Tapani Salonen,
Member,
Society for the Study of Juche Idea, Finland
President Kim Il Sung devoted his all life to his country and to the Korean people. The remarkable life of President Kim Il Sung is penetrated by the history of foreign relations of the country.
To those people who tend to falsify history and claim that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has only few international contacts, I would say that they get it wrong. They don’t know history. This year we, followers of the Juche idea, celebrate the 110th Birth Anniversary of the Great Leader. His wholelife are full of international cooperation and friendship with progressive nations and people.
Through the splendid life of President Kim Il Sung, I touch upon a period of history of foreign relations of the DPRK.
The first part is the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle and the building of a new society. The Great Leader President Kim Il Sung liberated Korea through the anti-Japanese armed struggle so as to contribute to the check of the Japanese imperialists’ aggression against continent and established the DPRK and laid a basis of international relations.
The second part is the Fatherland Liberation War (1950-1953) when the brave Korean people defeated and expelled the U.S. aggressors and intruders. The DPRK cemented close relations with the People’s Republic of China and the USSR. All progressive nations around the globe supported the DPRK in the decisive battle for its sovereignty and prosperous life.
After the victory in the Korean war, under the wise leadership of President Kim Il Sung the DPRK expanded friendly and intensive relations with a remarkable number of countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.
In the third part, trade and cultural exchange was numerous and wide in number of countries and economic output increased.
During his life, President Kim Il Sung made remarkable efforts for His nation begining in the anti-Japanese armed struggle and continuing until the moment when He passed away. For him foreign relations meant maintaining strong mutual relation and supporting friendly and progressive countries.
The fourth part consists of several journeys to foreign countries that President Kim Il Sung made during his magnificent life.
I will focus my study on the fourth part.
Several Journeys in 1975
In April of 1975 President Kim Il Sung made an official visit to China. During his visit the Great Leader President Kim Il Sung met Mao Ze-Dong and stressed a close cooperation between DPRK and Chinese peoples.
In May of 1975 President Kim Il Sung made an official visit to the Socialist Republic of Romania. During his visit, he met Nicolae Ceausescu, and an important Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation was signed between the DPRK and the Socialist Republic of Romania.
At the end of May of 1975 the Great Leader of the Korean people President Kim Il Sung made an official visit to the D.P.R of Algeria. During his visit the Great Leader President Kim Il Sung met H.H. President Houari Boumedienne.
In his speech President Kim Il Sung reminded that the DPRK and the DPR of Algeria were comrades-in-arm and the relations were based on a strong friendship and same values of solidarity.
In Algeria, President Kim Il Sung was promoted a Doctor (h.c) at the University of Alger in aim to faster cooperation in science and technology between the two countries.
In June of 1975 President Kim Il Sung made an official visit to the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. President Kim Il Sung met Comrade Todor Zhivkov.
President Kim Il Sung thanked Bulgarias for a cordial welcome ceremony, and reminded about streng
In June of 1975 President Kim Il Sung made an official visit to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and met President Comrade Josip Broz Tito. This was the first time when President Kim Il Sung visited Yugoslavia.
President Kim Il Sung underlined the importance of the traditions in anti-imperialist and anti-fascist armed struggle. President Kim Il Sung also reminded that the policy of non-alignment that Yugoslavia followed, was an example of sovereignty in foreign relations that was a key principle for the DPRK.
Journey to the USSR and Europe in May to July of 1984
In 1984 President Kim Il Sung made an official goodwill visit to the USSR, Polish People’s Republic, German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Hungarian People’s Republic, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bulgarian People’s Republic, and Romanian Socialist Republic.
During his trip through the Soviet Union President Kim Il Sung stopped in Moscow and met Comrade Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko, General Secretary of the Communist Party in the Kremlin.
President Kim Il Sung reminded that Korea and the Soviet Union, under the banner of Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism, the communists and the peoples of the two countries had long fought shoulder to shoulder against imperislist aggression and colonialist oppression and closely supported each other and cooperated for the victory of the cause of socialism and communism.
In the Polish People’s Republic President Kim Il Sung met with Comrade Wojciech Jaruzelski. President Kim Il Sung stated that the Korean friends were happy that through the current visit to Poland they were able to streng
The next official goodwill visit of President Kim Il Sung was to the German Democratic Republic. President Kim Il Sung met with Comrade Erich Honecker, Chairman of the State Council of the GDR. President Kim Il Sung said that geographically Korea and the GDR were far apart, but they knitted the ties of comradely friendship a long time ago and had closely cooperated each other since then.
From Germany President Kim Il Sung continued the official goodwill visit to the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic where he met with Comrade Gustav Husak, president of the Czechoslovakia.
President Kim Il Sung reminded that the visit of Comrade Gustav Husak to the DPRK in June of 1973 expressed mutual friendly feelings, deepened the comradeship and put up a new milestone in the development of the relations between the two countries.
Next stop on the long journey was an official goodwill visit to the Hungarian People’s Republic. At the meeting with Comrade Janos Kadar in Budapest, President Kim Il Sung reminded that he was impressed by the new face of Hungary under socialism. Brotherly friendship and solidarity between Korea and Hungary, continuously streng
In June 1984 President Kim Il Sung made an official goodwill visit to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He met with the president of Yugoslavia, Comrade Veselin Djuranovic. President Kim Il Sung visited Yugoslavia nine years earlier, and met Comrade Josip Broz Tito. President Kim Il Sung said that the non-aligned countries must unite closely and struggle with determination to destroy the outdated international economic order which is a product of colonialism and which is the level of imperialists’ exploitation and plunder, and to establish a new and fair international economic order.
In the mid of June of 1984 President Kim Il Sung made an official goodwill visit to the Bulgarian People’s Republic and met his old friend Comrade Todor Zhivkov.
In his speech at the banquet, President Kim Il Sung said that whenever he visited Bulgaria, he felt in his heart the unusual kindness and brotherly intimacy which Comrade Todor Zhivkov and the Bulgarian people showed him and his people. President Kim Il Sung said that there is a saying that even a thousand ri seems only a hailing distance to close friends.
After visiting Bulgaria, President Kim Il Sung made an official goodwill visit to the Romanian Socialist Republic. In his visit the Great Leader met with Comrade Nicolae Ceausescu. President Kim Il Sung targeted his speech to Comrade Nicolae Ceausescu when saying that the friendly relations between Korea and Romania were based on terms of close intimacy between Comrade Nicolae Ceausescu and him and on the deep fraternal feelings of the two peoples who were fighting in cooperation for the victory of the cause of peace, socialism and communism.
The immortal ac
