is a lyric song that was created in reflection of the unanimous desire of the Korean people who wished President Kim Il Sung good health.

The words earnestly reflect the desire of the Korean people who wished the President would not work late at night, saying that Kim Il Sung , who had devoted his all to the country and the people since he embarked on the road of revolution, continued his field guidance day and night for the sake of the people.

The idea of the words, sincere, simple and profound, is finely expressed by gentle, soft, lyrical and emotional melodies.

The song is one of the typical masterpieces of the times as it truthfully depicts the ennobling sentiment of the people who are eager to hold the President in high esteem forever.

Referring to what motivated him to write the song, Yun Tu Gun, winner of the Order of Kim Il Sung , Kim Jong Il Prize and People's Prize, said:

One day in November 1974, when I was walking down the streets of the capital city of Pyongyang at midnight, I happened to see cars running swiftly on the main road.

As I asked the traffic officer about the cars, he said that it was a convoy of President Kim Il Sung on his field guidance trip.

I was a little surprised at the fact that it was the dead of night. Then I looked around.

Dead silence settled down on the street, and no light came out of the windows of nearby apartment buildings. At this time the President set out on his field trip. Suddenly, such words came into my mind: Leader embarks on the road of devotion in the dead of night after letting the people go to sleep in the cradle of happiness. Where are you going again as cold dew is falling?

It took my mind back to a few days ago when I met an aide of the President.

The aide said that he is so worried about the President’s health as he works all day long with no rest. When I tell him that it is much past midnight and he has to go to bed, he would say he has still lots of work to do and he could not go to sleep as the people do not yet make a good living, he added.

Abruptly, something came up in my mind. It was the title of the song: Leader, the Night Is Far Advanced .

Back to the office, he immediately started to write the words.

While writing the music of the song, Ri Pong Ryong suggested adding to the end of the third verse such words as "People wish you take a rest even a day, even a moment". Therefore, the idea of the work became more highlighted.

The song was premiered by a female ensemble in a New Year celebration performance held at the People's Palace of Culture in 1975. It became an instant hit and it was remade for violin, chorus, and female solo into a hymn to the President and the most popular song.

The song was one of the most favourite music pieces renowned foreign singers put on the stage at the April Spring Friendship Art Festival, once an annual event held in Pyongyang on the occasion of April 15, the birthday of President Kim Il Sung , which speaks volumes about the influence and vitality of the song.

Yun Tu Gun said that the 1970s were a stirring period when socialist construction was proceeding apace under the wise leadership of President Kim Il Sung , adding he only reflected such sentiment of the people.

Picturing the gray-haired President, the Korean people still recall what he said in his lifetime.

He said that by nature his family members did not go grey easily, but his hair turned grey, and it was because he was worried about how to make the people well-off.

Furthermore, he said, I have been racking my brains day and night in order to realize their ages-old desire to eat rice and meat soup, dressed in silk and living in tile-roofed houses, so it is natural that my hair has turned grey.

Continuing field guidance throughout his life for the happiness of the people, Kim Il Sung visited over 20 600 units travelling more than 578 000 km, a distance equivalent to 14.5 times the length of the equator. For that great devotion, the Korean people always feel a surge of yearning for him when they listen to the soft yet emotion-charged melody of the song.

The song is still resounding around the country, evoking deep recollections of the President who devoted his whole life to providing the people with their long-cherished paradise.

Please sing the song while playing the violin or piano, then you will have a better understanding of that sentiment. The score and words are on top of the article.

Yang Ryon Hui