Benin National Committee for the Study of the Juche Idea,

African Regional Committee for

Solidarity with Korean People

Dear friends,

Even though it is under complex and complicated international circumstances and situations, the DPRK steadily advances to accomplish the cause of global independence. Witnessing this, many people in the world recollect President Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) of the DPRK with deep emotion.

President Kim Il Sung created the Juche idea and thus opened up the era of independence. Creation of the Juche idea is a historical event for mankind. It is because the creation of the Juche idea was an occasion that enabled to illuminate the road to freedom and sovereignty, the road to independent development for the people who were dominated and subordinated by imperialists and exploiting classes.

Based on the Juche idea, President Kim Il Sung gave perfect explanations to the problems arising in the people’s cause of independence and led the cause of independence with practical examples.

President Kim Il Sung defeated two strong imperialist forces in one generation and defended independence and sovereignty of the country. He also built the Korean-style socialist system where the people are masters of everything and everything serves them. He accordingly developed the DPRK into an independent, self-sufficient and self-defensive socialist state.

Particularly in the early 1950s, the DPRK defeated the attack by the imperialist allied forces under the wise leadership of President Kim Il Sung, which exercised a big influence upon the efforts of many countries to achieve national independence.

As most countries in the world achieved independence and they aspired after independent development, President Kim Il Sung advanced the global independence as a goal of higher stage to achieve universal mankind emancipation. He formulated that an independent world is a world which is free from every kind of domination and colonialism, a world where all countries and nations exercise their sovereignty.

President Kim Il Sung detailed that the struggle for global independence is, in essence, to make efforts to establish international relations based on independence and democratize the international community.

President Kim Il Sung also clarified in detail the strategy and ways to make the whole world independent. Main target of this struggle is world imperialism and in order to overthrow it, all anti-imperialist forces that champion the independence and strive for social development should unite closely in the struggle.

The slogan Let the world’s people advocating independence unite! put forward by President Kim Il Sung served as an inspiring banner that enabled to make a fresh leap forward in the cause of global independence in the latter half of the 20th century.

The exploits of President Kim Il Sung performed in the cause of global independence were brilliantly carried forward by Chairman Kim Jong Il and later is done by

President Kim Jong Un of the DPRK State Affairs.

President Kim Il Sung will always be in the hearts of mankind along with the era of independence.

Kim Jong Il (1942-2011), the eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, is a great mentor of the independent politics who would be recorded with dignity in history of the world politics.

Chairman Kim Jong Il’s political philosophy was the Juche idea, and the international community regards it as a guiding ideology for the cause of independence. He applied fully in the revolution and construction the Juche idea which elucidates that everyone is master of one’s own destiny and has strength to shape it.

The DPRK could defend socialism and win victory after victory even in the late 20th century when socialism collapsed one after another in many countries as it had the firm independent line of Chairman Kim Jong Il. When all anti-socialist forces in the world asserted the “end of socialism”, he made public important works including The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party, Abuses of Socialism Are Intolerable and Socialism Is a Science. In his works Chairman Kim Jong Il clarified the truthfulness and scientific accuracy of socialism and the inevitability of its victory. He solemnly declared that socialist Korea would never abandon the road it had chosen but advance without any slightest vacillation.

The most important in Chairman Kim Jong Il’s political feats is the Songun politics.

Imperialist allied forces headed by the US that behaved itself as a so-called super power resorted to high-handedness and arbitrariness with it as an opportunity that balance of power was destroyed on the globe. The imperialist allied forces committed naked aggression and intervention in the countries who were against them. In particular they unleashed general offensives against the DPRK that advanced without any hesitation along the road of socialism upholding the banner of independence. Their offensives were made in all fields of politics, military, the economy, culture and diplomacy.

To cope with such circumstances Chairman Kim Jong Il held high the banner of Songun. The Songun politics became a main mode of the socialist politics thanks to Chairman Kim Jong Il. The DPRK remarkably built up its military potentials and displayed the might of an invincible dignified military power that no one dares provoke, thanks to the Songun politics. Despite the imperialist allied forces’ general offensives, independence and socialism were reliably safeguarded in the DPRK.

The DPRK frustrated all oppressive challenges of the US by dint of Songun politics, thus safeguarding socialism and opening up a new turning point in building a powerful socialist country.

