For the People: DPRK

-Long-standing Aspiration of Kim Jong Un

 More than ten years have passed since Kim Jong Un, President of the State Affairs, started to lead the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

 In this period, which can be called a moment in history, the country has remarkably raised its overall national strength and strategic position and greeted a new era of prosperity and civilization. Witnessing this reality, some people may think that it is because the country’s situation has improved in that period.  

 On the contrary, it underwent the worst-ever trials due to the unprecedentedly cruel sanctions and challenges by the forces hostile to it, consecutive natural disasters and public health crisis.

 Kim Jong Un provided a physical guarantee, an absolute power, for putting an end to the moves for aggression and interference by the foreign forces and thereby realized the long-cherished desire of the Korean people to live in a land free from the threat of war and intervention by the outside forces.

 To look back upon the history of the Korean nation, the country’s rich natural resources and favourable geo-political location were the root cause of its misfortune. It suffered from constant invasion and interference by big powers and ended up as a ruined nation.

 In the first half of last century the Korean people liberated their country from the military occupation of Japan (1905-1945) through an all-people resistance. But they were compelled to experience the tragedy of national division and have lived in a hair-trigger situation for over half a century owing to the arbitrariness of the foreign forces. 

 In the present merciless world which is governed by the law of jungle, the only way of the DPRK for its survival was to possess strong self-defence capability which no one would dare to defy. 

 With a courageous determination for everlasting prosperity of his nation,   Kim Jong Un energetically led the effort to further consolidate the war deterrent in terms of both quality and scale and to step up the development and production of strategic and tactical means essential for defending national security.

 Under his leadership the sector of national defence created world-shaking miracles one after another.

 The country successfully test-fired newly-developed long-range cruise missile, anti-aircraft missile and SLBM last year and this year hypersonic missile and Hwasongpho 17 ICBM. This proves that its war deterrent, the capability for guaranteeing its security, has developed onto a new high level in terms of both quality and scale.  

 As was demonstrated in the military parade held in April this year in celebration of the 90^th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army, the DPRK is possessed of power with which it can crush any attempt of the hostile forces in advance.

 It owes its tremendous self-defence capability not only to the modern character of its military hardware. The Korean People’s Army is a powerful army which is well prepared spiritually and morally and capable of coping with war and crisis of any type on its own initiative.  

 Over the past ten years, the country has continuously achieved and expanded transformative successes under Kim Jong Un’s leadership, successes which enable its people to enjoy the real benefits of socialist civilization.

 Modern streets like Changjon Street, Mirae Scientists Street, Ryomyong Street and Songhwa Street were built in the capital city, and the city of Samjiyon was renovated into a model of modern mountain city. In addition, modern medical service institutions like the Okryu Children’s Hospital, Ryugyong Dental Hospital and Ryugyong General Ophthalmic Hospital and bases of cultural and leisure activities like the Rungna People’s Recreation Ground, Munsu Water Park, Masikryong Ski Resort, Mirim Riding Club and Yangdok Hot Spring Resort were built.

 While visiting the newly-built Jungphyong Greenhouse Farm a few years ago, Kim Jong Un said that it was his long-cherished desire to have a modern greenhouse farm built in each province and supply the local people with fresh vegetables of various kinds all year round. In his speech at the ground-breaking ceremony for a project to build 10 000 flats in Pyongyang held in March last year, he said that building 50 000 modern flats in Pyongyang was something the Workers’ Party of Korea had long intended, prepared and aspired to, in order to provide its citizens with more cultured and stable living conditions.   

 In March this year when he visited the construction site of 10 000 flats in Songsin and Songhwa area which was near completion, he said with great satisfaction that he would soon see the people cutting a ribbon and moving into new houses and that another wish of his would be fulfilled. 

 Whereas the city of Samjiyon renovated into a model of regional construction represents the prospect of cities and counties which will be transformed in the near future, the luxurious Pothong Riverside Terraced Houses District in Pyongyang is clear evidence that the Korean people have already started to enjoy the highest quality of civilization in their daily life.

