great programme

8/14/2019 Great Programme

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GREATPROGRAMME

FOR NATIONALUNION

In Memory of the North-South JointConference and Mr. Kim G u

Kim Jong Hang & An U Saeng

Foreign Languages Publishing House

Pyongyang, Korea

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proposed the north-south joint conference, the crisis ofdivision was at a very dangerous stage.

Having established a military government in southKorea, the United States was pressing ahead with itspreparations to set upa separate government by combiningpro-Japanese elements and traitors to the nation.

The meeting of the "Soviet-US Joint Commission"which was resumed at Toksu Palace, Seoul, after aninterval of a year, was again brought to deadlock becauseof the unfair claims of the US side which did not accordwith the original aim of the meeting. Deliberately puttingobstacles in the way of establishing a unified Koreangovernment which had been agreed upon in the decisionof the three ministers' conference in Moscow and seekingto set up a separate government in south Korea, the USimperialists fermented an anti-communist atmosphere bytaking advantage of the anti-trusteeship campaign* 3 andtorpedoed the work of the "Soviet-US Joint Commission,"and then illegally brought the Korean question to theUnited Nations. Syngman Rhee, who had already begun tostate on June 3, 1946 that "the establishment of a sepa-rate government cannot be avoided", openly played therole of standard-bearer in the campaign for "separateelections and a separate government" at the instigationof the US imperialists. The situation was becominggrave.

In those days when it was indispensable for the patrioticforces to unite against the plot for "separate elections and aseparate government," the different political forces insouth Korea were divided into the left, right and centregroups and so did not keep in step with each other. Thiswas extremely regrettable. In the "Korean IndependenceParty" headed by Mr Kim Gu and to which I (An U Saeng)also belonged, opinions were divided and the dissidentsdeeded, forming the "New Korea Nationalist Party" andthe "Democratic Korea Independence Party." Efforts tobring about an alliance of the patriotic forces failed everytime. Owing to the intrigues of the US imperialists, thesituation came to such a pass that on July 19,1947 Mr.Ryo Un Hyong, who had been trying to bring about left-

right cooperation, was assassinated on the street ici broaddaylight. '

Watching the turbulent situation, Mr. Kim Gu passedunhappy days with mixed feelings. After he returned home,his "Provisional Government" was brushed aside by theUS military government. So he became the vice-chairmanof the "Central Council for the Promotion of Independe-nce" formed by Syngman Rhee after his return home,and, as such, spearheaded the anti-trusteeship campaign.But this only tended to produce the absurd resultsof helping the US moves to split our nation and the es-tablishment of Syngman Rhee's foothold. No matterhow much he might deplore this, Mr. Kim Gu was unable toimprove the situation which was moving towards division.He resented the behaviour of Lieutenant General Hodge,commander of the US army occupying south Korea, andSyngman Rhee, calling them "unpardonable fellows." Butin fact, he was not in a position to stand against themsuccessfully. Compromise was out of the question.Nevertheless, it was beyond his ability to rally enoughforces to challenge them.

Asa matter of fact, in those days there was nofbcal point,no central figure endowed with the authority of leadercapable of rallying the patriotic forces in south Korea.

The excitement of national liberation had evaporatedand now, in the face of the grave situation in which thecrisis of territorial partition and national division wasrapidly looming large, all the people were overcome withintense concern for the destiny of the country and thefuture of the people.

The prevailing situation urgently demanded the unity ofthe internal patriotic forces of the7 nation to frustrate the USimperialists' scheme for "separate elections and a separategovernment" and build a united independent statethroughout the whole country.

The wise General Kim II Sung showed a sure way tobreak the deadlock. In the light of the situation in which the

United States had disrupted the work of the "Soviet-USJoint Commission" for establishing a united democraticprovisional government in Korea and illegally brought the

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Korean question to the United Nations in September 1947,the General suggested at the meeting of co-chairmen ofthe Central Committee of the Democratic National UnitedFront of North Korea on October 3,1947 that representa- -fives of the political parties and public organizations ofnorth and south Korea, should meetto hold consultations in

order to foil the US imperialists' plan to split our nation andestablish a united democratic government by the com-bined efforts of the patriotic forces in north and southKorea.

Thanks to the energetic activities of the wise General,preparations started for the north-south joint conferencewhich was intended to relieve the national distress. Somepeople were dispatched to make contact with variousparties and groups in south Korea, and others from southKorea came to visit the north. In those days travel betweenthe north and the south was difficult because of the 38thparallel* 1*, but still private barter trade was connived at andthe movement of people between the two zones was alsopossible. So, many people crossed the 38th parallel.

In the early winter of 1947 I (Kim Jong Hang) con-ducted Mr. Song Si Baekfrom south Korea to the General.A man with strong patriotic sentiment, he crossed the 38thparallel from an ardent desire to learn at first hand about theGeneral's programme for saving the country.

At the interview given to Mr. Song Si Baek that day, theGeneral stressed the necessity of cooperation between thecommunists and the nationalists to overcome the nationaldistress of the growing danger of division. Learning that hehad contacts among members of the "ProvisionalGovernment" even before August 15, the General ex-pressed a hope that he would tell Messrs. Kim'Guxan d KimGyu Sikand other rightwing nationalists of the need-to allythemselves and cooperate with the communists andthereby induce them to take part in bringing about thenorth-south joint conference.

