All sectors and units should emulate the revolutionary soldier spirit.
The revolutionary soldier spirit is a fighting spirit that officials, Party members and other working people should all emulate, and a source of ideological and spiritual strength which will enable them to advance victoriously by overcoming today’s difficulties. If they give full play to this spirit there will be nothing for them to fear, whatever the difficulties and hardships that may crop up on the road ahead, and they will be able to develop the revolution and construction without letup. This is why I stress the importance of officials, Party members and other working people emulating the revolutionary soldier spirit.
The Korean People’s Army, formed of the sons and daug
initiative in the confrontation with the enemy, while defending the sovereignty of the country and the interests of the people.
Looking back on the historical course of our revolution, we see that the army has always played an important role. Most other countries founded the party first and then the army. This was the case with the Soviet Union. But President Kim Il Sung, with a scientific insight into the requirements of our developing revolution, founded the revolutionary army first, liberated the country by driving out the Japanese imperialist aggressors by force of arms, and then founded the Party. Because of this, the urgent requirements of our developing revolution could be fully addressed and the Party could be founded in a short period of time as a party with solid ideological and organizational foundations and a mass basis, and developed into a political and leading force of the revolution.
That the history of our people’s revolutionary struggle is unique, in that the army was founded first and the revolution and construction have developed based on it and in that complete independence has been maintained in the whole course of army building and revolutionary struggle, is being demonstrated with the help of concrete examples, even in the foreign media.
In the days of harsh trials, like those we are experiencing today, it is only when the army is strong and the revolutionary soldier spirit displayed in the army is emulated, that we can defend the dignity of the country and the socialist system against the schemes of the enemy to isolate and stifle us, and can we advance the revolution and construction true to President Kim Il Sung’s wish. However, a number of officials are only paying lip service to emulating the revolutionary soldier spirit, while failing to conduct effective organizational work for applying it.
There are no separate, special occasions for emulating the revolutionary soldier spirit. One can learn from the ideological and spiritual world that is evident in the practical struggle and life of the soldiers, and then apply it in one’s work and life; that is all. We should see to it that officials and working people learn from the revolutionary soldier spirit while witnessing the struggle of the soldiers who are working at the construction site of the Anbyon Youth Power Station and on other back-breaking and labour-consuming projects, or while enjoying artistic performances staged by soldiers. Every item in the programme of the Itinerant Youth Art Squad of the Korean People’s Army and the art squads of individual army units vibrates with the revolutionary soldier spirit and is high in ideological quality, moving audiences and inspiring them to heroic feats. The artistic performances staged by soldiers should be shown to officials and working people so that they can learn from the revolutionary soldier spirit.
Workers in the munitions industry should be encouraged to stand in the vanguard of the effort to emulate the revolutionary soldier spirit.
The Party’s information and motivational work should be done in conformity with the actual situation. Today’s period of the “Arduous March” is different from previous eras, so the content and methods of doing information and motivational work should be changed. If this work is conducted by telling people that they should overcome difficulties, as it was in the past, it cannot resonate in their hearts. Today’s situation is different from what it was in the 1960s and 1970s. Information and motivational work should be done as it was done on the battleline, as required by the actual situation and circumstances.
It is necessary to inform people of the historical course our revolution has travelled. The external environment for our revolution in the 1960s and 1970s was quite different from what it is now. In those days there existed a number of socialist countries, and several countries helped us to a considerable extent. Economic transactions between the socialist countries were conducted in a socialist manner, so everything was favourable for us.
The present external environment for our revolution is totally different from what it was in those days. Since the socialist market has imploded, we must buy everything in foreign currency. Without foreign currency, we cannot buy even one kilogramme of oil or cotton. To make matters worse, our country has experienced unprecedented natural calamities for the past t
We should give Party members and other working people a good understanding of the historical course of our revolution, so that they can overcome the difficulties and hardships with an indomitable spirit and revolutionary optimism, breathing the same air as the Party.
The revolutionary soldier spirit springs from a revolutionary faith and will. In order to induce Party members and other working people to emulate the revolutionary soldier spirit, we should further intensify education in the revolutionary faith and will among them. Our present circumstances are strained, and may grow more strained in the future. However, we must never yield to the difficulties. The enemy claims that we might “collapse,” but they are deluding themselves. We must bring the “Arduous March” to a successful conclusion and make a continuous advance at all costs by holding high the red flag associated with President Kim Il Sung’s life.
If one is strong in faith and will, one is capable of overcoming every manner of difficulty and trial. The anti-Japanese guerrillas, though they had no support or backing from a state, overcame manifold difficulties and hardships, and liberated the country with a strong will, because they were convinced of the rig
The “Arduous March” we are conducting today can be called a war without gunshots, a war of wills. Only people who are strong in the revolutionary faith and will can be the victors in this war. We must make a breakthrough in this war at all costs with a strong will, and emerge victorious. We must be resolved to continue to wage the revolution to the last, even though difficulties of the sort the anti-Japanese guerrillas experienced may crop up, and we must equip Party members and other working people with this spirit.
We must bring the “Arduous March” to a successful conclusion this year by all means, and from next year raise the people’s standard of living. Ensuring that the people live well and in happiness is the highest principle guiding the activities of our Party. Officials must study ways of bringing the present “Arduous March” to a successful conclusion and make all the people, including the workers and farmers, live well and in happiness, and conduct corresponding political work. All officials should be well aware of the Party’s intentions, and bring about greater results in the performance of their revolutionary tasks by displaying a high sense of responsibility.
We should exert every effort to develop science and technology, and thus overtake and outstrip other countries in this regard. We should work miracles in raising our science and technology to the highest world standard. We should not be tight-fisted in developing science and technology. If anything is needed for developing computer technology, it must be presented for approval.
