A Great Man Remembered

February 16 is the birthday of Chairman Kim Jong Il of the National Defence
Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Commemorating his birthday, peoples of the world recall him with deep
respect and emotion.
He was a veteran statesman who achieved great exploits for the socialist
cause. In the late 20th century, when socialism collapsed in several countries,
he made public many works such as The Historic Lesson in Building
Socialism and the General Line of Our Party, Abuses of Socialism Are
Intolerable and Socialism Is a Science, proving in a scientific way the
truthfulness of socialism and the inevitability of its triumph.
He firmly defended the Korean style of socialism by dint of unique Songun
politics.
By strengthening his country’s military capabilities for self-defence in every
way, he smashed the enemies’ manoeuvres to frustrate the country militarily
and provided a springboard for building a powerful socialist country.
In those days, VOA reported as follows: Chairman Kim Jong Il is a unique
political leader unheard-of so far in the world; he must be recognized as a
socialist statesman and military leader possessed of absolute faith in and
loyalty to socialism and of tenacity.
Wakabayashi, a Japanese political figure, said; “Chairman Kim Jong Il is
surely an outstanding statesman, who is principled, stout and who adroitly
combines strength and elasticity, and a marvellous strategist, who defeats his
enemy without fighting.”
Kim Jong Il made a great contribution to the accomplishment of the cause of
global independence.
Visiting China several times, he further promoted the common cause of
developing traditional friendship between the peoples of the two countries
and of defending socialism and global peace.
His visit to Russia in August 2001 and adoption of the DPRK-Russia Moscow
Declaration was a historic event that dealt a serious blow to the manoeuvres
of the imperialists to make the whole world unipolar one based on the
superiority of strength.
By achieving international unity with all countries, which were opposed to war
and aspired after peace, by transcending differences in ideas, political views,
nationalities and religious beliefs, he gave great impetus to the
accomplishment of the cause of global independence.
All who met him were attracted to his unique political qualifications and
magnanimity.
Goran Persson, president of the European Council and prime minister of
Sweden, who headed a top-level delegation of the EU to the DPRK, said:
Chairman Kim Jong Il is the most excellent leader of all the heads of state I
have ever met.

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Madeleine Albright, the then US Secretary of State, on her return from a visit
to Pyongyang with an entourage of over 200 persons in late October 2000,
submitted a report to President Clinton, which reads in part: Kim Jong Il is
completely different from what we have so far thought of him; his theories are
systematic and logical; he not only has mastered the complicated
international issues of the present days but also is accurate in analysis and
judgement and is magnanimous, broad-minded and clear-cut in dealing with
issues; it is entertaining to have talks with Kim Jong Il for he listens to his
dialogue partner to the last in a prudent manner and with great attention and
shows himself to be magnanimous; it is accordingly inevitable to be drawn
deep into his theories and assertions during negotiations; all in all, I could not
but admit that Kim Jong Il is a leader of great versatility who is clear in the
theories of and self-confident in the wide-ranging fields of politics, the
economy, culture, military affairs, and diplomacy and is broad-minded and
scrupulous.