I Had Honor to Know Great Leader, Great Man

I would feel proud whenever I tell about President Kim Il Sung and at the same time be anxious to find words to inform the readers of how great he was, a political leader and man who devoted all his lifetime from childhood to the people.

The glorious and long history before and after the division of the country forced by foreign powers is closely associated with his name.

He made great successes in all fields to the last moment of his life to lay the rainbow of love of people starting from the small village of Mangyongdae to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun and left the things unfulfilled for the people to bring them, his dream, into reality.

President Kim Il Sung, like a giant tree rooted deep yielding innumerable leaves, brought up leader Kim Jong Il, the same giant who worked day and night to develop the idea of the great leader and Comrade Kim Jong Un who is working today for all the Korean people with the instructions of the two preceding giants always in his mind.

Assigned to the mission of the Ambassador in the DPRK by the Cuban Government I had the honour of being acquainted with him close by. I met him 44 times from December 1988 to February 1994 sometimes single-handedly and other times in various events accompanying Cuban delegations visiting Korea.

He visited our embassy twice laying great store on the relations with Cuba and the acquaintanceship with Comrade Fidel Castro.

As I have told on many occasions I had talks with him about various problems: agriculture, construction, mining, culture and military and so on, when I found him well versed with all the problems concerned.

However, his most heart-aching anguish was the division of Korea. He put forth many proposals for reunifying the country in an independent and peaceful way. Every time I acknowledged his words about the problem of reunification and witnessed him maturing new ideas for reunifying Korea into one for the welfare of the Korean people and mankind.

They say a man cannot choose the time of his birth and death, but can the way to live.

President Kim Il Sung chose to live for the sake of the people to the last moment of his life.

He, as a world political leader, believed in the great potentiality of mankind and challenged the US imperialists, relying on the mankind and his own people.

The US imperialists continue to threaten the DPRK, but cannot bend it. A man like President Kim Il Sung may decease physically, but will live always in the mind and heart of his people and progressive mankind because his life will last ever like the stars.

Mankind will certainly see the death of imperialism.

People will grow free as the days go by and the free and happy people will always keep his smile in mind.

The people in Mt. Paektu say that they heard the guerrillas preparing the next battle in the secret camp in a quiet night, Comrade Kim Il Sung gave them orders and led the unit to victory and Comrade Kim Jong Il was loading his small wooden toy pistol cut by a guerrilla. They said also that in the night when bright moon and stars were reflected at the lake President Kim Il Sung would have a walk counting stars and contemplating the problem of the national reunification.

These stories are not superstitions, but expression of love of their leaders that they are grateful to them and keep it in their mind down the generations to come. ***

Juan Jose Leon Vega First Vice-President of Cuban Committee for Support of Korea’s Reunification
Ex-Ambassador of Cuba in the DPRK