박문재 박사(재미동포 의사이며 재미동포전국연합회 수석부회장)은 최근 미국서 발행된 영문 계간지 "Korean Quarterly"를 통해 김정은 제1위원장의 4.15열병식장에서의 최초연설을 포함하여 재미동포 의학자들 방북활동에 관한 영문 번역문을 올려 북녘사회의 현주소를 미국주류사회에 널리 알리는데 크게 기여했다. 박문재 박사가 직접 번역한 김정은 최고사령관의 연설문 번역과 재미동포 의학자들의 방북활동을 소개한 영문글들을 아래에 전재하여 소개한다.[민족통신 편집실]
김정은 제1위원장이 2012년 4월15일 열병식장에서 최초 연설하는 모습
At the Occasion of North Korean Military Parade, Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of General Kim Ilsung,(April 15, 2012): Translated by Moon J. Pak)
A speech at the occasion of a North Korean military parade, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of General Il Sung Kim, April 15, 2012 (excerpts translated by Moon J. Pak)
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Voice of a young leader: Chairman Jong Un Kim
• Heroic and courageous soldiers and officers of our People’s Army, Navy, Air Force, Strategic Rocket Corps and Internal Security Force! • Members of Red Army Home Guard and Red Youth Corp! • Citizens of Pyongyang and workers of our land! • Our brothers and sisters in the South and Overseas! • My beloved comrades and friends!
We are holding a military parade today proudly commemorating the 100th birthday of our nation’s great founding leader, comrade Kim Ilsung.
This un-precedent great military parade was originally planned and organized by the late comrade Kim Jongil, to recognize, celebrate and honor the great work of comrade Kim Ilsung establishing our great socialist republic and the nation’s powerful military.
At this historical moment, I offer my deepest respect and salute our great leaders; comrade Kim Ilsung and comrade Kim Jongil, and I do so representing the love and devotion felt for them by our entire military and people.
I also take this opportunity to express my deepest respect and honor to those of our ancestors, who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of our people and land from Japanese invaders.
I offer my congratulations and appreciation to the nation’s workers, members of our People’s army, Red Army Home Guard, Red Youth Corp, Internal Security Force, manning the outposts and striving at their work places, at this very moment.
I also offer my warm salutes to our southern brethren and overseas brethren striving hard for the re-unification of our peninsula, and also our foreign friends rendering support for the honorable project.
Comrades!
This past 100 year of our people’s history is a clear testimony to the truth that for the prosperity and respectable existence of a nation, a great leadership is of essence. In spite of 5,000 years of our proud existence and brilliant cultural achievement, the lack of proper leadership had plunged our people and the country into a shameful colonial occupation a century ago.
However, in the last 100 years of Kim Ilsung era, we were able to terminate the shameful period, and elevate the status of our nation and people to the highest level ever in our history.
Needless to say, our geopolitical location has not changed, however, our land once a hegemonies fighting ground of the neighboring big powers, have been transformed into a politically and militarily a formidable entity, no one can take lightly of. This surprising transformation of our country is not just a happenstance, but due to the great leadership of our comrades; Kim Ilsung and Kim Jongil.
This great and proud ceremony today is therefore possible due to the emphasis placed on the strong militarism based on revolutionary political concept placed by our forbearers. It is our great comrade Kim Ilsung who had a foresight 80 years ago that the military emphasis based on revolutionary belief is the essence of our country and established our People’s Army in the mountain range of Baekdu, during the fight against Japanese colonial power. This was the first time in our history that the people of Korea had its own army and it opened the establishment of revolutionary political entity in Korean peninsula.
With this revolutionary military power base, our leader comrade Kim Ilsung was able to achieve the 20th century miracle of defeating two imperialist military powers, and went on to achieve the militarization of all people, fortification of the entire country thus assuring the independence of the country and securing the bases for the future development.
Our comrade Kim Jongil has succeeded this “Juche” based military first policy of comrade Kim Ilsung and was able to open the door to reach the maximized stage of the concept. He had gone through a difficult and trying stage of nation building and achieved establishment of one of the exceptionally strong military power in the world thus enabling the security of our country based on socialist principle. Thus, under the leadership of comrades Kim Ilsung and Kim Jongil, our country has emerged as a uniquely strong military based socialist state of the world.
