Published Since January 1, 1966         ... Pioneering Responsible Journalism

  Home  News  Opinions  Special Sections  Columns  Features  Interviews  Advert Rates  About Us  Contact Us

News

National News
International News
Sports
Politics
Business & Economy
Around Nigeria
Around Abuja
Around Lagos

Special Sections

Agriculture
A la Carte
Aviation
Banking & Finance
Echoes From The Dome
Education
Energy
Entrepreneur
Health & Medicine
Islam
Law
Maritime
Motoring
Property
Science & Nature
Special Reports
Women & Family

Opinions

Editorial
Letters/Issues
Opinions

Columns

Every Monday
Mind your grammar
Down to Earth
 
 
 
 
 

Perspective

Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Ideology-First Leadership

By __________________________________________________________

Kim Jong II the leader ‘of socialist Korea, is a resolute statesman who asserts that ideology decides everything ‘and attaches” importance to ideology. He is leading the country by dint of the ideology-first politics on the basis of his cherished opinion that ideology is essential in doing anything.

The leader Kim Jong II draws up strategies, tactics and lines with emphasis on ideology and carries them out by force of ideology:

His ideological and theoretical wisdom was displayed from long ago. After starting to work at the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea on June 19, 1964, he formulated the revolutionary idea of President Kim II Sung, the founder of the WPK, as an integrated system of the Juche-oriented idea, theory and method. Later he put forward the policy of modelling the whole society on the Juche idea and pushed’ ahead with the undertaking to carry it out. While it advanced under the slogan of “Let us meet the requirements of Juche in ideology, technology and culture!”, the whole society of Korea came to be imbued with the Juche idea, and the Korean people developed into a more independent, powerful revolutionary nation.

When Korea was at stake due to the imperialist forces’ anti-socialist offensive that was pointed at the country in the 1990s, Kim Jong II developed in depth the Songun idea President Kim II Sung had created in addition to the Juche idea, and armed the entire army and the people firmly with the idea. He then had the whole society imbued with the revolutionary soldier spirit that mainly contains the spirit of defending the national leader ‘at the cost of the life, the spirit of devotedly carrying out the orders of the Supreme Commander’ and the spirit of heroic self­sacrifice-all displayed among soldiers of the Korean People’s Army-and tided over the difficult situation by virtue of its ideological and spiritual might. During his ceaseless inspection of KP A units, he paid primary attention to further strengthening the army into the one of strong ideology and faith: Under his Songun politics whereby he pushed ahead with the socialist cause as a whole with the ‘army as the pillar of the country and the driving force of the revolution, Korea’s overall national” power based on the military potential’ grew remarkably and the sovereignty of the country, the dignity of the nation and its socialism were firmly defended.

The leader Kim Jong II strengthens in every way the political force of the country by consolidating the single-hearted unity of the army and the people based on the Juche idea and the Songun idea.

Having set the single-hearted unity as the mainstay of the revolution in the early age of his career he put great effort .in closely uniting the entire army and the people ideologically and volitionally on the basis of the, Juche idea and the Songun idea. Regarding; the unity of the Party and the army as the precondition for strengthening the main force of the, revolution, he had the Party’s leadership system established in the army. At the same time, he maintained the unity of the army and the people in ideology and way of struggle based on the revolutionary soldier spirit as the essence of the army-people unity and energetically led the work to translate it into reality, thus making sure that the spirit of the army and the people supporting each other was fully displayed across the country. Consequently the Korean society has now strengthened into a solid socio-political organism, one community united by the common destiny, based on the firm unity of all the army and the people as one. This single-hearted unity which is stronger than nuclear weapons is indeed the strongest national power of Songun Korea.

Kim Jong II regards it as the best method of building ,a socialist economic power to stimulate the popular masses ideologically.

In the 1990s when the country was suffering Severe economic difficulties, he believed that it was the best way of shoring up the economy to call forth the patriotic, zeal and creative spirit of the entire people. Thanks to his continuous on-the spot guidance, torches of innovation were kindled in many Parts of the country including those of Ranam, Ragwon and Songgang and then throughout the country. Uncier the slogans, of confidence and optimism such as “A thousand miles of hardship will lead to a million miles of happiness” and “Push ahead through the thorny path in high spirits!”, there were made successive achievements beyond imagination. In those days the economy of the country was rapidly developed beyond mere restoration in all sectors. Across the country there appeared production centres based on up-to-date technology, and the reconstruction of the overall economy was rapidly promoted.

Such remarkable successes in developing the economy of the country show that the economic power, the aim of the Korean people, is not something to be realized in the distant future. The Korean people will surely open the gate to a great, prosperous and powerful nation in the coming several years.

