Po Hyon, grandfather of the President Kim Il Sung and an ardent patriot, in Mangyongdae on the occasion of his 129th birth anniversary. Seen at the grave was a wreath sent by General Secretary Kim Jong Il. Present at the wreath-laying ceremony were Choe Yong Rim, Kim Jung Rin and others. Laid before the grave were wreaths with bouquets in the name of the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of Korea, ministries, national institutions, educational and press organs, party and power bodies and farms in the city of Pyongyang. The participants paid a silent tribute to Kim Po Hyon, recalling his noble life.
По материалам русской службы
"Радио Пхеньян" (in Russian)
В начале февраля 1995 года великий
Руководитель Ким Чен Ир посетил один из
строительных участков, где работали воины
Народной Армии. Дорога до строительного
участка была довольно плохая, поэтому
машина, в которой ехал Ким Чен Ир, тряслась.
Однако он смеялся от души и говорил, что
едет будто на лихом коне. На том месте,
откуда, как на ладони, веден весь участок, он
остановил машину и стал наблюдать за
работой воинов.
Стояла холодная погода. Но солдаты, сняв
верхнюю форму, работали в рубашках.
Действительно, было чем полюбоваться.
Солдаты поднимали на крышу кирпич. Как
хлопнет руками солдат, сидящий на самом
краю крыши, снизу бросают вверх кирпич, а
сидящий на крыше спокойно ловит кирпич в
полете и аккуратно складывает. Они просто
напоминали жонглеров.
Глядя на них, Ким Чен Ир был очень доволен и
сказал: "Молодцы наши воины". Затем он
говорил сопровождающим: "При виде солдат,
работающих в поте, сняв верхнюю одежду даже
в такую холодную погоду, чувствуешь прилив
сил. Мы должны учиться у воинов такой боевой
воле и энергичности. Воины - они и работают и
воюют. Они, в буквальном смысле слова,
сокровище страны. Поэтому всем нам следует
горячо любить преданных партии и вождю
наших воинов и хорошо помогать им. Наша
страна - неприступная крепость, покуда на
страже Родины стоит такой железный отряд,
готовый сражаться один на сто. Глядя на них
еще больше чувствуешь прилив новых сил и
веру в победу," - настоятельно говорил он.
Чуть позже был такой случай: один из солдат
особенно быстро гонял тачку с цементом.
Вдруг колесо тачки как-то налетело на
камень, тачка свалилась на бок. Солдат
рассердился, нашел тот камень, взял его в
руку, подкинул и в воздухе разбил кулаком
вдребезги. Глядя на это зрелище великий
полководец Ким Чен Ир говорил: "Ничего
себе кулак у него. С таким кулаком нечего
бояться любого врага." Это было как есть
чувство родного отца, который очень доволен
игрой своего дитяти. В тот день Полководец
был очень доволен и сказал: "Каждый раз,
когда встают
трудные задачи, я поручаю их Народной Армии.
Наши воины всегда с честью выполняют задачи,
идя в огонь и в воду. На свете много стран и
много армий, но нет такой армии, кроме нашей,
так преданной партии. Наша партия, имеющая
такую армию, вполне счастлива и славна и она
является достойной и нерушимой армией."
Благодаря такой безграничной любви и
доверию великого Ким Чен Ира к нашим воинам,
они стали всемогущими - создают все, чего
нет. Вот такой революционный дух опоры на
собственные силы открывает на этой земле
новый мир - мир обогащения и процветания.
Действительно, на всей Земле нет такой силы,
которая смогла бы одолеть несокрушимое
могущество Корейской Народной Армии.
Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary dismisses the Japanese
imperialists' past aggression of Asia as a never-to-be-pardoned crime which no
one can deny. Their description of the aggression as a "liberation
war" and an act which instilled "dream" of independence into the
peoples is an outright challenge to the international justice and human
conscience, the commentary notes, and goes on:
The world calls for fully redeeming aggression and other war crimes committed in
the present century before greeting a new century. However, Japanese
reactionaries are totally negating their history of aggression instead of
swimming with the trend of the times and behaving, as guided by human
conscience.