As we look back in our history however, the route to success was covered with difficult and contentious confrontations with world’s strong imperialist country and also huge nation building construction projects that tested our efforts and abilities. In every one of these difficulties, our revolutionary military forces were faithful in carrying out every priority set by the leadership, party and people.
The tradition and spirit of Leadership Protection as conceptualized during early days of anti-Japanese partisan struggle, has become a firm tradition of our armed forces and has become transmitted through successive generations. In a days of victorious celebration, as well as days of trials, our People’s Army has made the Leadership Protection Concept as bases of its “Juche” revolution and main objective.
Our military that began with just two set of handguns, grew to be a formidable power that held off the imperialist invasion, and there is no such example in the history of world of military power development.
From its inception to this date, our People’s Army has grown to be a world class military power with incomparable expertise both in defensive and offensive capabilities acquired through its exposure to all-out wars, limited scale partisan operations, as well as numerous critical confrontations with enemy force often verging to full scale real engagement.
The military technological advantage is no longer monopolized by our imperialist enemies and days of their threat on us with atomic weapons are gone forever. Today’s military parade will clearly demonstrate this factual reality.
The word “People” in designating our army, signify that it is not only the guardian of our people but also the guarantor of our people’s happiness as well as the creator of our strong and prosperous people’s nation. Numerous national monuments as well as many monumental public facilities serving our people daily in our country are the results of blood and sweat of the members of our People’s Army.
Army of our leader, army of our party, army of our people, and army of revolutionary Baekdu spirit; Our People’s Army is indeed the greatest legacy left by our founding father, comrade Kim Ilsung. Ever victorious history of our heroic People’s Army is the reason our country is now today able to celebrate 100th anniversary and it is the security guarantee of our future, Kim Ilsung Korea, and Kim Jongil Korea.
Brilliant achievements of our great leaders, comrades Kim Ilsung and Kim Jongil in establishing military first policy, securing the independence of our republic and laying strong and prosperous economic foundation for our people’s future, will forever shine in our history.
Comrades!
We are all today standing at the threshold of next 100 years of new “Juche” history! Now is the time, we all, the followers and students of comrade Kim Jongil’s “Juche” ideology must stir ourselves up and take leadership position.
A few days ago, at our historic 4th Party Congress and 12th, 5th Session of the Supreme People’s Council, our beloved comrade Kim Jongil has been designated as an Eternal Supreme Leader of our Revolution, an Eternal Chief Secretary of Korean Workers Party and an Eternal Chairman of our National Defense Committee of our Republic: This is nothing but an expression of firm resolution by our Party, Military and People, to follow strictly the teachings and directions of our great leaders, comrade Kim Ilsung and comrade Kim Jongil on the “Juche” revolutionary principles.
We must follow the road to national independence, road to military-first and road to socialism as delineated by our great leaders, comrade Kim Ilsung and Kim Jongil, for that is the route to successful revolutionary strategy and eventual victory for our country.
If we are to realize our sacred national goal of establishing a military first Korea and prosperous socialist Korea, our first, second and third priorities must be all in the area of support for our People’s Army. Our People’s Army must in the process, continue to lead our country, stand at the forefront of our march, but also under the leadership of our Party.
Time will flow eternally, hundreds generations will come and go but nothing will change in the revolutionary stance of our People’s Army as established by its Leader, comrade Kim Ilsung and its General, comrade Kim Jongil, thus, they will march and fight under the spirit of Baekdu revolutionary tradition, holding high the Red Flag of Korean Worker’s Party.
We must continue the current “Follow the Oh Joongheup 7th Regiment Movement”, the entire military must transform and follow the example to become the “7th Regiment”
Our People’s Army must incorporate our Party’s “Juche” ideology into its military-political doctrine thus become fused with Party in all areas, ideology, policy planning, organizational structuring, military planning, etc.
The entire defensive force and every military unit must be diligent and ever prepared for every contingency, based on teachings on military strategy by comrades Kim Ilsung and Kim Jongil whose ever victorious defensive and offensive tactics effectively produced a highly disciplined, strong, revolutionary, and elite fighting force.
