President Kim Il Sung entered the yard of his native home in Mangyongdae, Pyongyang, at the time of sunset on March 29 Juche 12(1923) after fourteen days of travel from Badaogou in China.
His grandmother was so glad to see him that she hugged him and bombarded him with questions about whom he came with and what kind of transportation he used, to which he could not find time to answer.
He grasped a hand of his grandmother whose eyes were filled with tears and answered smilingly that he came alone on foot.
He told his grandmother, who was quite surprised, that although he is young in age he could travel alone across two countries` borders. He wondered how far one thousand ri would be but it was nothing when he actually tried and he could even walk two or three thousand ri, he added.
What surprised the grandparents more was that he took out some money saying it was the remainder of the travel expenses his father gave him.
The grandmother stroked her grandson’s legs, saying he came such a long way without taking a vehicle.
Looking at his grandson with an air of satisfaction, the grandfather asked how many days he was going to stay and rest.
The President replied that he did not come to rest for some days but to study and that a Korean should do Korean study in Korea. The grandparents were astonished once again by his words and nodded in understanding of their grandson’s deep intention of making the one-thousand-ri journey at the age of eleven.