What is more serious is that they intend to awaken the younger generation to war of aggression and hurl them into overseas aggression. The Japanese ultra-right reactionaries' farce of editing the twisted history book can never be pardoned as it is a revelation of their ambition for aggression. Negation of history leads to national ruin. If the Japanese reactionaries negate their history of aggression and embark upon overseas invasion again, they will meet only self-destruction.
The KPRA, firmly convinced of the victory in the revolution, fought many battles and defeated the Japanese despite hardships and difficulties as it got no support from a regular army nor the backing of the state. The President advanced correct strategic and tactical policies at every stage throughout the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle, set forth new tactical principles and methods of guerrilla warfare and steadily developed and enriched them. He always stood at the head of the fighters and personally commanded all operations and battles with superb tactics.
In the first half of the 1940s he made historic speech "on preparing for the great event of national liberation," set forth new fighting guidelines to successfully fulfil strategic tasks and wisely led the struggle to implement them. As the great event of national liberation drew near, he pushed ahead with preparations for all-people resistance against Japanese. On August 9, Juche 34 (1945) the President issued an order to all the units of the KPRA to launch a final attack for national liberation.
The KPRA units broke through fortresses on the borderline which the Japanese imperialists advertised as "impregnable defence lines," liberating vast areas of the homeland. They were joined by small units and political operatives of the revolutionary army and people's armed contingents and broad masses of people across the country who stormed into ruling machines of the enemy and wiped out remnants of the defeated army.
The Japanese imperialists, badly beaten by fierce attacks of the KPRA units and all-people resistance, declared an unconditional surrender on August 15, Juche 34 (1945), one week after the start of the anti-Japanese operation to liberate Korea. The Korean people were thus finally liberated from the Japanese who kept Korea under their military occupation for nearly half a century. The victory in the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle saved the Korean people from the crisis of life or death, brought them the sovereignty of the nation and independence of the country and enabled the popular masses to emerge as masters of new Korea.
In this course Koguryo emerged as a powerful state in the east with developed economy, political system, brilliant culture and strong military power. Koguryo, which existed for nearly a thousand years until 668 A.D. covered a vast area of northeast Asia including the Korean peninsula. It played a main role in the development of the Korean history in the period of the three kingdoms (Koguryo, Paekje and Silla) and externally demonstrated the resourcefulness of the nation and the power of the country. The economy and military power of Koguryo grew stronger after it moved its capital to Pyongyang (area around Mt. Taesong today), the sacred place of father Tangun of the Korean nation, in 427.
As Koguryo inherited the metal processing technique from Kojoson (ancient Korea), the skill of making iron farm implements, iron weapons, metal tools, etc, was highly developed from its early days. This was greatly instrumental in strengthening the feudal state. "Silk route," which takes an important place in the development of human civilization, was also explored by the people of Koguryo and its cradle was Pyongyang at the River Taedong basin. They used this route to export silk, Insam, leather and other specialties to different countries.
Koguryo had developed national culture. It is evidenced by mural tombs where mural paintings distinct in color and vivid in depiction are well preserved still today. Typical of them are the mural tomb in Anak county, south hwanghae province, and a huge one in Kangso district, nampho. As seen above, the Korean people have been resourceful and intelligent and have entertained ardent patriotism and strong will since olden times.
In the part "instructions on drill ground" of the book he writes about the procedures of soldiers' entry into the drill ground, the method of forming columns, the order of action according to various signals, the position to be occupied by soldiers the moment the enemy appears and order of firing, battle of pursuing fleeing enemy, the order to be observed by units when camping and the method of estimating drill results. The part "training" of the book deals with methods of drilling by lowest units at military barracks such as formation of columns of soldiers when using swords and spears, methods of taking positions and the orders of sending signals and firing at the attacking enemy. The "instructions on night drill" elaborate on the institution of countersign and the method of ambushing, patrolling and fighting night battle. The "instructions on battle at fort" deal with methods of fighting inside a fort. In the "instructions on naval battle" the author writes about the order for seamen to get aboard a ship and the methods of fighting enemy ships.