Within the confines of our Party structure, our various military segments are unified under a spirit of comradeship, and it coalesces with the entire people, herein lie the unique strength of our People’s Army and key to the flexibility in our force size. Our military must be “One” under the slogan of “Every soldier is your comrade” We are united in blood of revolutionary spirit.
Every officer and every soldier are precious comrade-in-arms of the supreme commander. Our trust is not on modern weapons, bullets, rockets, artillery, but on our soldiers. Officers, commanders, and even supreme leaders must remember they are nothing without soldiers. Every officer, every commander must treat their soldiers as their brothers and sisters, care for them warmly and with love, always prepared to run for them till ones heels bleed.
Our military is our people and our people are our military; this concept is where our society is rooted and where our revolutionary “military first policy” originates. Our People’s Army was born from our people’s anti-colonial Japanese guerilla warfare thus it must maintain the tradition. It must remember its origin, the people. Our great comrade general taught us to always “Help Our People” Regard people as your own brothers and sisters, even regard their dwellings as your own house.
In our modern history, our people had gone through much trial and much suffering, however in such processes of hardships they never failed to support our Party. I say this today that, it is the inalienable decision of our Party that we will not let our people to tighten their belts again anymore. We will bring prosperity and material wealth to our socialist society. We will ensure the growth and blooming of the economic plant that had been seeded by our great comrade Kim Jongil. When we add industrial revolution to our people-military cohesiveness, it will spell strong prosperous socialist country.
We are now entering into a new century and it must be the one with industrial revolution and economic development that will lead us to a strong and prosperous society. In this process also, our People’s Army must play a crucial leadership role and spearhead the movement. People, the Party and Workers, all aspects of our society must follow our military and their ever successful fighting records to achieve great leap forward bypassing years and generations.
As we aim for the building of a strong prosperous country and great improvement in the quality of our people’s economic life, our Party and Government are in need of peace; however, it must be made clear to all that our peace should not be at the expense of the pride of our people and independence of our nation.
Every member and every branch of our Armed Forces must do their utmost in discharging his or her duty, maintain diligence in keeping revolutionary fighting spirit, in order to protect the pride of our people and independence of our nation and peace and security essential in the process of building a strong and prosperous country.
It is profoundly heart breaking that our land and people, that had always been one, has been divided into two in the past almost 70 years. Our Party and the government hereby declare that it is willing to work with anyone who is dedicated to the concept of peninsula re-unification and prosperity of Korean people and it will continue to work diligently and patiently for the historic task of national re-unification.
Comrades!
• Our task is just and our power is limitless. • Great comrade Kim Ilsung and Kim Jongil live forever in the hearts of our people and members of People’s Army blessing the future of our country, thus as long as we have one-ness between military and people dedicated to the Baekdu revolutionary spirit and people dedicated to the works of the Party, the final victory will be ours. • I pledge that I will always be one of your humble comrades in the sacred path of military first revolution and will do my utmost in the discharge of my duty following faithfully the teachings of comrade Kim Jongil. • Let us fight together in unison, as worthy children of our great leader and worthy warriors and students of our great general. • At the forefront of our march towards the glory and victory of our revolution, there will always be the flag of our eternal leaders, comrade Kim Ilsung and comrade Kim Jongil ensuring forever our way to victory. March Forward, To Our Final Victory!
한국 정부가 자칭 <자유민주주의>라고 선전하면서도 알권리를 차단해 왔습니다. 남측 당국은 한국에 거주하는 독자들이 이 보도 자료들을 볼수 없도록 인터네트 열람을 봉쇄하고 있습니다. 그래서 <민족통신>은 한국 독자들이 twitter 와 facebook을 통하여 이 자료들을 열람할 수 있도록 하였습니다. 그 주소들은 다음과 같습니다.
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박문재 단장으로 참가한 재미동포의학자들이 평양서 토론회를 전개하는 모습
The 14th Annual Pyongyang Joint Medical Symposium
Word on the street:
New leadership means subtle changes for the better in Pyongyang
By Moon Jae Pak
*필자:박문재 박사
The 14th Annual Pyongyang Joint Medical Symposium, a meeting between medical scientists from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and overseas Korean medical scientists was held, as usual, during the first week of May this year. An American delegation of 15 Korean American medical scientists attended the conference and stayed in Pyongyang for a week. Many of the U.S. participants had been to this annual event before and were pretty familiar with the city. However, during this trip, I noticed a marked change, as did other frequent visitors to Pyongyang, on the street level as we moved from place to place during the week.
