Kim Il Sung at the Front

During the Korean war forced by the US imperialists in the early 50s of the last century, the great leader President Kim Il Sung continuously inspected the dangerous far-off front and vigorously aroused the army and people to annihiliate the enemy.

One day in July Juche 39 or 1950 at the beginning of the war President Kim Il Sung started for the front command for a new operation.

His car drove through darkness with incessant blinding flashes of bombs and stopped on the bank of the River Rimjin. The bridge was destroyed in an indiscriminate bombing of the enemy.

Accompanying officials did not know what to do. Though the bridge was under repair, they could not wait. The car carrying him had to arrive at the front before daybreak.

President Kim Il Sung, thoughtful for a while, said to the officials that there would be a railway bridge nearby and told them to learn about it. Really there was a railway bridge not far away.

But the officials hesitated to tell him about it. Because it was so pitch-dark that they could not see even an inch ahead and they did not know when the enemy planes would come. Moreover, the sleepers were not even. It was very dangerous to take him along the bridge.

Officials earnestly told him that he could not cross the railway bridge.

But President Kim Il Sung sternly said:

“Soldiers on the front are shedding blood at this moment, too. What can we hesitate at? Let´s cross the river.”

Jo Yun Ok, lecturer of the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, says:

“It was around two o´clock early in the morning when President Kim Il Sung arrived at the railway bridge across the River Rimjin.

At the pitch-dark night without the moon, the car with its headlight off tumbled over more than 800 uneven sleepers, seeing only a white cloth piece flying in the front. It took the car almost an hour to cross the bridge.”

President Kim Il Sung, after such a dangerous long march, arrived at the front command.

But without a moment´s rest for relieving his fatigue of the long march, he looked round the positions and messes of units on the front and guided meetings of commanding officers.

He familiarized himself in detail with the situation of the front and units and presented tasks for carrying out the operational policy he had already put forward.

He guided the meetings until late at night and intended again to go up a hill clouded with powder smoke to see the soldiers early in the morning.

Officials requested him to go back as the enemy air raids were heavy. But President Kim Il Sung said:

“I don´t care the enemy planes. It is not urgent to go back as the soldiers on the front are fighting at the risk of their lives.”

And he went up the hill. On the rugged hill, he kindly asked soldiers how old they were and where they were born, infusing them with strength and courage.

Thanks to President Kim Il Sung who made his way even to the dangerous front, the Fatherland Liberation War against aggressors could end in a brilliant victory.