At the beginning of 1948, the wise General worked evenharder to carry the idea of the north-south joint conferenceinto reality.

Even now I (Kim Jong Hang), vividly remember the

remarks made by the General on January 8 that year.He said that in order to form a nationwide uniteq front, it

was necessary to cooperate open-mindedly with therightwing nationalist forces in south Korea, and in par-ticular Mr. Kim Gu, who were not servile to US imperialism.He judged Mr. Kim Gu to be a nationalist with a patrioticconscience who had a strong anti-Japanese feeling,disliked the United States at present and was concernedabout the future of the country, even though he hadadopted an anti-communist attitude before. With this theGeneral referred to the need to push forward the work withMr. Kim Gu and other political figures in south Korea withwhom contact had already been made for cooperation.Then, on January 13 he gave instructions that lettersshould be sent to Messrs. Kim Gu and Kim Gyu Sik andvarious political parties and public organizations in southKorea which contained a proposal for convening a nation-

wide meeting to discuss the building of a united andcompletely independent and sovereign state. Mr. Song SiBaek was amongst those who were given the task ofconveying the letters.

The General, who had always attached great importanceto the united front of the anti-Japanese patriotic forcesduring the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle, success-fully led the work of rallying the patriotic forces forreunification after liberation by drawing on his richexperience.

I (An U Saeng) was in south Korea at that time. There Iagain met Mr. Song Si Baek who was a n old friend from thetime when I was staying in Chongqing, China.Accompanied by my younger brother (An Ji Saeng), hecame to see me at my home in Namchangdong and stayedwith me about a fortnight, exchanging views on thechanging disturbed situation. Our opinions coincidedeasily, probably because of our common concern for thenation. We at last reached the same conclusion about theway out of the national impasse. It lay through getting allforeign troops withdrawn and joining hands and cooperat-ing with the communists in the north to check and frustratethe plot for "separate elections and a separate govern-


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people, the common denominator, in the actual situationwhen the danger of national division was imminent, hefound it hard to bridge the gap caused by the ideologicaldifference between the two parties. Since I have alwayshated the communists in the past, he thought, withmisgivings, they wll also spurn me. And his fears were notgroundless.

Around the "Provisional Government" put up by polit-ical emigres who had been deprived of their country by theJapanese imperialists and taken refuge abroad were manydifferent political forces who followed different isms anddoctrines and indulged in sectarian strife, attacking andslandering one another every day and even perpetratedtragic acts of bloodshed. Mr. KimGu himself had been shotby Kim Un Han, a youth belonging to the "New KoreaIndependence Party" who had been urged on by theJapanese spy Pak Chang Se and was blinded with

sectarian feud, and the bullet was still in his body. On theother hand, it was a fact that he had been a terror to peopleof other parties and groups and even to the "communists"from the time when he had headed the Police Bureau of the"Provisional Government."

He had regarded the communists as people who onlycried for the "motherland of ideology" taking no accountof their own nation and despised and shunned thenationalists indiscriminately. So he used to treat thecommunists as sworn enemies, and the nationalists in

Northeast China who had a good understanding with the"Provisional Government" would ruthlessly kill thoseyoung people who were coming to the Korean People'sRevolutionary Army as communists. After liberation aterrorist group named after Mr. Kim Gu was caught whileoperating secretly in north Korea.

To me (An U Saeng) his feeUngs were quite under-standable when he hesitated to start on a journey to thenorth, remembering all these things from the past

General Kim II Sung's consent was needed by Mr. Kim

Gu. So, my great unple An Gyong Gun and Kwon TaeYang, the liaison man of Mr. Kim Gyu Sik, were chosen togo on-this errand to Pyongyang in strict secrecy.

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While seeing An Gyong Gun off, I recalled an eventwhich had taken place a few years previous . It wastowards the endof 1944, when the defeat of the Japaneseimperialists was becoming obvious to all. So Mr. Kim Gufelt very impatient. He wanted to participate in the finaldecisive battle for national liberation so as to return homewith glory, but the "Provisional Government" was tooweak. The terrorist tactics employed so far against in-dividuals were far from applicable in the great war ofnational liberation. The plan of founding a Liberation Armyworked out in 1942 would go into effect in 1945, and thearmy with its composition of scores of men was only asymbolic one. Therefore, it was possible that they mightgreet liberation without firing a single shot.

In this situation, Mr. Kim Gu discussed the mattercarefully with a few members of his entourage and decidedto send a man to General Kim II Sung as an envoy.

The Korean People's Revolutionary Army had beenfighting grim and bloody battles against the one-million-strong Kwantung army and puppet Manchukuo army andthe Japanese and Manchukuo police all over theManchurian plains and the Paekdu Mountains. The bril-liant military achievements of the revolutionary army werewidely known amongst the Koreans at home and abroad aslegends and even the government-patronized publicationscould not conceal the high authority of the revolutionaryarmy which had solid foundations among the broad

masses.Mr. Kim Gu thought that an alliance should be formed in

whatever form with the Korean People's RevolutionaryArmy led by the legendary hero General Kim II Sung. Thisthought enabled him to transcend his confirmed anti-communist ideas. In consideration of the atmospheresurrounding us at the time, the dispatch of the emissarywas kept a secret, known only to a few including Mr. KimGu, Cho Wan Gu and me (An U Saeng). Li Chung Mo wholeft with Mr. Kim Gu's letter of credence went as far as

Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, but was delayed there trying tofind a route to Northeast China. As a result the August 15liberation took place while he was on his way. The mission

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left unfulfilled by Li Chung Mo fell, so to speak, on theshoulders of An Gyong Gun in a new historical context afew years later. It seemed to me, who knew all thesecircumstances, that this was a strange turn of fate for Mr.Kim Gu. My heart was filled with deep emotion.