First-time visitors to Pyongyang always notice the vast scale of its streets and buildings. It is as though the design is intended to accommodate a much larger population and much more traffic than the city holds at the present. Westerners notice the urban open spaces, and the wide boulevards with a very few cars travelling on them.
However, during this trip, there were obviously many more people in the streets; some central areas of the city even showed signs of congestion! The people looked better dressed; the women in particular seemed more fashionable and were wearing a variety of colors and styles. Many wore high-heeled shoes rather than rubber-soled work shoes. Some even carried parasols that made bright spots on the cityscape. We talked to a few people each day as we walked around. They appeared to be cheerful, sociable and shy as usual, but not so inhibited as before in responding to casual questions posed by people who were obviously visitors. There are always long, orderly lines for public busses and trams, but I noticed people who looked more relaxed, having seemingly cheerful conversations with one another.
Kids in the street were no longer marching together in uniform, but moving in chatty groups, swinging their backpacks, some even carrying bags with Nike trademarks on them. I saw kids roller-blading in the streets, some with baseball caps worn backwards. This kind of casual sportswear would have been unusual just a few years ago.
The streets in Pyongyang were immaculately clean as usual, but the marked emptiness of just a few years ago has been filled with cars and various types of motor vehicles. In some areas, there was even some evidence of traffic jams. There were new traffic lights installed on some intersections, in addition to the usual smartly-uniformed women traffic police directing the traffic flow.
Trucks carried loads of various things.
A variety of new construction is in evidence. In the central urban areas particularly, there are new high-rise residential buildings which look architecturally very modern, gleaming blue and transparent with glass and steel ---- nothing square and stolid but curved and smooth. At the center of the city is the huge triangular building called the Yukyung Hotel. For many years, this building was a half-finished structure standing desolate. Now Asia’s tallest hotel, it is in the final stages of completion, with gleaming windows and a revolving restaurant on the top floor with commanding views of the city and the Daedong River, according to our guide.
One of the major attention-getters, however, is the new People’s Performance Hall, a huge circular, glass and steel structure, where, on April 15, a concert was performed by the 650-member Eunhasu Orchestra. The stage backdrop is an immense video screen.
Our conference fell at the time just after the North Korean failed satellite shot, and following multiple joint military maneuvers between the U.S. and South Korea held virtually at the doorstep of North Korea. Despite these events, there were surprisingly few signs or slogans indicating anti-U.S. sentiment. Even at the captured U.S. spy ship Pueblo, docked on the Daedong River, there was no line of people waiting to get in to view the usual anti-U.S. exhibit held inside the ship.
On May 1 or May Day, their Labor Day Holiday, our delegation held a picnic at Moranbong Park, one of Pyongyang’s famous municipal parks. We found it full of people joyously having barbecues, and singing and dancing all over the place. We had some trouble finding a corner of our own for the picnic. Upon finding out there was a group from America in their midst, the locals offered us drinks and food, and dragged us out to dance with them!
In all conversations with our North Korean official contacts, guides or ordinary people, references to their new young leader, Jong Un Kim, always elicited smiles and expressions of affection. It struck me that this was different from the air of formality, stiff respect, or perhaps even fear I sensed in conversations about Jong Il Kim when he was alive and in power.
North Koreans refer to their leader either as “Young General” or “Young Commander,” and frequently repeat the last sentence of his April 15 speech, which was “march forward to our final victory!” This slogan is posted in many public places throughout the city. During our stay, it became gradually clear that the refreshing changes in North Korean society are a reflection of a subtle, but definitely different, policy direction of the new leader, Jong Un Kim.
Unlike his father, Jong Un Kim is a communicator. His April 15 speech contains a few surprising indications of differences in his policy direction as compared with Jong Il Kim. (Refer to the translated excerpts of his speech on facing page, left.)
