To celebrate “Liberation of the Fatherland Day” on Aug. 15, North Korean military authorities recently distributed “political study documents” claiming that the Suryong, Kim Il Sung, had “fulfilled the great historical task of the motherland’s liberation.”
The country’s authorities have longed claimed that an anti-Japanese guerrilla force commanded by Kim liberated Korea from Japanese rule.
The distribution of the documents may be aimed at strengthening loyalty toward the Suryong given that many soldiers are facing “economic difficulties” due to the closure of the Sino-North Korean border, a measure enacted in late January to prevent the spread of COVID-19 into the country.
North Korean military authorities are emphasizing that soldiers need to stand together in unwavering loyalty toward the “military established by the Suryong” and the “motherland recovered by the Suryong” despite the difficult conditions the country is facing.
According to a Daily NK military source yesterday, the military’s General Political Bureau released the four-page long document on Monday. The document is entitled “A Matchless Patriot Who Realized the Great Historical Task of Liberating the Motherland” and delves into the “revolutionary achievements” against the Japanese by Kim Il Sung and his “history of ordeals.”
The document claims that a 14-year-old Kim crossed over the Yalu River promising to never return until Korea became independent from the Japanese. It further claims that he “plowed through fierce tempests of revolution” for around 20 years to finally achieve the “great historical task of liberating the motherland.”
The document went on to claim that Kim was able to establish “sturdy revolutionary capabilities” while bringing all of the “wandering” 20 million Koreans under the “flag of opposition to the Japanese.” The document further claims that Kim’s appeal for the entire Korean people to fight against the Japanese led to the creation of “armed people’s units and organizations of armed rebellion” and that “all the people” ultimately rose up to the “final fight to the death.”
While Kim Il Sung did in fact wage a guerrilla war against the Japanese, North Korea appears to be intentionally exaggerating and distorting the historical record.
According to former international secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Hwang Jang Yup, Kim himself even admitted that “we didn’t do a lot in the armed struggle against the Japanese, but that’s better than having done nothing…[so]I don’t know why [people] are trying to diminish [our role in the fight against the Japanese].”
It is also true that for the past 70-odd years, North Korea’s leadership has justified its rule over the country by lionizing Kim’s efforts to oppose the Japanese.
The military’s propaganda materials stressed that Kim Il Sung had “recovered” the country and that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has “taken the mantle” from his father and is “protecting the socialist motherland” like an “impregnable fortress.” The document further claimed that North Korean soldiers must “cherish” every minute of their time in the uniform through “loyalty and great achievements.”
According to the source, the document also emphasized that each soldier “must fight like a hundred men,” noting that while “some military officers” think that fresh military recruits entering the military at 16 years old are “pathetic,” the “Suryongnim was a matchless patriot who brought about [our motherland’s liberation]…at the young age of 14 years old.”
The source also said that North Korean authorities are having soldiers watch the film “For the Liberation of the Motherland” while participating in “commemoration study,” “lectures” and “discussion sessions” to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Korea’s liberation.
He noted, however, that many soldiers are not placing much significance on the commemoration. Young soldiers are reportedly saying that the regime’s commentary on Kim Il Sung is “stuff we’ve heard endlessly since preschool” while others have simply asked “What’s on the menu?” because North Korea tends to hold more lavish celebrations than usual during commemorations that fall on the five and 10-year marks.
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