General Kim II Sung met An Gyong Gun and Kwon TaeYang. Hearing of Mr. Kim Gu's misgivings about how hethought of the things of the past, he said magnanimouslythat he let bygones be bygones.

The General told them that it would be a stubbornattitude detrimental to the great cause to call the past intoquestion at the moment when the difficulties confrontingthe liberated homeland had to be fought. He made it clearthat it was a tradition maintained from the time of the anti-Japanese revolution to observe the principle of not holdingthe past against anyone. The liaison officials said Mr. KimGu would be delighted and went back with light feet.

At last, on March 25, the 26th meeting of the CentralCommittee of the Democratic National United Front ofNorth Korea adopted an open letter about holding thenorth-south joint conference in Pyongyang from April 14,and an invitation was extended to many political parties,public organizations and individuals in south Korea.

On April 8 the liaison officials came once again andconveyed the suggestion of Messrs. Kim Gu and Kim GyuSik to postpone the conference for 4-5 days in view of theobstructive outcry. The General readily accepted their

suggestion and took steps to open the joint conference onApril 19. -

Messrs. Kim Gu and Kim Gyu Sik had no cause tohesitateany longer. They madeuptheir minds to attend thejoint conference and announced this fact. At about thistime, many middle-of-the-road and rightwing politicalparties and public organizations also decided to take part inthe conference and issued statements to this effect in quicksuccession. The feelings of the south Korean peopleinclined towards Pyongyang where the joint conference

would be held and delegates rapidly set out for the north.When Mr. KimGuwasabout to leave for north Korea, theUS imperialists and Syngman Rhee clique made every

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effort to obstruct him. On April 6, Lieutenant GeneralHodge, commander of the US army force occupying southKorea, threatened to label participants in the jotfttconfe-renceas communists or pro-communist elements. Thetraitor Syngman Rhee visited the Kyonggyo Villa severaltimes to dissuade Mr. Kim Gu. The opponents of theentente said that Mr. Kim Gu would be detained inPyongyang if he went there, and men from the "KoreaDemocracy Party" tried to influence his son Kim Sin bytaking him to various restaurants.

The riffraff, including rightwing reactionary students,besieged the Kyonggyo Villa for several days until thedeparture of Mr. Kim Gu and even staged demonstrationsagainst his journey to the north.

Mr. Kim Gu scolded them, saying:"Once I have made up my mind to go, nobody can

dissuade me. Even if you try to haul me, Kim Gu, witha

pack of as many as 100 bulls, my mind will not stir at all."Mr. Kim Gu could not be prevented from attending the

all-nation meeting for national reunification. At the age of72, he embarked on the great patriotic road of alliance withcommunism.

Amid the great expectation of the whole nation thehistoric north-south joint conference wasfinally opened atthe Moranbong Theatre in Pyongyang on April 19,1948.

The conference was attended by 695 representatives of56 political parties and public organizations in north andsouth Korea. As the newspapers hailed it as "A GiganticStep Forward of the Nation in Opposition to All Shades ofRunkeyism and the Idea of Reliance on Outside Forces,"

the joint conference was an all-nation meeting represent-ing all the patriotic forces of the north and the south exceptfor the handful of quislings and traitors who were seeking

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"separate elections and a separate government" in southKorea.

Kim Wol Song, who was the oldest man amongst thedelegates declared the joint conference open, and tens ofthousands of congratulatory messages and telegrams sentto the conference from alJ parts of the country wereannounced.

In the light of the circumstances in which Messrs. KimGu and Kim Gyu Sik and their suites would arrive atPyongyang on the 20th because of the obstructive acts oftheir opponents, the wise General ensured that the con-ference adjourned fora day prior to the debate on the basicitem.

At the second day's sitting. General Kim II Sung de-livered a historic report. Pointing out that the patrioticforces of north and south should wage a unified nation-wide struggle to establish a united central government onan independent and democratic principle, he said:

"Anyone who truly loves the country shouldcategorically reject treacherous separate elec-tions. In this nationwide struggle all people whoare concerned about the fate of the country and thenation, must unite, irrespective of party affiliation,religious denomination and political views. ...

"We should exert all our efforts and wage anationwide struggle to build a unified, independentsovereign state and set up a unified government on

democratic principles."The representatives of various social sections attendingthe conference voiced their supportforand approval of theGeneral's report as a beacon fighting the road of nationalsalvation and reunification, and the representatives fromsouth Korea expressed a determination to further intensifythe struggle against the separate elections which would bedetrimental to the nation.

Mr. Kim Gu who attended the resumed conference andwas elected to the presidium made a speech on the third

day. Stressing that it was an important task to reject theanti-patriotic separate elections in south Korea, he calledfor efforts to reunify the country in a spirit of unity.