Chairman Kim Jong Il, who formulated independence, peace and friendship as the unchanging basic principle of the DPRK’s external activities, paid deep attention to the building of a new independent world.

Chairman Kim Jong Il conducted energetic external activities in order to augment the world independent forces’ struggle against imperialism.

Might and vitality of Chairman Kim Jong Il’s independent politics was fully demonstrated in the period when the north and south gave birth to an era of reunification along with the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration. Thanks to Chairman Kim Jong Il, who kept the firm spirit of independence in realizing the cause of national reunification and led the Korean nation wisely so that national reunification could be achieved by the Korean people themselves, the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration (2000) and the October 4 Declaration (2007) were adopted, which brought about a new turning point in reunifying Korea.

August name of Chairman Kim Jong Il who always led to victory the DPRK people’s cause of independence and the cause of global independence will shine forever as a great master of the independent politics in history of the world politics.

Chairman Kim Jong Il and the DPRK today

The DPRK is now building a prosperous and powerful socialist country.

Over 20 years ago, in more detail, on April 9, 1993, Kim Jong Il was elected the Chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission. In the mid-1990s he defined the Songun politics as a main mode of the socialist politics and performed brilliant feats to be recorded long in the history.

Chairman Kim Jong Il further built up the military potentials of the country through the energetic Songun-based revolutionary leadership.

Chairman Kim Jong Il who always gave importance to military affairs held the banner of Songun higher even in such a severe situation that socialism collapsed in many countries and in the late 20th century when the imperialists intensified anti-socialist offensives against the DPRK. He paid ceaseless inspections of the military units and thus completed the political, ideological, military and technological preparations of the Korean People’s Army, the mainstay of the self-reliant national defence capabilities.

Under his leadership, the KPA has grown into an invincible army that has powerful means of attack and defence capable of defeating any aggressors at a stroke at any time and an elite army which safeguards socialism. A defence system that includes the entire people and the state was established and, as a result, arming the entire people and fortifying the whole country are done continuously. The DPRK is able to produce enough military equipment and other technical equipment necessary for the building up of national defence capabilities and possess such solid war deterrent that no one can dare impair its dignity.

Chairman Kim Jong Il consolidated politico-ideological foundations of the country. He regarded the KPA as the mainstay of the socialist cause and as the main force of the revolution and paid great attention to the strengthening of political force in the DPRK society with the KPA as the core.

Chairman Kim Jong Il also placed the DPRK’s traditional army-people unity onto a higher phase on the strength of unity of idea and fighting mettle based on the revolutionary soldier spirit. He rallied broad masses of the people firmly around the WPK with his politics of love and trust and united the entire people and army into a unique integral whole that shares idea and fate with the Party.

As a result, the DPRK has possessed a politico-ideological weapon, that is, the single-minded unity of the whole society which is stronger than a nuclear weapon, and demonstrated the might of a politico-ideological power that remains unchanged in any adversity.

Chairman Kim Jong Il opened up a new era of building a prosperous and powerful socialist country. He put forward the basic line of economic construction in the Songun era that gives priority to the development of national defence industry while developing light industry and agriculture simultaneously. He developed the overall national economy and propelled its development by dint of the primary role of the national defence industry. He also saw that the KPA service personnel made a breakthrough in important sectors in a responsible manner and the entire people emulated the revolutionary soldier spirit and achieved big victories in every part of the country.

Under his wise leadership, the DPRK overcame big economic obstacles and brought about a decisive turn in the building of a prosperous and powerful country. The DPRK people succeeded in launching in 1998 and 2009 the artificial satellites which were manufactured by their own efforts and technologies. Numerous creations were erected everywhere of the country and appearance of streets, villages and dwelling houses was refurbished befitting civilized socialism.

All these prove that the DPRK’s overall economic and cultural construction has been put on the orbit of rapid progress.

Chairman Kim Jong Il continued the journey of field guidance for the building of a powerful socialist country until he breathed his last on a moving train. Even though he passed away, his cause of building a powerful socialist country is carried forward invariably.

Comrade Kim Jong Un of the DPRK declared home and abroad his firm will to carry forward the ideas and cause of the predecessors. He further builds up national defence capabilities of the country and leads to victory the building of a prosperous and powerful socialist country.

