February 16, Juche 109(2020) is a significant day which marks the 78 th birth anniversary of the great Comrade Kim Jong Il , who lives forever in the hearts of the Korean people and the progressive humankind of the world.

The great Comrade Kim Jong Il is not only an outstanding leader, who, with ardent love for the motherland and people, set an example of the time in building the socialist power through his energetic leadership, but also a veteran statesman, who, through his tireless diplomatic activities, led to the victory the strengthening and development of the world socialist movement and the realization of humankind’s cause for independence.

As the time passes and the era advances, the progressive peoples aspiring after socialism are keeping deeper in their minds the great exploits etched by the great Comrade Kim Jong Il in the history of the world socialist movement.

On this significant Day of Shining Star, carrying a noble mission of conveying to the new generations the immortal exploits of the great Comrade Kim Jong Il , who revived the global cause of socialism that had been on the brink of collapse and frustration in the midst of severe ordeals of history, gave it a new impetus and made great contributions to the development of friendly relations with socialist countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea hereby issues a commemorative article.

The respected Supreme Leader Comrade Kim Jong Un said as follows.

“In the grim period when the international socialist movement was experiencing severe frustration our Party proved the veracity and advantages of socialism in a theoretical and practical way, holding aloft the banner of Juche-oriented socialism. In this way it gave a strong impetus to the international socialist movement.”

October Socialist Revolution, which, for the first time in human history, overthrew capitalism and opened a new era of transition to socialism, infused the broad masses of oppressed working people with new hopes for realizing national and class liberation and encouraged them to the revolutionary struggle.

For several decades of the last century, socialist forces and other revolutionary forces of the world, had incomparably grown in strength, and the imperialist forces that were struggling to maintain the crumbling colonial regime by all means continued to fall into decay and ruin.

However, by the end of 20th century, the international socialist movement was faced with the crisis of failure and frustration, owing to the vicious challenges of the imperialists and the maneuvers of the renegades of socialism that tried to check the advance of history.

An abnormal situation developed where socialism collapsed and capitalism got restored in several countries. Taking advantage of this tragic turn of events, the imperialists and reactionaries maliciously slandered the socialist idea, making a noise about the “end” of socialism.

As a result, confusion arose on a global scale as to the ideological and theoretical views on socialism, and the progressive peoples at the time came to waver in the turbid vortex of various kinds of reactionary “theories” that run counter to socialism.

The great Comrade Kim Jong Il provided the revolutionary Parties and peoples of all countries aspiring after socialism with a guiding principle for defending the socialist cause and leading it to a new upsurge through his brilliant wisdom and energetic ideological and theoretical activities on the basis of the deep insight into the prevailing situation and the requirements for developing the revolution.

The great Comrade Kim Jong Il made public a number of classic works including “The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party” , “Abuses of Socialism Are Intolerable” , “Socialism is a Science” , “Giving Priority to Ideological Work is Essential for Accomplishing Socialism” and “On Preserving the Juche Character and National Character of the Revolution and Construction” , where he scientifically analyzed the main reason behind the frustration of socialism. And he clearly indicated that the cause of socialism is a righteous cause for realizing the independence of the popular masses and that it is an inexorable law of historical development that humankind advances toward socialism.

He also demonstrated philosophically that giving priority to ideological work is essential for accomplishing socialism and that adhering to the Juche and national characters of the revolution and construction is a fundamental principle that should be maintained in accomplishing the cause of socialism.

The classic works of the great Comrade Kim Jong Il were a powerful fiery thunder to the anti-socialist citadel that resorted only to lies, slander and vicious schemes. They were also an inexhaustible motive force that instilled invariable faith in socialism into the progressive political Parties and peoples worldwide. Because the ideas and theories incorporated in the immortal works of the great Comrade Kim Jong Il remain valid and reflect the present time, they continue to be supported by all peoples and fully demonstrate to the whole world their vitality and enormous power of inspiring people with each passing day.

The great Comrade Kim Jong Il vigorously advanced the socialist cause not only through his extraordinary ideological and theoretical activities but also through his brilliant revolutionary practice.

After the end of Cold War, the U.S.-led imperialist coalition forces became frenzied to bring a “complete end” to socialism by isolating and stifling the DPRK, the fortress of socialism.

The hostile forces aggravated the situation to the extreme by making nuclear threats and completely barred the road to economic development and existence by imposing all sorts of blockades, pressure and sanctions, so that our people could not be able to live at ease for a single moment.

The great comrade Kim Jong Il further consolidated our country as an invincible politico-ideological power and military power by uplifting the banner of independence, Songun and socialism. He smashed the continued aggressive attempts of the enemy at every step and firmly defended the cause of socialism on the strength of Songun and military power in the confrontational fight against the imperialist coalition forces.

In the course of severe yet sacred struggle, the DPRK fully demonstrated to the whole world that socialism and justice do exist on this planet and their strength is stronger than the high-handedness and arbitrariness of imperialism.