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The north-south joint conference unanimously adopteda "resolution on the political situation in Korea" expressingtheir resolve to oppose and reject the separate elections insouth Korea and to establish a united government, askedthe Soviet Union and the United States to withdraw theirtroops, and organized a Committee of Struggle against theseparate elections. At the same time, it adopted the"Appeal to All the Korean Compatriots" 'calling for astruggle to save the country.

The conference ended successfully on April 23.Mr. Kim Gu was greatly moved at the fruitful results of

the north-south oint conference. In fact, some of the southKorean representatives had doubted whether the jointconference attended by people with different ideas andpolitical views would turn out successfully, and there wereeven people who attended just to see how things woulddevelop. As for Mr. Kim Gu himself, as an exile for a long

time, he had found it difficult to achieve unity even withinthe "Provisional Government" and after liberation, hadalso failed to bring about unity between various parties andgroups for complete independence and sovereignty insouth Korea in spite of his strenuous efforts. Because ofthese experiences and precedents he had been somewhatconcerned about the outcome of the joint conference, buthad set out on the journey putting aside all other matterssince the cause of national salvation and reunification wasurgent.

However/people from various parties and groups in thenorth and south turned out and gathered at the jointconference planned and called by the General, at whichtheir wishes for national salvation and reunification wereunited and they declared that they would wage a nation-wide struggle with one objectiveto reject the "separateelections and a separate government" and achieve.in-dependence and reunification.

It was a meeting of great national concord which hewitnessed for the first time in his life. The wise General

brought about national unity which he had sought all hislife. ' . . He was struck with admiration from the bottom of his

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heart at the outstanding attraction andtjreat leadership ofthe General who united as one under the banner of nationalideal and patriotism all those who differed in thinking andpolitical conception.

Following the joint conference, the wise General heldmany consultations with Messrs. Kim Gu, Kim Gyu Sik,Hong Myong Hui and Cho Wan Gu in a sincere andharmonious atmosphere about definite measures for in-dependent reunification.

During many discussions, Mr. Kim Gu again sym-pathized with and wasfascinated by the clear-cut stand ofindependence and splendid plan of reunification of theGeneral who put the fate and honour of the nation beforeeverything else. So, he felt he had been absolutely correctwhen he had come to the north, regardless of success orfailure. H had started on the journey to the north with agrim resolution to give away his own life at once if thecountry wanted it and to refuse his cooperation withanybody to establish a separate government for his per-sonal convenience even if he fell dead on the 38th paralleltrying to build a reunified motherland.

While he was attending the joint conference and severaltalks and making many inspection trips in north Korea, hewas persuaded in the depths of his mind that the wiseGeneral Kim II Sung wasthefocal point of national union.

He solemnly signed and sealed the joint statement on themeasures for saving the nation adopted at the consultative

meeting of the leaders of political parties and organizationsin north and south Korea held on April 30. It was aconfession of his soul and declaration of his patriotism toachieve the sacred cause of reunification at all coststhrough the unity of compatriots of the same blood bysinking differences in thinking and ideals.

During his stay Mr. Kim Gu visited and inspected manyplaces in north Korea.

He was greatly impressed by the spirit of independenceof the Koreans who under the leadership of the wise

General were guarding the honour of the nation exercisingall their rights in their own land. ,The spirit of national independence was what impressed

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himfrom the first moment he setfoot in north Korea. Whenhe and his party crossed the 38th parallel, they werestopped by -the guards. This was due to a slip of thereception personnel who had been instructed by theGeneral to see that there was no omission in welcomingthem. Mr. Kim Gu could not conceal his displeasure at theguards challenging him when he was coming to the northon the understanding that his past would not be heldagainst him and on a formal invitation. Hearing that theGeneral had learned of this and reprimanded the officialconcerned, he felt sorry thinking that the General had dealtwith the man so strictly when he and his party had beenchecked by our own guards who were not foreign soldiers.

I (An U Saeng) was late in leaving Seoul because I wasdelayed in settling outstanding matters, and arrived at the38th parallel with Mr. Kim Gyu Sik and his suite. I took afew steps forward and shouted in Russian, "Tovarish". Butthe men who came out were not Soviet soldiers but Koreanguards and reception officials. This was something whichwe had not expected, because we had thought that in thenorth, as in south Korea where the American troops playedthe master, the Soviet soldiers would be acting as mastersas a matter of course.

When Mr. Kim Gu and his party attended the publicperformance given in celebration of the joint conference,they were also pleased at the national melodies of thesongs and the national rhythms of the dances and so they

applauded loudly. At the Hwanghae IrotvWorks, they weredeeply impressed at the sight of the gigantic blast furnacesbeing skilfully operated by Koreans. Atan exciting scene oftapping the molten iron they even shouted "Hurrah!"

Deeply moved at the situation in north Korea where thefresh spirit of independencewas brimming in all spheres ofsocial life and things everywhere were Korean and full ofnational flavour, Mr. Kim Gu said that "it is vibrant with anew rising spirit." This remark from a man who was usuallytaciturn and slow of speech rather than being a fluent

speaker was an expression of his respect for the wiseGeneral who had laid a fine groundwork for nationalindependence and sovereignty which he had longed for all

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through his life of 70 years.During his stay here he was also deeply impressed by the

modest and kind hearted character and lofty virtues of thewise General.