 Construction of 10 000 flats is now under way in the Hwasong area in Pyongyang. According to a report, the area will be turned into a majestic community filled with tens of thousands of houses and service amenities within about three years. Meanwhile, a modern greenhouse farm, the biggest of its kind in the country, is being built in the Ryonpho area, which will provide vegetables to the population in Hamhung, which is the country’s major industrial city and science hub, and other areas of South Hamgyong Province. The area of the greenhouse farm will be developed into virtually a rural district which encompasses about 1 000 houses of novel and various styles, schools, hall of culture and full-service facilities.  

 Housing construction is briskly under way also in the mountain gorges of the Komdok area, the country’s leading mineral production base. 5 000 flats were already built last year and another 5 000 flats are being built now. It is reported that a total of 250 000 flats will be built in the area by 2025.

 It is an ideal and objective of Kim Jong Un to bring about a drastic improvement in the people’s living standards so as to ensure the Korean people enjoy the highest quality of civilization, and within 20-30 years’ time at that.

-Kim Jong Un’ Outlook on the People

 It can be said that one’s viewpoint and attitude towards the people defines the objective and direction of his or her politics.

 Taking this into consideration, Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, enjoys the ardent love and trust of the people.

 Then, what is the source of these love and trust?

 The answer can be found in his boundless love for the people.

 The more difficult and challenging the times are, the closer we should go to the people–this is his outlook on the people.

 At the Third Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the WPK, he said that the WPK’s sacred ideal of regarding the people as heaven is the guiding principle of practice and standard of action which requires the Party to take full responsibility of the people’s life and serve them unconditionally by putting heart and soul into it, and that the harder the times are, the deeper the Party should go among them and support them as a reliable pillar, and the more devotedly it should work for their wellbeing, sharing weal and woe with them.

 In August 2020, heavy rains severely hit Taechong-ri, Unpha County, North Hwanghae Province, submerging or damaging many houses and rice fields.

 On receiving a report on this, Kim Jong Un personally drove to the site.

 He took immediate measures for providing foods, bedding, daily necessities and medicines to the disaster victims and supplying cement and other building materials for the rehabilitation of the region. At that time some officials suggested rebuilding 400 houses out of the 800 damaged houses and repairing the remaining 400, but he rejected their suggestion and said that all of the 800 houses should be rebuilt. 

 Then he stressed to the officials that they should inquire into what type of house the farmers preferred–a block with two houses or a separate house–and have their opinions fully reflected on the designs of the houses.

 Several days later, the 16^thMeeting of the Political Bureau of the Seventh WPK Central Committee was held.

 At the meeting, Kim Jong Un said after briefing on the damage: The flood victims must be suffering a great deal as they are living in makeshift shelters after losing their houses and properties; in such times it is none other than our Party that should take full responsibility for them and go closer to them to share their hardship and relieve them of it.

 Upholding his intention, the officials of the Central Committee of the WPK went to the flood-stricken areas and waged the rehabilitation campaign, sharing weal and woe with the victims.

 A personage of a Southeast Asian country highly praised Kim Jong Un saying that the DPRK leader investigated flood damage in detail on the spot and issued an order to supply the victims with the reserve food grains and strategic materials for the President of the State Affairs and that he is the genuine people’s leader who spares nothing for them.

 Kim Jong Un visited the State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters shortly after an unexpected public health crisis arose in the DPRK in May this year. Saying that our people including the elders and children might be nervous now, in particular, parents who have young children must feel more frightened and they are more fearful of their children being infected than they themselves falling victims, he said it was very important to give people confidence that they could surely win in the fight against virulent disease.

 On May 15, he visited pharmacies in Pyongyang immediately after a consultative meeting of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee. The visit was very dangerous because the saleswomen of the pharmacies had just been cured of the disease.

 He closely inquired into how medicines were supplied and stored, whether pharmacies were open round the clock, and what kinds of medicine the visitors wanted most and how much their prices were. Then he told the officials to correct the vulnerable points in the medicine supply system and take strong measures for transporting medicines.

 Go closer to the people–this is the noble outlook on the people of Kim Jong Un who loves them most and finds the worth of working for revolution in devoted service for them.

 It is quite natural that the people should ardently love, absolutely trust and follow such a great leader.

-Skyscraping Apartment Houses for Working People

These are the 53-storey apartment house in Mirae Scientists Street, 70-storey one in Ryomyong Street and 80-storey one in Songhwa Street, all in Pyongyang, the capital city of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. They were provided to blue-collar and white-collar workers and other ordinary citizens.