On August 15, 1945 Korea was liberated from the Japanese colonial rule. This brought great delight to the Korean people, inspiring them to pool their efforts to perform miraculous feats in the great cause of nation-building. In the course of this they finally greeted the day of victory when they had their own country.

On September 9, 1948 President Kim Il Sung founded the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The Korean people were indescribably excited that they had an independent and sovereign state named after people, for the first time in their history spanning 5 000 years.

In the historic period of great excitement a song was produced to add joy and jubilation to the Korean people across the country.

It was Song of Proclamation of the People’s Republic written by Kim U Chol and composed by Pak Han Gyu.

The song runs in part: Even the mountains and rivers sing of today’s emotion. Korea is a dignified people’s country, a country of freedom and a people’s republic. The sun and stars will shine on the road of the country.

“The whole world, listen to us. Our motherland is the DPRK. We are citizens of the DPRK,” exclaimed the Korean people.

Here is a moving story about the writer of the song Kim U Chol (September 20, 1915-June 17, 1959).

Before Korea’s liberation he was involved in literary creation. One day he was arrested by the Japanese police and had to spend a prison term, finally finding himself as an invalid.

After liberation Kim Il Sung called on the literary men of new Korea to do their part in the effort for nation-building. His call was a great inspiration to Kim U Chol who had been confined to bed.

In those days he held the chairman of the North Phyongan Provincial Committee under the General Federation of the Unions of Art and Literature of Korea, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Cultural Front and other posts. He wrote a number of appealing poems representing his joy and people’s pleasure that they were leading a new life in the embrace of the great motherland.

After Korea was liberated, President Kim Il Sung met some creators. On that occasion he told them that the DPRK was to be founded before long and that a song needed to be produced to commemorate the day for ever. This motivated U Chol to set about creating Song of Proclamation of the People’s Republic .

He worked heart and soul to create a song that would be sung by the people to their heart’s content on the day of founding the DPRK.

The song was an explosion of all of his life experience.

At the same time it reflected the future of the DPRK which would be rosy and bright under the leadership of the peerlessly great man.

The song, featured by profound ideas and energetic, invigorating yet solemn rhythms, depicts the stirring situation of the DPRK in which all were out to build a new Korea. It is still popular in the DPRK, leaving a deep impression on the local people.

Kim Hyok