Comrade Kim Jong Un guided the successful launch of artificial satellite Kwangmyongsong 3-2 on the spot on December 12, 2012.

Comrade Kim Jong Il was elected the General Secretary of the WPK on October 8, 1997 true to the unanimous will and desire of the entire Party members, DPRK people and KPA service personnel.

Comrade Kim Jong Il developed the WPK into the party of President Kim Il Sung, into a powerful guiding force of the Songun revolution and led the WPK to victory, thus providing eternal foundations for the building of a prosperous powerful country. Since June 19, 1964 when he started his work at the Party Central Committee, Chairman Kim Jong Il formulated the Juche idea authored by President Kim Il Sung as Kimilsungism and applied the idea and theory to party building based on the Juche idea, thus developing the WPK into a party where the system of the leader’s idea and leadership was established firmly.

Chairman Kim Jong Il made public many works in which he gave profound explanations to the problems arising in various fields of social life including the building up of the Party and state, economic construction, education, public health, art, literature and sports. His works 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 elucidated ideas and theories which are of big importance in encouraging and stimulating not only the Korean revolution but the world socialist cause, the cause of independence.

After President Kim Il Sung’s demise, Chairman Kim Jong Il defined the Juche idea as the immortal guideline of the Party by paying deep attentions to making the Juche idea into an invariable guiding ideology of the Party and developing the Songun politics whose root is the Juche idea.

Therefore, the WPK could achieve unity in thought, will and moral obligation based on single ideology and fully demonstrate its invincible might as the guiding force of the DPRK society.

Chairman Kim Jong Il developed the WPK into a motherly party that forms a harmonious whole with the people and serves them.

Chairman Kim Jong Il always emphasized that, out of its aim and duty, the WPK should exist to realize the independence of the people and, in order to materialize their independent demand and interests, rally the people around the Party and take responsible care of their destiny. He also led officials to become the people’s faithful servants who join friendly with them, listen carefully to their opinions and make selfless, devoted efforts for their good under the slogans Let the whole Party go among the masses! and We serve the people!.

Whenever he worked out and enforced each point of lines and policies, Chairman Kim Jong Il made thorough consideration of the people’s will and demand and saw that their interests were never infringed by others. Even in the late last century when the country suffered from severe trials and difficulties owing to the imperialist high-intensity anti-socialist offensives, he led the WPK to be unchanged in enforcing popular policies including the universal free medical care system and the free compulsory education system.

In order to notably improve the people’s livelihood so that they can enjoy rich and civilized life to their heart’s content, Chairman Kim Jong Il put forward a line of building a powerful socialist country. For its end, he visited over 14 290 units in his life time.

Chairman Kim Jong Il developed the WPK into a seasoned political General Staff that led the cause of Songun. He started the Songun-based revolutionary leadership in his early years. In the late 20th century when the US and other imperialist allied forces ran amuck to stifle the DPRK with it as an opportunity that the world socialist system collapsed, Chairman Kim Jong Il held higher the banner of Songun and defined the Songun politics as a main mode of the socialist politics. He ceaselessly inspected the KPA units, thus enhancing potentials of the KPA to the highest level politically and ideologically, militarily and technically. As he put forward a new line of economic construction that gave priority to the development of national defence industry, the KPA could be provided with modern and powerful means of attack and defence on the highest level.

Chairman Kim Jong Il applied the Songun politics in every aspect and thus made the DPRK join the rank of politico-ideological and military powers with dignity and opened up a new era of building a powerful socialist country. Chairman Kim Jong Il will enjoy immortality along with the invincible WPK that leads the DPRK people’s general forward march towards the building of a powerful socialist country.

Today the DPRK people and the progressive people are proud of the great exploits performed by Marshal Kim Jong Un, a successor to the cause of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il. Marshal Kim Jong Un is respected for his great and noble exploits. We wish all the people aspiring after peace, dignity, independence, progress and development to support him.

World people who aspire after peace and dignity, justice and progress!

Let us support Marshal Kim Jong Un and the brave DPRK people who work for the development of the country and the peaceful and independent reunification of the whole Korean peninsula.

Long live Marshal Kim Jong Un!

Long live the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea!

Immortal glory to President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il!