For the People: DPRK

-General Secretary Kim Jong Un and Party Building in New Era

 In the first half of this year Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, visited many units for personal guidance. Among them he went to a place four times. It was the WPK Central Cadres Training School.

 What made him show such special concern about the school?

 Over the past decade the WPK has passed through the stages of historic change of succession and development. In the course of this it confirmed its guiding ideology and ultimate fighting programme and set up a new leadership body capable of confidently leading the efforts to realize them. It has also developed its work as a whole in a sustainable and innovative way according to its amended Rules and on the basis of the functions and role of its readjusted and reorganized central organizations.

 But the gigantic tasks it faced and the subjective and objective situation as well as the law-governed course of socialist construction demanded steady development in Party building. Thus, the General Secretary clarified the line of Party building in the new era and set forth the tasks for bringing about a fundamental improvement in the political, organizational, ideological, disciplinary and work-style building at the Sixth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth WPK Central Committee. Since then he has pushed the effort to fulfil the tasks in every way.

 In this effort he attached special importance to training talented Party officials who are to play a leading role in Party building in the new era. He believes that talented Party cadres capable of leading the development of all fields of politics, military, the economy and culture and of all regions constitute the most valuable and decisive resources, and their role grows more important with the progress of the cause of the socialist construction.

 From this point of view Kim Jong Un ensured that the school was admirably built as the best university and delivered a congratulatory address at its opening ceremony. At that event he said it is a very significant course in strengthening the whole Party that all the officials, especially the members of the leadership body of the Party Central Committee, steadily train and develop themselves politically and ideologically and constantly improve their work method and style through regular retraining at the Party school, a furnace for the training in the Party spirit and the revolutionary spirit

The opening of the school heralded the start of a new era in the building of the WPK and a heyday of its strengthening.

 The WPK has been constantly promoting its building, availing itself of several occasions including the 10th Plenary Meeting of its 8th Central Committee which underlined the need to improve the working methods and styles of its officials. In July when disastrous floods hit the northern part of the DPRK Kim Jong Un took all possible measures for the victims, as part of his effort to ensure that the WPK plays its mission as a party for the people.

 The vigorous promotion of the cause of Party building in the new era under his energetic guidance suggests that the WPK will wage a ceaseless and determined struggle to realize its dream and ideal of building a socialist power by steadily enhancing its leadership function and role in the future, too.

-Party Maintaining Its Original Ideals

 The Workers’ Party of Korea has recorded the longest ruling history spanning nearly 80 years. Throughout this period the Party has invariably maintained its original ideals and features, which serves as an important factor for the people’s absolute support for it.

 The WPK has firmly defended the ideal of independence.

 Independence is a political ideal which the WPK has invariably maintained throughout the course of its founding and the development of the state.

 In the mid-20th century the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea less than two years old won a miraculous victory in the Korean war (1950-1953) against the US-led imperialists’ armed invasion. Then it dynamically pushed forward post-war rehabilitation and socialist construction, turning itself into a powerful country independent in politics, self-sufficient in the economy and self-reliant in national defence. This success is ascribable to the fact that the WPK firmly maintained the ideal of independence.

 This is why the international community calls it a party consistently maintaining independence and a party dignified with independence.

The WPK has invariably maintained the people-first ideal.

 In the first days of its founding, the Party made clear its raison d’etre as a party organized for the people and struggling for them.

 It has executed all epoch-making tasks of the revolution and construction and affairs of national importance entirely by relying on the strength of the masses of the people and given absolute priority to their intentions, demands, interests and convenience in formulating and implementing all its policies. In the course of this, making selfless, devoted efforts for their good has become the core of its activities and a trait unique to it. As many undertakings for providing them with a stable and cultured life have been planned and carried out, numerous creations for their well-being have sprung up across the country. It is quite natural that the Korean people call the WPK the motherly Party.

 The WPK has put the ideal of socialism into brilliant reality.

 Socialism was an ideal the pioneers of the Korean revolution advanced in the initial days of Party founding.

 In pursuance of the ideal the WPK skillfully led the anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution, socialist revolution and socialist construction and thereby achieved epoch-making social transformations in the historically shortest period. Towards the close of the last century socialism collapsed in several countries in succession. Notwithstanding this tragic situation, the WPK invariably defended the banner of socialism, clearly proving that socialism is a science and so is its victory.  It is the WPK’s aspiration to build an ideal society in which the principles of socialism are perfectly embodied.

-People-First Principle—Quintessence of WPK’s Original Ideals

 Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, published a discourse in Rodong Sinmun, organ of the Party’s Central Committee, on October 10, 2024. In the discourse he clarified the quintessence of the Party’s original ideals and spirit, which draws the attention of analysts.

 In the discourse he defined the quintessence as the people-first principle. Founded on October 10, 1945, the WPK boasts a long ruling history. Ever since it was organized, it has remained faithful to its original ideals. In the formulation and implementation of all its policies it has held fast to the principle of giving absolute priority to the people’s interests and convenience and directed all social wealth to promoting their well-being while working to provide them with cultured living conditions.

 In the year after Korea was liberated on August 15, 1945 from Japan’s military occupation that started in 1905 the WPK ensured that land reform was enforced to realize the centuries-old desire of the Korean peasants, and put the people as the masters of the country through various democratic reforms including the promulgation of the law on the nationalization of major industries and the law on sex equality. Like this it started its work with the administration of people-oriented policies. For scores of years afterwards it has administered the people-first policies that are unprecedented in the political history of ruling socialist parties.

This can be explained through numerous structures built across the country over the past ten-odd years.

 To provide the people with cultured living conditions the country built many cultural and leisure facilities in different parts and renovated Samjiyon as a model of mountainous cultured city. It also built Changjon, Mirae Scientists, Ryomyong, Songhwa, Hwasong, Rimhung and Jonwi streets, the Pothong Riverside Terraced Houses District, medical service centres such as Okryu Children’s Hospital, Ryugyong General Ophthalmic Hospital and Ryugyong Dental Hospital as well as gigantic vegetable producers such as the Jungphyong Greenhouse Farm, the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm and the Kangdong Combined Greenhouse Farm to promote people’s health and improve their living standards.

 Over the recent years consecutive natural disasters hit several parts of the country, leaving many homeless. The WPK set housing construction for the victims as the first target of the rehabilitation projects and built modern houses with no vestige of their old appearance in the afflicted areas in a short span of time by enlisting all national efforts.

 Today the country’s economic situation is not good and it is difficult to find any more reserves. But the WPK advanced the “Regional Development 20×10 Policy” to raise the basic material and cultural standard of living of the regional people and has since pushed ahead with its implementation. Recently it has decided to add the construction of advanced facilities for public health, science, education and cultural activities and grain management to the regional development policy. This measure highlights the intention of the WPK which regards the people as Heaven.

 Since the initial days of its founding, it has regarded it as its inherent mission to believe in the people as in heaven and serve them, and has made strenuous efforts to this end, thereby winning their absolute support and trust despite the passage of time.