This feeling budded and took shape even at the firstreception. Upon his arrival in Pyongyang Mr. Kim Gu

changed his clothes at the hotel and immediately went tosee the General in his office. Until then his deportmentreminded one somehow that he was still caring about hisimportance a,nd authority as President of the "ProvisionalGovernment."

The General received Mr. Kim Gu courteously andwarmly and said, as though talking to an old acquaintance,that he must have hada hard time to comeand thanked himfor his coming all the way for the sake of the cause ofnational reunification in spite of his old age.

Mr, Kim Gu expressed his regret at arriving late for theconference and presented his son Kim Sin to the General.

Addressing Kim Sin, the General expressed appreciationfor his trouble in taking his elderly father on a long ourney.

, He told him what had happened so far and asked him forhis opinion about the agenda or proceeding of the con-ference. He also inquired whether he was comfortable."Then he introduced me (Kim Jong Hang) as His secretaryand recommended me to him as a secretary. Mr. Kim Gu feltembarrassed and declined the offer, but the General againurged him to use me as a secretary.

After this first meeting he was seen off by the General atthe porch. When he returned to his quarters with me,members of his suite gathered round him and asked, "Didyou meet him. Sir?"

"He is a young General and is really admirable," he saidwith a feeling of confidence in the young General* his faceradiating satisfaction and assurance.

To tell the truth, after the August 15 liberation, politiciansfrom the south came to see General Kim II Sung not withfeelings of respect and admiration alone from the first Not

infrequently, old politicians who, proud of their longrecords of political activities and high public reputation,had refused to take a humble attitude, but when they

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met the young General, they bowed their heads and feltrespect for him. Such was the case with Mr. RyoUn Hyongand also with Mr. Kim Gu.

This feeling of Mr. Kim Gu deepened further atMangyongdae. That day he visited the School for theBereaved Children of Revolutionaries there. Then, as theweather was fine, he went up to Mangyong Hill. On his

way down after looking out over the surrounding scene, hepassed the General's native home.He had an important meeting with Kim Bo Hyon who

was mending the fence in the yard. Learning thatKim Bo Hyon was the grandfather of the General, hegreeted him politely.

When the grandfather found that he was Mr. Kim Gu, heremembered something and asked whether he was not thesame Mr. Kim Gu who had been arrested on a charge ofkilling a Japanese officer, Tsuchida, at Chihapo in 1896

and had a trying time in the Inchon prison, from which heescaped and wandered from place to place until he hidhimself in the Ryongchon Buddhist hermitage nearMangyongdae where he passed himself off as its residentpriest. Deeply touched by the fact that the grandfatherremembered the past in such detail, Mr. Kim Gu thankedhim.

The party of visitors looked very surprised to learn thatthe low, humble straw-thatched house was the General'snative home. They looked around the inside and outside ofthe yard, open shed and even kitchen, but could not findexpensive articles but ordinary farm impleme/itsand simplehousehold utensils, and there was only a bowl of leftoverscooked with minor cereals. This amazed them still more.

Mr. Kim Gu courteously said to Kim Bo Hyon:"The General is your eldest grandson, so why do you toil

without resting comfortably in your old age?""Although he is my grandson, I'm a farmer, aren't I?" the

grandfather replied. "From olden times it has been said thatfarming is the foundation of the country. So, only when weraise good crops will the state affairs administered by mygrandson proceed smoothly, isn't that so?"

On his way back from Mangyongdae, Mr. Kim Gu quietly

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said that he had learned many things from his meeting withthe grandfather and was greatly moved for the first time inhis life.

"Indeed, like grandson, like grandfather!" he said ingreat admiration even after he returned to his quarters.

His respect and affection for the wise General deepenedever more when he saw his modest appearance at the massdemonstration in celebration of May Day where he stoodexposed to the falling rain with the demonstrators, when helearned that the General had discovered his preference infood and had ensured that green pea paste and toastedlaver were served on his table at every meal, and when hecame into touch with his simple and kind habits as the lattertook him along to Ssuk Islet on the Taedong River to enjoysome fishing and inspire the dry heart of an old politicianwith an emotional taste of life. Although he used to beproud that he had devoted all his life to the arrti-Japanese,national cause, he felt his head bow low of its own accordbefore the General's modest and simple qualities, burninghuman love and patriotism and lofty virtues.

That the wise General's personality captivated him andcommanded his ever-increasing respect is also due to theformer's lofty sense of duty and great magnanimity.

When Mr. Kim Gu and his suite visited the School for theBereaved Children of Revolutionaries, he was profoundlytouched by the revolutionary sense of duty of the Generalwho had sought out the bereaved children Of the anti-'Japanese patriotic martyrs one by one even in the complexcircumstances after August 15 and was raising them withthe utmost care. Moreover, he wasdelighted when Li JongIk, who was his close acquaintance because he had oncebeen the Minister of Education in the "ProvisionalGovernment", was now the rector of the school andshowed him over it. When he discovered that the Generalwas even raising the children of nationalists like the son ofIndependence Army Commander Ryang Se Bong, to saynothing of the sons and daughters of his comrades-in-

arms, he was struck with still greater admiration.After returning home, Mr. Kim Gu called on the bereaved

families of patriot Yun Bong Gil and other martyrs, shed

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tears in memory of the deceased and consoled theirfamilies. But it was beyond his power to arrange things asin north Korea in the conditions of being insulted andtreated coldly as "Chongqing.beggars." The reality of northKorea which was pervaded with a moral conception of lifegave great pleasure to him who had only been accustomedto a cruel society where a material view of life prevailed. Sohe looked very satisfied..