The second volume of the book gives picture-accompanied explanation of war methods dealt with in the drill pictorial book at that time. Among over 100 pictures there are significant historical materials including pictures showing instructions on fighting at the Namhan Hill fort and the formation of combat ranks. This "book" is preserved well as the nation's precious heritage.
Kang Pan Sok was possessed of noble trait and ardent anti-Japanese patriotic spirit from her girlhood. She became an indomitable revolutionary fighter in the course of assisting Kim Hyong Jik, an outstanding leader of the anti-Japanese national-liberation movement in Korea, and the President Kim Il Sung in their revolutionary causes. She formed the Anti-Japanese Women's Association, the first communist women's political organization in Korea, in Juche 15 (1926) thanks to the guidance and the assistance of the President.
The association was a mass political organization involving women from all walks of life. Kang Pan Sok carried out in a responsible manner the important tasks of such revolutionary organizations as the Saenal Children's Union and the anti-imperialist youth league founded by the President and actively helped him in his preparations for the anti-Japanese armed struggle. She was, indeed, an outstanding leader of the Korean women's movement who devoted herself to the liberation of the country and the women's emancipation and wife of a true revolutionary and the mother of a great revolutionary.
A great vitality of the work lies in that the Worker's Party of Korea has developed to be a revolutionary party of Juche type that fully embodies the idea and intention of General Secretary Kim Il Sung. Elucidated in the work are theoretical and practical problems which should be settled to strengthen and develop the party into a party of the leader including the issue of training all the officials and party members into elite revolutionaries boundlessly faithful to Kim Il Sung and conducting the party building and activities based on his ideas, theories and methods, etc. The WPK took on fresh new looks as a result of the successful embodiment of these ideas and theories. All the activities of the WPK are organized and conducted exactly as President Kim Il Sung intended and did in his lifetime. The validity and vitality of this work also lie in that the political and ideological unity and cohesion of the WPK have grown stronger than ever before.
Kim Jong Il in his work set forth specific tasks to ensure the purity of the party ranks and strengthen and develop the WPK into an invincible, united and revolutionary one and ways for their fulfilment. The "arduous march" and forced march represented a proud course which demonstrated the unbreakable unity and cohesion of the WPK. The validity and vitality of the work has been also proved by the fact that the anti-Japanese guerrilla style of work has been fully introduced to the whole party to bring in a fresh turn in the method of party work. The article calls for exerting great efforts on firmly building up the ranks of the party and revolution and increasing its militancy under the uplifted banner of modelling the whole party on the Juche idea.
Referring to facts about Japan's participation in the Korean War, the commentary notes: It is indisputable that Japan was involved in the Korean War as an aggressor and murderer. Japan pretends ignorance of this fact though 47 years have passed since the end of the Korean War. This is nothing but an impudent intention neither to apologize nor compensate for the crimes committed against the Korean people. The Korean people will certainly force Japan to pay dearly for the blood shed by them.
The Korean people's intense fidelity to the party and the leader is based on absolute worship of Kim Jong Il. His outstanding personality as a great man -- extraordinary in thinking and leadership art and rare in virtue -- is a basic factor of inspiring the Korean people to cherish intense loyalty to him. Absolute worship of the leader serves as a main source of the Korean people's strong faith based on their trust in their leader and veneration for him and as a key factor of encouraging the people to display the spirit of devotedly safeguarding the leader. It also serves as a source of inexhaustible strength with which the Korean people struggle through thick and thin to implement plans and intentions of the leader. It is a proud tradition of the Korean people to remain intensely loyal to the party and the leader, cherishing absolute worship of the leader, the article concludes.
