Blessed with Soldiers
On December 1, 1996 Kim Jong Il visited the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Tank Division of the Korean People’s Army to inspect the tank men’s training.
He climbed up to an observation post and surveyed the drilling ground where snow was flurrying.
An officer of the division, pointing to the heated stones scattered across the floor of the observation post, said that they had been brought by the soldiers.
Greatly moved, the General looked closely at them and praised the soldiers.
The drill began.
The more time passed, the more the storm was raging.
It was freezing in the observation post.
The officers of the division and others accompanying Kim Jong Il asked him to stand on the stones and warm himself.
Throughout the drill, however, he stood on the frozen floor.
Many years later, he saw a performance given by an art group of the division, particularly the reciting of a poem titled The Great Songun Road, written on the theme of the above heated stones. He told officials that while seeing the performance, he recollected his inspection of the tank men’s drill at the division during the Arduous March.
He continued to say: That day it was very cold. I felt as if my feet were frozen. The soldiers brought the heated stones to the observation post so that I could warm myself. Seeing the soldiers training in the biting cold, I could not step onto those heated stones. The moment I saw the stones brought by my laudable soldiers, I felt warm in my heart and tears gathered in my eyes.
Then he went on:
“There are no soldiers in the world as excellent as mine. I am blessed with my soldiers.”