"This is quite understandable since his father wasengaged in the anti-Japanese independence movement,"Mr. Cho Wan Gu who was among the visitors said andnodded his head.

The politicians of the "Provisional Government" hadheard from Ryu Jin Dong, the physician in attendance onPresident Kim Gu, (who had come to Shanghai aftergraduating from the Yuwen Middle School in Jilin, thealma mater of General Kim II Sung) that the General wasa

son of Kim Hyong Jik, the founder of the Korean NationalAssociation. .

Mr. Kim Gu received a great shock. He had already beendeeply impressed by the General's broad-mindedness andmagnanimity, and now, through the inspection of theschool, personally felt strong affinities with the commu-nists of north Korea, in spite of the difference in ideas, thatthey both had one and the same endthe completeindependence and sovereignty of Korea.

This feeling of intimacy was stirred to greater depths by

his reunion with An Sin Ho.Of course, I (An U Saeng) had already known a greatdeal about Mr. Kim Gu's life, but little thought that theGeneral would have known of the old connection betweenMr. Kim Gu and An Sin Ho.

An Sin Ho was a younger sister of Mr. An Chang Ho.When she was young, she and Mr. KimGu met and becameengaged. But when her brother wasleavingfor America,hewrote her that he had promised her in marriage to a middle-school boy called Ryang in Shanghai. Finding herself in an

awkward situation, she broke off her engagement withboth, presumably out of respect to Mr. Kim Gu. The latterregretted it very much. Time had flown by since then and

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they met again in the twilight of their lives, both nowwidowed.

Learning of their unforgettable relations, the General hadarranged their reunion. After his return to the homeland intriumph, the General heard that An Sin Ho was living inNampo. He said that her brother Mr. An Chang Ho was ananti-Japanese patriot and recalled with deep emotion howhe had delivered him from captivity when he had beenarrested by Japanese police in Jilin. And he enlisted her inthe work of the Women's Union. After that, she had entreeto the residence of the General and would tell himeverything she thought about. The General treated her withcourtesy and special attention.

The reunion of the two after more than 40 years wasextremely touching. An Sin Ho shed tears of joy and Mr.Kim Gu held her hands tightly and blinked his tearful eyeswith a thousand emotions crowding his mind. They dinedtogether and sat until late at night lost in reminiscenceswith no thought of time.

Listening to her story that after liberation she had beentaking an-active part in public and political activities aschairman of the Nampo city committee of the North KoreanWomen's Union, deputy to the North Korean People'sAssembly and member of the Legislation Committee, heknew that his worries about her had been totally ground-less. He had thought that she would be persecuted under"communist rule" because she had come from the family of

a nationalist, was a Christian married to a clergyman and, moreover, had once been hisfiancee. Now he realized once

more how great and deep the wise General's magnanimitywas. Probably for this reason, he spent all histime here withAn Sin Ho.

Mr. Kim Gu went to the Changdaejae Church inPyongyang which was under the guidance of Pastor KangRyang Uk and saw the service conducted by Pastor KimJae Son who was an old acquaintance of his. That PastorKang Ryang Uk went with him that day was an instance

which showed the great generosity of the General. PastorKang had lost his son and daughter at the hands ofthe terrorists who had sneaked in from south Korea in

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March 1946. The arrested culprits carried certificates of arightwing reactionary organization issued in the nameof Kim Gu. So, he could not entertain good will towardsMr. Kim Gu.

Perceiving his feelings, the General told him that sinceMr. Kim Gu had now come to attend the joint conferencefor the reunification of the country, he should not benarrow-minded towards him because of the past but treathim kindly and should subordinate a small matter to thegreat national cause. Taking the General's sincere wordsinto account. Pastor Kang calmly and willingly conductedMr. Kim Gu.

An Sin Ho who knew this asked Mr. Kim Gu frankly yetreproachfully, "Why did you let them kill Pastor Kang's sonand daughter?"

"But I certainly never told them to do that", he said in anevasive answer. Yet he appeared very embarrassed.

Because Mr. Kim Gu and Pastor Kang Ryang Uk were alldevoted to the just cause of great national union, thisunpleasant subject was not mentioned again.

During his stay Mr. Kim Gu paid a visit to the old home ofhis oldest friend An Chang Ho, made a call at theRyongchon Buddhist .hermitage recalling the long pastdays to his memory, and even enjoyed the taste ofPyongyang cold noodles prepared by different recipes at arestaurant by his hotel.

His sojourn in Pyongyang was no more than a fortnight.

In his life of 70 years dedicated to the anti-Japanesepatriotic cause of national independence, a fortnight was avery short time.

- Nevertheless, to Mr. Kim Gu this short time was a periodduring which he was inspired and captivated by thepowers of leadership, affinity and attraction of the illus-trious General who set out the programme of great nationalunion, and a period of change in his life when he keenlyrealized the truth that his lifelong principle would beglorified and eternalized by following the national leader

General Kim II Sung.It seemed to him that he was clearly seeing the brightfuture of our nation.

