The history of development of the national embroidery in Korea is associated with the immortal efforts made by Kim Jong Suk, an anti-Japanese heroine.
In the period of anti-Japanese armed struggle, Kim Jong Suk embroidered at odd hours devoting her passion, heart and soul out of desire to give pleasure to the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung and implanting ardent love for the country and the revolutionary enthusiasm in the hearts of comrades.
For instance, in early October 1943, Kim Jong Suk asked the opinions of the woman soldiers about a s
In the drawing were the mysterious rocks and cliffs on Mt. Kumgang, a thick pine tree, maple tree, a crane, a deer, pheasant, golden filed and fruit field. At the bottom of the drawing were the letters “Longing for Motherland 1943.”
Everybody asked who has drawn it. Kim Jong Suk said she had drawn it for embroidery.
Immediately after getting the unanimous approval from the woman soldiers, she made best use of the spare time to make embroidery on white cotton cloth, while participating in training and daily routine. In over 20 days, she completed her work and showed it to Kim Il Sung.
Looking at the embroidery, he said that this embroidery reminding of the beautiful motherland gives strong hatred for the Japanese imperialists, adding that this embroidery would contribute to the education of the soldiers in patriotism.
In the period of building a new society after the liberation, Kim Jong Suk performed an immortal feat in the development of national embroidery true to the great leader’s high intention.
First of all, she directed deep attention to establishing a base for creating and studying embroidery in order to bring about a new development in national embroidery.
On April 10, 1946, she met an official in the “Cultural Costumer’s Shop” to ask him to train the women embroiderer systematically, adding that the embroidery is a good study giving delicacy and purity and serves as a noble and excellent artistic work.
Under her guidance, capable embroiderers’ group was formed in a short span of time to conduct energetic creation of embroidery.
On this basis, Kim Jong Suk who resolved to organize a national embroidery institute, directed primary efforts to developing the embroidery institute which had been affiliated to the “Cultural Costumer’s Shop” into a central embroidery institute.
The central embroidery institute was founded on February 1, 1948 thanks to Kim Jong Suk’s energetic leadership.
Next, Kim Jong Suk directed her efforts to encouraging the embroiderers to follow the fighting spirit and habit of the anti-Japanese forerunners in order to bring about a new development of national embroidery.
One day, she saw a woman embroidering a morning glory on a landscape. She said to her that it would be more meaningful to embroider the azaleas in the country bursting into full bloom with the spring of a new Korea founded by Kim Il Sung, adding that the woman guerrillas embroidered different things including the “Azaleas of My Motherland” in the period of anti-Japanese armed struggle.
One day in 1948, telling the embroiderers the stories of the anti-Japanese armed struggle, she earnestly encouraged them to embroider well.
Listening to Kim Jong Suk’s scrupulous instruction, they resolved to create excellent embroidery works to make a contribution to the building of a new country as the woman guerrillas of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army did in the days of anti-Japanese war deciding life-and-death.
Next, Kim Jong Suk concentrated on creating revolutionary embroidery works in order to bring about a new development of national embroidery.
For this, she paid primary attention to the creation of the embroidery works carrying the picture of the leader.
She frequently met the embroiderers to implant the greatness of the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung in their hearts and taught them to devote highest politeness and sincerity to the embroidery work depicting the leader out of the earnest desire of the people.
She came to the creation centre after hearing that the embroidery work depicting the great leader’s image was completed. She examined and highly appreciated the work and initiated to offer the work as a gift to Kim Il Sung on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the liberation of country.
The origin of creating embroidery depicting the leader could be opened up for the first time in the history of embroidery in Korea thanks to the energetic activity of Kim Jong Suk, and the national embroidery in Korea could be put on a new development stage of creating the revolutionary embroidery.
For the creation of the revolutionary embroidery works, Kim Jong Suk directed her efforts to incorporating the high intention of the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung in the embroidery works.
It happened when a pennant to be sent to the site of the Pothong River improvement work.
The embroiderers requested Kim Jong Suk to lend a helping hand after their repeated discussion for the design of the pennant.
She said to them that the great leader’s lofty plan of gigantic nature-remaking should be reflected in the pennant. She personally drew the design saying that it would be good to embroider Moran Hill in Pyongyang and the Taedong River meandering below it and the freshly changed Pothong River, unfold a field with swaying golden ears of grain below them and decorate it with a laurel tree below it.
And she stressed that the pennant should be not a simple rotating one for competition but a powerful banner letting the people know the great leader’s lofty intention and inspiring them to the campaign for implementing it.
Kim Jong Suk personally embroidered to set an example for the creation of the revolutionary embroidery works.
A silk quilt on which she personally embroidered the flowers for the great leader proves such fact.
In autumn in 1948, she drew pictures on several s
After making full preparation for embroidering, she poured out her soul to complete the embroidering in 2 months which would take over 3 months on normal basis and laid the quilt on the great leader’s bed.
The quilt personal embroidered by Kim Jong Suk was a manifestation of a guard’s loyalty to the great leader and an extraordinary artistic nature of Kim Jong Suk.
Like this, Kim Jong Suk performed an immortal feat in the development of national embroidery through her energetic activities while setting practical example of creating revolutionary embroidery true to the great leader Kim Il Sung’s lofty intention to develop the national embroidery in the periods of the most severe and difficult anti-Japanese armed struggle and the building of a new country after the liberation.