The speech follows the usual rhetoric of his father’s policy; however, there are certain areas where his own personality emerges. For example, he refers to North Korea’s “military first” policy, but warns that the military is serving people, and that the military is under the direction of the Party. In referring to South Korea, Jong Un’s tone is clearly friendly, calling them “brothers and sisters of the South.” He also stated that, due to the success of the military-first policy of his predecessors (his father and grandfather), the country has now achieved a sufficient “deterrence,” such that he will not need to ask the people for any belt-tightening for the sake of national defense anymore, but rather, that his priorities will be on economic development and the improvement of the people’s lives and welfare.
Jong Un Kim also stated that he is willing to work with and talk with anyone who is dedicated to the concept of peace and re-unification of the peninsula, and the prosperity of the Korean people.
It may be that, with this new leader, the relationship between North Korea and the U.S., as well as between the two Koreas, could be entering a new era which will be beneficial to both Koreas as well as the U.S.
Unfortunately, the current U.S. policy direction is to contain China by placing 60 percent of the U.S. naval force in and around the waters of East Asia, and build a tri-party alliance between the U.S., Japan and South Korea by pressuring the current conservative governments of Japan and Korea. This is particularly a dangerous move for Koreans and the Korean Peninsula, since this new Cold War concept between China, Russia and North Korea on one hand and the U.S., Japan and South Korea on the other, might not only nullify the chance of reconciliation between the Koreas but could lead to another 1950s-style proxy war on the Korean Peninsula.
Fortunately, there is a clear indication of awareness, at least among progressive elements in South Korea, concerning this issue; for example, a recent secretive and deceitful attempt by its conservative regime and its president to sign an agreement with Japan to share military intelligence was cancelled at the last minute when it became known to the public, and the discovery started an uproar. There has been a continued and tenacious popular objection to the establishment of a naval base in the island of Jeju, although the construction project is still ongoing, pressed on by the current conservative government.
The most important and critical opportunity for South Koreans, and all Koreans, to advance the idea of peace and reunification of the Koreas, will be the December 2012 South Korean presidential election. The current conservative, pro-Japan, pro-U.S. party must be eliminated and replaced by a progressive party and a progressive president, who will revive the spirit of two important North-South agreements of the recent past, known as the “6-15 North-South Agreement” and its follow-up, the “10-4 Agreement.” In these two agreements, the two Koreas jointly agreed to forge ahead toward a common goal of reunification without interference by any external force, whether from the U.S., China, Japan or Russia.
A reunified Korea, whether wholly reunified or joined in a confederation, would be a country of 74 million, with great mineral and other natural resources from the North and the world’s highest technical know-how from the South. It is a future worth working for.
Korea’s unique geopolitical predicament, however, as a small country in a key location between superpowers, will never change. Another goal of reunification should be a state of permanent neutrality, guaranteed by maintaining a strong defensive force that includes a small high-tech ground force, a blue water navy and cutting-edge air force. It should also include an area for nuclear weaponry in the middle of the peninsula, jointly owned and operated. This could be called the Pan-Korean Nuclear Base and Research Center.
Korea’s neighbors are all either nuclear powers now, or could imminently become a nuclear power. China, the U.S. and Russia have their share; Japanese leaders have repeatedly boasted that their country could be a nuclear state within a few months of a decision to become one. Korea would neutralize its nuclear force on a joint agreement by all powers to do so in a way that is complete, irreversible and verifiable.
Moon Jae Pak is a Detroit-area physician specializing in internal medicine, and is the chair of the U.S.-DPRK Medical Science Exchange Committee (UDMEDEX). He is also the senior vice-president of the Korean American National Coordinating Council (KANCC) which facilitates cultural and scientific exchanges between the U.S. and the DPRK.
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*관련 보도자료 보기
한국 정부가 자칭 <자유민주주의>라고 선전하면서도 알권리를 차단해 왔습니다. 남측 당국은 한국에 거주하는 독자들이 이 보도 자료들을 볼수 없도록 인터네트 열람을 봉쇄하고 있습니다. 그래서 <민족통신>은 한국 독자들이 twitter 와 facebook을 통하여 이 자료들을 열람할 수 있도록 하였습니다. 그 주소들은 다음과 같습니다.
