President Kim Il Sung bestowed unstinting love for the service personnel of the Korean People’s Army during the hard-fought Fatherland Liberation War (June 25, 1950-July 27, 1953). His meticulous affection was the source of matchless might and courage for the soldiers, inspiring them to the struggle against the enemies.
Crossing a railway bridge
It happened in July 1950 when the President was on his way to the Front Command over 400 kilometres away from Pyongyang. His car arrived at the side of the Rimjin River at midnight, but the bridge was already broken by the enemies’ bombing.
After gazing at the swirling water he said to his suite there would be a railway bridge around there and proposed crossing the river over there.
The officials were surprised at his thought, because it was difficult for them to drive a car over sleepers in the dead of night under dangerous situation that there was no knowing when the enemy planes would attack the bridge. They earnestly asked him to withdraw his proposal.
Then, he told them as follows: Our soldiers at the front are waiting for us. Right now they are fighting against the enemies at the cost of their lives. There is nothing to waver in my determination. Let’s cross the river.
So, his car crossed the railway bridge over the Rimjin River inch by inch in the dead of night, to go to the soldiers at the front.
With a sense of parental affection
One day in September 1951, the President, braving a hail of shells, climbed Mt Jihye linked with Height 1211.
That day, after giving precious instructions to turn the height into an impregnable fortress, he asked commanding officers to take good care of the soldiers with parental affection, ranging from such problems as their food, clothing and rest to their military actions.
The officers were deeply moved, listening to him that it would be good to grow bean sprouts and serve soldiers with its soup.
One midnight, he rang up a commander and told him that all the combatants were irreplaceable treasures and revolutionary comrades-in-arms and that they should be provided with warm rice and hot soup and with a warm place to sleep, as it had already begun to get cold. He also asked him to take good care of them worrying they would catch cold.
His parental love encouraged the soldiers on Height 1211 to perform brilliant feats in defence of the height at the cost of their blood.
Thinking soldiers before himself
One day in April 1951, the President was told that his bodyguards obtained some buckwheat flour to be used in making noodles for his birthday (April 15). He declined their proposal and asked them to keep it well.
In June, two months later, he dropped in at the kitchen and asked the soldiers on the cook’s duty to make noodles for supper.
The soldiers, who had missed their opportunity to serve him noodles on his birthday, felt elated at the thought that they could realize their wish, though belatedly, and busied themselves with setting up a noodle-making press and boiling water in high spirits.
That day, the President, after having a talk with DPRK Heroes and model combatants, invited them to supper and personally served them noodles, asking them to have some more.
The soldiers were deeply moved by his parental affection.