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The determined attitude of Mr. Kim Gu who could notgive up his resolve to make a journey to north Korea in spiteof the obstructive moves of the objectors who predicted,"His trip will be fruitless," was motivated by the patrioticdesire not to remain a mere spectator to the national crisis.

However/he could not help worrying in the depths of hisheart that if the north-south joint conference should fail toattain the desired end, he who had loudly assured itssuccess would lose face. Therefore, the successful conclu-sion of the conference gladdened him more than anything.Moreover, his joy did not come simply from the results ofthe conference. It was a feeling of boundless satisfactionand happiness deriving from the fact, that he had as-certained the focal point of national union whichpossessed the authority of leadership enabling it to dem-onstrate the rallying of such nationwide patriotic forces.

Now Mr. Kim Gu was not a helpless person who wouldreturn empty-handed from a fruitless journey. He felt as ifthe spring had come round again to him, an old tree, whowas filled with firm confidence in the bright future of thenation. Feeling himself rejuvenated in this way in the laststage of his life, he became boundlessly humble, lookingback on the footprints he had left in the history of thenation.

When watching the play "Mt Paekdu," he felt stillgreater respect for General Kim II Sung and sincerely toldhim that while the General had been waging the armedstruggle for national liberation for 15 long years, he himselfhad only been engaged in word play.

From the time when he had killed the Japanese officer atChihapo, he abandoned his parents, wife, children andeverything he owned for the sake of the anti-Japanesecause of independence. But his anti-Japanese strategyand tactics had not gone far beyond the limits of individual

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terrorism inherited from the heroic attempts of the right-eous fighters Li Bong Chang, Yun Bong Gil and PaekJongGi. Less than that, they did not reach the high plane ofarmed anti-Japanese struggle based on formidablepolitical and military forces organized with the popularmasses as the foundation. The failure to rely on theunbounded anti-Japanese potentialities of the broadmasses who suffered most from the colonial rule ofJapanese imperialism was due to the unsurmountablelimitation of the anti-Japanese independence movementof the "Provisional Government" group headed by Mr. KimGu. This limitation had been caused, in the long run, by theworld outlook of Mr. Kim Gu who regarded the popularmasses as the objects of delivery but failed to understandthat they were precisely the internal factor for victory.'" theanti-Japanese struggle and the main agency of developingnational history.

Recollecting the time when Mr. Kim Gu deeply lamentedthe lack of sufficient preparations to meet the great event ofnational liberation, I (An U Saeng) could fully understandhis sincere and deep conviction that General Kim II Sungwas the only person to lead Korea.

Before leaving Pyongyang, Mr. Kim Gu asked me (KimJong Hang) toconvey hisrequestto the General toarrangea personal interview with him with the presence of onlyone secretary.

The General granted his request with pleasure and met

him on May 3.On his way to the meeting, Mr. Kim Gu asked me:"Mr. Kim, we shall be alone today, if I am not mistaken?""I think that only the General will be there."He looked very pleased.The General, who had been waiting came forward and

met him in a polite and affectionate manner. He invited himto a seat and inquired in detail about his health.

Speaking highly of his participation in the north-south joint conference, the General expressed his thanks for his

efforts for the success of the conference.Telling the General of the true feelings he had so farentertained towards north Korea and communists, Mr. Kim

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flowed into the southern Yonbaek plain. The US militarygovernment authorities and the Syngman Rhee clique didnot meet their promise as regards the power problem, andso the supply of power was suspended with a statement tothat effect.

At the interview with the wise General Mr. Kim Gu said

without reserve that he now had no ambition for politicalpower and that although he wanted to stay and work here,he should go back to the south because if he did not go, theadversaries were likely to spread a false rumour that he hadbeen detained and, in particular, because he had to ensurethe successful implementation of the decision of the recentconference. If he failed in his efforts after all, he wouldcome back. When he returned, he went on, he would spendhis remaining years cultivating an orchard in the nativeplace of the late Mr. An Chang Ho, if the General would bekind enough to give him one. Thistalk of an orchard did notcome up by chance. He would often say in the days of the"Provisional Government" that he had had no educationand so when the homeland attained independence, hewould cultivate an orchard for the rest of his life. TheGeneral said that if that was his earnest desire, it would notbe so difficult to meet it and explained that the people'sgovernment would give an orchard and that the law of thepeople's government provided for the preferential treat-ment of people who had given distinguished service to thestate.

Learning that in south Korea many people came to Mr.Kim Gu with requests for his calligraphy with a writingbrush and that he himself'had a fancy for the high-qualityrice paper produced in north Korea for his own use inwriting and studying, the General offered to present himwith a gift of paper, writing brushes and ink sticks in tokenof their memorable meeting.

Mr. Kim Gu sincerely thanked the General once again forhis thoughtful kindness. Then he said in a respectful andardent tone:

"General, I think Korea has really met its master. You arethe only person to lead Korea. I entrust everything to you.!'With this he solemnly produced the seal of the

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"Shanghai Provisional Government".The General was moved by his sincerity, but urged him to

keep the seal with him as before and said that he needednothing more than the deep trust of the people.

