"Koguryo, a powerful country in the East – this is a source of the Korean-nation-first spirit."

Chairman Kim Jong Il paid a visit to the folk street in Sariwon City on December 11, 2008.

He was looking round the newly-built folk street when he stopped in front of the history education board on the corridor wall.

Pointing to the mural "Koguryo, a powerful country in the East", he said that it was well named to his liking, and as it was named, our nation was at the peak of its power in Koguryo period in its history, and that as the people of Koguryo were very patriotic and skilled at martial arts, they could defeat millions of foreign invaders, thus demonstrating the might and dignity of the country. He went on to say Koguryo, a powerful country in the East – this is a source of the Korean-nation-first spirit.

Chairman Kim Jong Il said:

"Koguryo, a powerful country in the East – this is a source of the Korean-nation-first spirit. We should bring the history of Koguryo that existed nearly 1 000 years home to the rising generations."

It is the idea of his instruction above to have our people well-versed in the time-honoured history and glorious cultural tradition of the nation so that they can hold dear national pride and self-confidence.

As early as on October 29, 1960, during his revolutionary activities at Kim Il Sung University, he set forth a classic definition that the history of our country developed with Koguryo as a center in the period of three kingdoms.

Founded as the first feudal state in the history of our nation in B.C. 277, Koguryo made a radical development to thrive for nearly 1000 years until the year of 668, playing a pivotal role in the development of history during the period of three kingdoms.

Then it developed as an independent powerful country of a full-fledged status abreast of those different dynasties from Qin and Han to Sui and Tang that boasted of their power in China.

Between the late 6th and the mid-7th centuries, in particular, it dealt heavy blows to hundreds of thousands or millions of foreign invaders that made reckless and impudent aggressive attacks to win sweeping victories.

Koguryo was, indeed, a powerful country in the East that existed nearly 1000 years, and it occupies the most distinguished position in the past history of the Korean nation.

"Koguryo, a powerful country in the East – this is a source of the Korean-nation-first spirit." – the instruction Chairman gave while looking round Sariwon Folk Street was the most scientific clarification of the position and role of Koguryo in the history of our nation.