Ro Son Il, Faculty of History, Kim Il Sung University
2024.12.26.
Chairman Kim Jong Un said:
"Though he devoted his all throughout his life to the prosperity of the country and the happiness of the people, General Kim Jong Il left nothing for himself. He was on the most intensive forced march, taking not a moment's rest, until he breathed his last on a moving train. Such a leader has never been witnessed anywhere in the world."
Chairman Kim Jong Il believed in the people as in Heaven and spent all days including significant holidays and his birthday, devoting his life to the people with his patriotic enthusiasm and love.
One day in October 2002, he looked round a potato field of the 4th workteam of Hongam Farm in Taehongdan County and told officials that he should visit the Potato Institute.
It was not included in his field guidance schedule and the lunchtime was approaching. So the officials was fairly embarrassed.
The officials told him that they wanted him to have a rest for a while, having lunch.
However, Chairman Kim Jong Il, smiling tenderly, said that he would visit the institute even if he didn't have lunch, and got in his car first.
Following him, the officials thought that they should prepare baked potatoes for lunch. And they asked him what he thought about that.
He understood their intentions and readily accepted their request.
So a potato baking was held in the presence of Chairman Kim Jong Il at a simple potato baking site beside the potato field where the cold wind was blowing chilly.
The officials felt sorry for not giving him a decent meal, so they didn't dare to serve baked potatoes to him.
Looking at the officials with a gentle smile, Chairman Kim Jong Il gave the officials baked potatoes, and told them to eat. Then he took a steaming potato.
The officials who was eating tasty potatoes in the presence of Chairman Kim Jong Il enjoyed themselves because the baked potatoes were reminiscent of their childhood when they ate potatoes baked by their fathers and they were baking the potato with their naughty friends in their dear native places.
That happened on 8th October-the anniversary of electing Chairman Kim Jong Il as the general secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea.
Indeed, Chairman Kim Jong Il was a great father of our people who devoted his whole life to the happiness of the people, not allowing any privileges to himself.