The seal symbolized, the authority of the "ProvisionalGovernment" which Mr. Kim Gu and his colleaguesproudly considered to be the continuer of the tradition ofthe bloody March First Movement. It was for them as goodasan "Imperial Seal." They had carried it without letting goqf it even for a moment on MeHanglu Street in Shanghai,Hepinglu Street in Chongqing and on their way back to thehomeland. To give up such a seal without hesitation meanta significant declaration of change for Mr. Kim Gu who hadpassed his 70-year milestone on the rugged path of lifededicated to the anti-Japanese cause of independence, adeclaration to entrust the fate of the nation and his ownsoul to the wise General Kim II Sung. Underthe influenceof the General's powers of leadership, affinity and attrac-tion, Mr. Kim Gu in the closing stage of his life made alaudable change from anti-communist nationalism to pro-communist nationalism. The mental state he now reachedwas, as the ancients said, "If a man learns the way in themorning, he may die in the evening without regret."

The personal interview which would be rememberedlong in history ended.

The General gave his arm to Mr. Kim Gu and helped himto the porchway to see him off, and told him kindly that as

he had devoted all his life to the cause of nationalindependence, he should take good care of his health inevery way in view of the great undertaking which layahead.

Mr. KimGu bade farewell to the General and made to getinto the car, but stopped for a moment. Perhaps he wassorry to part.

With a smile the General waved farewell.The distance was widening between the General who

was standing where he was until the car was out of sight

and Mr. KimGu who was leaving, but theirfeetings of dutyto each other seemed to be strengthening, rising abovetime and space. The scene touched my (Kim Jong Hang's)

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heart as if it had been a beautiful and important scroll. Itwas indeed a stirring sight.

In the car Mr. Kim Gu said in a voice coming from thedepths of his heart:

"Surely he is a person sent us by Heaven.to conduct thegeneral trend of the world."

In view of the fact that the south Korean representativeshad come by rough and rugged paths, the General saw to itthat they were provided with new clothes when.returning,and said it was preferable to give suit materials to Messrs.Kim Gu and Kim Gyu Sik.

The south Korean representatives departed with a pat-riotic determination to turn out in the struggle against"separate elections and a separate government" in supportof the wise General's plan for national salvation.

On May 4, Mr. Kim Gu left Pyongyang with high-qualitymaterials for clothes, five cases of rice paper, many writing

brushes and ink sticks and ink slabs specially mdde ofWiwon stone which were heartfelt gifts from the Generaland with the great determination to devote his remainingyears to the proud cause of achieving reunification inalliance with communism.

After returning to Seoul, Mr. Kim Gu formed the

Association for the Promotion of Reunification andIndependence aimed at the organization of a united frontfor national salvation and fought, mercilessly exposing the'aggressive policy of the US imperialists and the moves ofthe Syngman Rhee clique to sell out and split the country.The US imperialists and traitorous Syngman Rhee cliqueresorted to all manner of threats and tricks in their efforts todivert him from the road of patriotism and alliance withcommunism.

But as Mr. Kim Gu refused to give up his determination

for patriotism and alliance with communism, his enemiescommitted the sordid crime of assassinating him on June26,1949.

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Mr. Kim Gu was a conscientious nationalist who met hisdeath on the road of alliance and cooperation withcommunism and independent reunification.

Much water has run under the bridge since Mr. Kim Guand many other patriots who had attended the historicnorth-south joint conference departed from this life, andnow we are in the evening of our lives.

History is not a mere record. Good experiences of thepast are valuable assets of today.

The spirit of the joint conference of 38 years ago whichhad brought about great national union by transcendingthe difference in ideology, political views and religiousbeliefs on the sacred road to independent reunificationposes a still more urgent national historic demand at thepresent.

Although time has passed and Mr. Kim Gu is gone, hisardent love of the nation and patriotic loyalty have left a

distinctive mark on the history of our nation.It is because there is the great heart of the respected

leader that Mr. Kim Gu's patriotism shines forth and liveson for ever.

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N O T E S

1. April north-south joint conferencethe Joint Confer-ence of Representatives of Political Parties and PublicOrganizations in North and South Korea held in Pyongyangfrom April 19 to 23, 1948

2. Provisional Government the Provisional Government ofthe Republic of Korea founded by 29 Korean nationalist exilesin Shanghai, China, in April 1919. From 1926 it was headed byKim Gu

3. Anti-trusteeship campaign a campaign of traitors to thenation against the decision of the Three Foreign Ministers'Conference held in Moscow. The conference of foreignministers of the Soviet Union, the United States and Britainheld in Moscow in December 1945 decided that the nationswhich had been parties to the war against Japan would renderassistance in establishing a democratic independent state inKorea. Not wishing to see the establishment of a unitedindependent state in Korea, the US imperialists immediatelycame out against this decision, describing it as a "plan oftrusteeship," and urged the reactionary forces on to launch theanti-trusteeship campaign. Although this campaign was car-ried on under the specious name of rejecting "trusteeship," it

was in fact a treacherous country-sell ing move to facilitate USimperialism's colonial rule over south Korea.

4. The 38th parallel the line of 38 degrees North Latitudewhich divides Korea into north arid south to demarcate thetemporary zones of jurisdiction for the disarmament of theJapanese aggressor army in accordance with the agreementreached in the closing stage of the Pacific war between thenations engaged in the war against Japan.

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