He also participated in the 85th inter-parliamentary conference and other international meetings where he made speeches such as "for a free and peaceful new world" and "preventing war and preserving peace are the burning tasks of mankind" to elucidate principled problems in accomplishing the human cause of independence. Answering the questions raised by the Washington Times, the Japanese politico-theoretical magazine Sekai, the French newspaper Le Monde and many other foreign media, the President gave scientific answers to the problems arising in building a new independent world free from war and aggression. The President covered over 522,440 km to visit the former Soviet Union, China, Indonesia, Yugoslavia, Vietnam, Algeria and other countries and thus left ineffaceable marks to shine long in history.
This association was an anti-Japanese underground revolutionary organization which was transparent in anti-imperialist stand and national independent stand and biggest in its scale and activity scope in Korea. After its inauguration, he developed the national liberation movement in Korea to a new stage of development by putting forward the idea that people should have the spirit of national independence, enlarging as well as expand strengthen organisation and a policy that they should wipe out the armed enemy with arms and performing the immortal exploits in the struggle for this. Indeed, his life was the brilliant one of an ardent patriot who devoted his all to the independence of the country and the prosperity of all generations to come.
Therefore, his revolutionary exploits will shine for all ages. His statues are standing in Kangdong county, Pyongyang, Sakju county, North Phyongan Province, Junggang county, Jagang Province, and other places associated with his immortal revolutionary exploits. And his revolutionary museums and monuments were built in different places and his relics are preserved. Several units and schools have been named after him. Among them are Kim Hyong Jik University of Education, Kim Hyong Jik People's Hospital and Kim Hyong Jik county. Feature films, including "The Green Pine Tree," "Dawn" and "The Untrodden Path," showing his revolutionary life and struggle were created.
As a gateway opening out to the northwest of the walled city of Pyongyang, the Pothong gate was of great importance throughout the periods of the Koguryo, Koryo and Li dynasties because it occupied a vital situation both from the standpoint of national defence and of day-to-day traffic. In 1592 when the Imjin patriotic war was fought the Korean people and soldiers dashed in through the gate and dealt a crushing blow to the enemy troops, liberating the walled city. Solid and elegant in its architectural style, the gate adds to the scenic beauty of its surrounding areas. From olden times the gate has been called a gate to send off guests and prized by the people as one of the eight famous sights of Pyongyang. The ancient Pothong gate is in good shape thanks to the nation's policy to preserve the cultural relics.
Александр Брежнев
ШЕСТВИЕ ЧХОЛЛИМА
(in Russian)
Армия всегда и везде была одним из главных институтов государства. Служить, защищать и помогать своему народу — это написано, наверное, на знаменах всех святых воинств и дружин. Разложение армии, ее моральная деградация, снижение ее общественно-политического статуса всегда приводили к разложению и порабощению всего народа, к крушению государства. Что будет, если наоборот, — укрепить позиции военных и военно-промышленного комплекса в стране, если сделать военных авангардом общественного движения? Ответом на этот вопрос может послужить опыт последних лет в Северной Корее — стране, зажатой между сильными и злобными врагами, оставшейся в изоляции после крушения мировой социалистической системы...
Pyongyang, June 5 (KCNA) -- There was a Pochonbo battle on June 4, 1937, 60 years ago recorded in the history of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle. On this day working people and school youth and children are visiting here. The Japanese aggressors occupied Korea militarily and strengthened their fascist suppression of the Korean people in the middle of the 1930s, while viciously scheming to stamp out everything national of Korea, saying "Korea and Japan are one community" and "the Japanese and the Korean are of the same ancestry"...