The adoption of Pyongyang Declaration, a common fighting program to be upheld by the world revolutionary Parties and peoples for achieving socialism, is the most brilliant exploit of the great comrade Kim Jong Il , that will shine forever in the history of the world socialist movement.

In order to revive and victoriously advance the fading socialist movement on a worldwide scale, a scientific fighting program was urgently required to be jointly upheld by the revolutionary Parties and peoples aspiring after socialism.

A number of representatives from the Communist or Workers’ Parties and progressive political parties of the world who visited the DPRK on the occasion of the 80 th birth anniversary of the great Comrade Kim Il Sung , held bilateral or multilateral contacts and talks with the Workers’ Party of Korea and witnessed the brilliant reality of socialism in the DPRK, and they found the limitation of the time in the previous theories and reached a common understanding that the socialist cause should embody the Juche-based socialist idea. On this basis, they unanimously adopted and made public the historic Pyongyang Declaration “Let us defend and advance the cause of socialism” on April 20, Juche 81(1992). All of these are attributed to the personal idea, initiative and energetic guidance of the great Comrade Kim Jong Il .

The progressive political parties of the world aspiring after socialism expressed their full support and approval to the Pyongyang Declaration, highly appreciating it as a “genuine communist declaration of the present era” and they continue to join in signing the Declaration. The number of the political parties that signed the Pyongyang Declaration has thus increased from 70 at the beginning to over 300.

The great Comrade Kim Jong Il also devoted all his efforts to strengthening the friendship and solidarity among the socialist countries.

At beginning of a new millennium, he visited China as many as 8 times and reaffirmed the mutual support for and solidarity with the peoples of the two Parties and the two countries in their efforts for socialist construction and country’s reunification and injected new vitality into the joint struggle for safeguarding peace and security of the Korean peninsula, Asia and the rest of the world. He met with former President Jiang Zemin, former President Hu Jintao and former Premier Wen Jiabao, who visited the DPRK and further expanded and developed mutual understanding, confidence, friendship and cooperation between the two Parties and the two countries that are advancing shoulder to shoulder along the road for implementing the joint cause of socialism.

The friendly and cooperative relations with Vietnam, Laos and Cuba that are now developing on a new high stage are not thinkable without the immortal exploits performed by the great Comrade Kim Jong Il in the external activities.

The historic meetings held by the great Comrade Kim Jong Il with Tran Duc Luong, President of Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Nong Duc Manh, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and Choummaly Sayasone, General Secretary of Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Lao People’s Democratic Republic respectively in May Juche 91(2002), October Juche 96(2007) and September Juche 100(2011) in Pyongyang were important occasions which strengthened the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the DPRK and Vietnam and between the DPRK and Laos through centuries and generations – the relations which were formed by sharing blood and overcoming trials together in the sacred struggle for achieving the victory of socialism, true to the intentions of the preceding leaders.

The great Comrade Kim Jong Il always paid deep attention to the development of friendly relations with fraternal Cuba that is waging a resolute fight for defending socialism in the geographically far away western hemisphere and extended full support and solidarity to the struggle of the Cuban people for firmly defending the sovereignty of the country and the socialist system and achieving development and prosperity by their own efforts.

Indeed, the great Comrade Kim Jong Il is a peerless veteran statesman and a defender of socialism who performed such a brilliant leadership that the vibrant 20th century would shine as a century of victory of socialism and the strong trend of independence would continue in the 21st century. These immortal exploits of Comrade Kim Jong Il will shine forever along with the victorious advance of the independent cause of humankind.

The immortal exploits which were etched in the victorious advance of the world’s socialist cause are now brilliantly carried forward by Comrade Kim Jong Un , Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK.

In the report of the historic 7th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said that socialism is the common ideal of mankind and it is a law of historical development that mankind advances towards socialism. He also stated that the socialist countries should support one another and strengthen their solidarity, cooperation and exchange in the struggle for achieving their common aims and ideals.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un visited the People’s Republic of China four times in less than one year from March, Juche 107(2018), and Comrade Xi Jinping, President of the PRC, visited Pyongyang in June, Juche 108(2019). Through these visits, the supreme leaders of the two countries expressly confirmed once again to the world that socialism is indeed an invariable part and parcel of the DPRK-China friendship, and the peculiarity and invincibility of the DPRK-China friendship lie in joining efforts to safeguard and add luster to socialism.

Comrade Kim Jong Un , Chairman of the State Affairs Commission conducted energetic external activities when he had a significant meeting in Pyongyang in November Juche 107(2018) with Comrade Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez, President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, and made an official friendly visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam last year. These account for an especially remarkable event in strengthening strategic exchange of views and traditional ties of friendship and cooperation among socialist countries.

The DPRK is a Juche-oriented socialist state with invincible might, and constantly strengthening the unity and cooperation among socialist countries is the revolutionary stand set out by the DPRK government in its foreign policy.

The government of the DPRK will, as ever, continue to increase unity and cooperation among socialist countries and develop relations with all countries that are friendly to the DPRK under the idea of independence, peace and friendship, thereby providing strong impetus to the world’s socialist cause and the cause of global independence.