In an unusual move, North Korean news outlet the Rodong
Sinmun has made deliberate mention of the August Faction Incident of 1956 that
pitted North Korea’s Soviet and pro-China factions against Kim Il Sung.
An article published on June 5th entitled, “The Heroic
Event of History that Stirred the Winds of Mt. Baekdu Across the Land,” asserted
that in 1956, “the American imperialists were squeezing our Republic, and factionalist elements from within [North Korea] worked to completely annihilate our revolutionary
tradition.”
Nevertheless, the piece went on, “The revolutionary traditions of Baekdu
resolutely thrust aside the challenge and ordeal they found themselves up
against, renewed by a strong impetus to move forward.”
Additional emphasis was placed on 1956 as the 30th
anniversary of the passing of Kim Hyung Jik, Korean independence activist and
father of Kim Il Sung.
Continuing to deify the ruling Kim clan, it was claimed, “The
General [Kim Jong Il] made his first trip to explore the revolutionary battlefield
of the Mt. Baekdu region in 1956; a frightening iron hammer to the traitors of
the revolution.”
Kim Il Sung’s challengers at the time of the August Faction
Incident were rapidly purged, serving to solidify his unitary dictatorship.
This latest reference is likely to be aimed at stabilizing the current Kim Jong Eun
regime by promoting “revolutionary culture” in the wake of the execution of Kim’s uncle and former guardian Jang Song Taek.