Леонид Петров (in Russian)
В настоящее время, официальная историография Корейской Народно-Демократической Республики лишь отдалённо напоминает ту научную традицию, которая была основана на принципах марксистского исторического материализма и считалась ортодоксальной для всех стран бывшего социалистического лагеря. По своей сути, изучение истории в КНДР уже давно превратилось из научной дисциплины в целенаправленное собирание и упорядочение мифов политически полезных для передаваемого по наследству руководства страны. Естественно, что подобное занятие основано скорее на идеалистичеком понимании устройства мира нежели чем на материалистических принципах классовой борьбы и экономической целесообразности. Пропагандируемые в современных учебниках истории и научных журналах легенды о праотце Кореи - Тангуне (сыне медведицы и небесного божества), чудесной тройной радуге, регулярно возникающей над тем местом где якобы родился нынешний руководитель государства Ким Чен-ир, равно как и многие другие фантастические сюжеты говорят о том, что связь с марксистской материалистической традицией изучения истории в Северной Корее оказалась утеряна. Вопрос лишь в том, когда и по какой причине?...
Having independent idea and consciousness reflecting this desire, man conducts independent activities to dominate the world. Independence is the most essential and fundamental attribute of social man. Creativity is an attribute of social man who transforms the world and shapes his destiny purposefully and consciously. This attribute means man's capacity to cognize and transform the world not inherent in living things in general. By virtue of his creative consciousness and transformation capacities, man transforms nature and society to be more beneficial to him. Consciousness is an attribute of social man which determines all his endeavors to understand and reshape the world and himself. The attribute means character of man who understands the world and transforms it, guided by his idea and consciousness. This guarantees all independent and creative activities of man.
The Juche philosophy clarifies that independence, creativity and consciousness are closely linked with each other and they are attributes which find a common expression in activities of man. Man has such attributes as people are social beings who form a social collective and live and work in social relationship. The Juche philosophy thus defined the essential qualities of man as a social being with independence, creativity and consciousness. It is an ideological, theoretical and methodological cornerstone of the man-centred philosophical outlook on the world.
Another dagger from Raknang district is still bigger, 27.6 cm long and 3.5 cm wide with no groove or joint and a flat vertebral column. Still another dagger from Samsong-ri in Junghwa county is 25.5 cm long and 2.7 cm wide, with both edges holding grooves from the middle to the hilt and with symmetrical joints on the vertebral column that reaches the hilt. A spearhead 18.9 cm by 3.5 cm was collected in the fields of the sixth work-team at Ryongchon-ri, Hwangju county, North Hwanghae Province. It is shorter and narrower than average. Another spearhead was found together with a three-foot bronze kettle from a wooden coffin tomb at Sungri-dong no. 1, Raknang district, Pyongyang. It is a bit longer, the lengthy edge similar to a narrow bronze dagger.
The artifacts are not only effective weapons but also delicate metalwork with artistic executions of the softly curved bodies, sharp edges and smooth grooves. In past years, Pyongyang and North Hwanghae Province revealed many remains and relics such as dolmens, stone-coffin tombs, house sites, Pipha (flute)-shape daggers and spearheads belonging to the early period of Kojoson and narrow bronze daggers and spearheads from the late period of Kojoson.
The President Kim Il Sung drew up the ten-point program, rules and the inaugural declaration for the association in breaks during endless arduous marches and hard-fought battles. The program called for mobilizing the entire Korean nation to overthrow the Japanese and establish a genuine people's government, organizing a revolutionary army and enforcing democratic policies such as the nationalization of industries, the agrarian reform, the eight-hour day for the workers, the equality between the sexes and the free compulsory education. The declaration called on all the Korean people to unite close and turn out in a sacred war for the liberation of the country from the colonial rule of the Japanese imperialists. The President called a meeting to found the ARF in May Juche 25 (1936) at which he announced its birth. Its participants elected Kim Il Sung chairman of the ARF, representing the unanimous will of the Korean people. The meeting decided to publish the Samil Wolgan (March 1st) as the organ of the ARF. The birth of the association gave a new origin to the national unity as it put the demands and interests of the nation, not specified class and section, above anything else.