August 25 is the day when the great leader Kim Jong Il started his leadership over the revolutionary armed forces of Korea.
Kim Jong Il visited the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Tank Division of the Korean People's Army on August 25, Juche 49(1960).
That day, he said the People's Army should hasten the final victory of the Korean revolution under the slogan "Let us defend with our very lives the Party Central Committee headed by the respected Comrade Kim Il Sung!".
He said that defending the Party and the leader with one's life should be the basic mission of the People's Army and the core of the glorious tradition of struggle, which became an important guideline to be consistently maintained in the army building.
He made an uninterrupted field inspection of the People's Army units, opening a new history of strengthening the revolutionary armed forces.
During the Arduous March in the 1990s, he enforced the original Songun (military-first) politics, defending the destiny of the country and people and extraordinarily bolstering up the defense capabilities of the country.
Here is Hong Un Ju, Researcher of the Academy of Social Sciences.
"The great leader Kim Jong Il recollected those arduous days on September 12, 2011, the last period of his great life, saying: The only way to defend the country and make our people live an honourable life as an independent people during the Arduous March was to fight against imperialism and push ahead with the revolution and construction by relying on the People's Army, the revolutionary armed forces.
And he added that he had lived with a do-or-die will to devote everything to the country and people without hesitation in the whole period of the Arduous March.
Seeing the miserable reality of different countries which fell victims to the high-handedness and aggressive moves of the imperialists because of their weak arms, the Korean people think deep of the immortal exploits of Kim Jong Il who provided a firm military guarantee for safeguarding the sovereignty of the country and nation."
The immortal exploits performed by Kim Jong Il for the strengthening of the revolutionary armed forces shine forever along with the historic day August 25.
"Complete Collection of Kim Jong Il's Works" Vol. 67 off press
The Workers' Party of Korea Publishing House brought out Volume 67 of the "Complete Collection of Kim Jong Il's Works", the
October 19, 2025
The Workers' Party of Korea Publishing House brought out Volume 67 of the "Complete Collection of Kim Jong Il's Works", the