2008, Year of historical turn of DPRK

Meanwhile, this year marks the 60th anniversary’ of the founding of the Democratic People’ Republic Korea.

The founding of the Republic by President Kim II Sung on September 9, 1948 was a historic event which made the Korean people an independent and mighty revolutionary people and ushered in the building of a socialist state centred on the masses. In a word the 60 years of the Republic is a history ,of gigantic changes in which it has risen to a power independent, self­sufficient and self-reliant in defence, writing a heroic epic of creation and construction under the leadership of the great leaders, and also a sacred course through which the country has demonstrated the superiority’ and invincibility of socialism of Korean style in the crucible of the anti-imperialist struggle.

Kim Jong II has brilliantly carried forward the cause of building a prosperous and powerful country of President Kim II Sung, the founding father of socialist. Korea. It is a great honour and pride for the Korean people to greet the 60th anniversary of the founding of the DPRK in the exciting period when the dignity and might of the country have risen to a high level and a heyday of prosperity and grandeur unprecedented in the national history has been ushered in by dint of Kim Jong II’s Songun-based politics.

In 2012: the Korean people will greet the 100th birthday of President Kim II Sung. It was his lifetime wish and cause to build a great, prosperous and  powerful socialist country on this land, a country in which the national power is strong, everything thrives and the people live envying nothing in the world. It is a determination and will of the Workers’ Party of Korea to raise the economy of the country and the people’s livelihood to a high level by relying on the strong political and military might consolidated in the tempest of the Songun revolution and thus open wide in 2012 the gate to a great, prosperous and powerful country without fail.

Now is an era of great changes to the Korean people. In order to carry out in the near future the grand plan and objective set by the Workers’ Party, the Korean people should make a fresh leap forward on all fronts of socialist construction drumming up support for the general advance from the campaign of this year.

Therefore, the Korean people held high the slogan of this year - “Glorify this year of the 60th anniversary, of the founding of the DPRK as a year of historical turn which will go down in the history of the country!”

The joint editorial of the DPRK’s major newspapers including Rodong Sinmun, which was made public with this slogan as its title on the first morning of the New Year, set three main tasks before ,.the Korean people.

First, the political and ideological might, the quintessence of the national strength of Songun Korea, should be brought into fuller play.

This year the Korean people will direct primary effort to bringing into fullest play the mental power of all the soldiers and people, which is more powerful than nuclear weapons. The quintessence of the national strength of Songun Korea is the way all the soldiers and people firmly unite behind the leader and single-mindedly uphold his ideology and intention. There is no fortress in the world which such political and ideological might cannot conquer. The new year’s joint editorial stressed, “The present general onward march is an ideological one, and the fundamental guarantee for building a great, prosperous and powerful country is to motivate the mental power of the soldiers and people.”

Secondly, the Korean people should constantly increase the military strength of the Republic by holding fast to the Songun-based revolutionary line of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

Strong defence capabilities are symbolic of the independent dignity of Songun Korea and a basic guarantee for its prosperity. The Workers’ Party of Korea is consistent in its stand to hold the idea of giving prominence to the military affairs as the basic strategy in building a great, prosperous and powerful nation. This year the DPRK will give priority to the development of the defence industry, further strengthen militias and turn the whole country into an impregnable, fortress while increasing the political and ideological, military and technical strength of the Korean People’s Army, the backbone of self-defensive capabilities. It will consolidate rock-solid the army-people unity, the pride of Songun Korea.

Thirdly, the entire Party, the whole country and all the people should launch a general offensive to build an economic power.

Today, the economy is the front of main efforts in the building of a great prosperous and powerful nation. The main orientation in the building of an economic power is to steadily strengthen the Juche character of the economy  and update it on the basis of latest science and technology so as to give full play to the advantages and vitality of the independent national economy.

The Korean people will adhere to the principle of technically modernizing the economy while preserving the specific features of the economic structure principle of making people enjoy substantial benefit while ensuring the greatest possible profitability and the principle of developing external economic relations while putting main stresss on tapping all domestic resources and potentials. They should make decisive efforts to shore up the basic industries, the vanguard sectors of the national economy, which constitute the lifeline of the socialist economic construction. And they should develop agriculture and light industry, and push ahead with the building ‘of dwelling houses under the people’s-living-first policy.

Their tasks are truly colossal and formidable. But the Korean people are a heroic people who built socialism on the ruins and a stout-hearted people who turned the “Arduous March” into a cheerful advance braving through severe ordeals.

They are all full of determination to take part with proud labour achievements in the grand festival of September to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic.

The year of 2008 will be glorified as the year of historical turn of the DPRK.

 


©2005 New Nigerian Newspapers Limited.