The Loss of Folk Tradition Leads to that of the Nation Itself

Our Korean nation lived as a homogeneous nation in one country with one blood and language and led a happy life for a long time. Through this period our nation has formed a superior folk tradition that reflects resourceful, wise, diligent and indomitable ennobling spirit and unique custom. However the superior folk tradition our people created and developed for a long time cannot be developed and inherited without the wise leadership of great men who defend and flourish it.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said:

"True to President Kim Il Sung's intention, General Kim Jong Il correctly evaluated and clarified the key problems in putting to rights the history of our country, adding luster to the righteous history of the nation and ensuring that the cultural heritage associated with the wisdom and talents of our ancestors shed their brilliance as priceless wealth linking the history and bloodline of the nation down through the generations."

Chairman Kim Jong Il regarded our nation's unique and superior folk tradition as the nation's pride and priceless treasure of our nation and found them one by one and developed them in conformity with the requirements of the era. He led it wisely that we could apply our nation's superior folk tradition in several sectors of social life.

One day in early March Juche 69(1980), the Chairman asked the officials who accompanied him. He asked them whether they knew what day the day was. Officials hesitated for a few seconds. He then said it was the 15th of January of the lunar calendar and gave them Korean taffy to taste it. He continued that our people created superior and great folk tradition not only in holiday games like lunar New Year's Day but also in labor life, culture life, clothing, food and housing life and the folk tradition our ancestors created through generations are precious national heritage that we should maintain and develop.

The officials then realized the true reason why he asked what day that day was. It was not just to tell them that day was the 15th of January of the lunar calendar.

He stressed that in order to firmly defend and maintain our people's national characteristic, we should check the infiltration of the things that are not favorable to our lifestyle, abnormal things and in particular, the bourgeois way of life. He said that in the past some people who had been abroad said that we should follow the world life trend, saying we should eat macaroni instead of rice and we should use knives or forks instead of spoons or chopsticks. And even some soulless people argued that the streets of Pyongyang were so lonely as they had no men and women walking arm in arm with each other. He continued that our folk tradition that has been created and defended through generations, there lies in our people's noble spirits and sentiments, courtesy and morality as well as Korean people's unique way of life, taste and characteristics of our nation, and that we should add luster to our folk tradition that is the noblest and the most beautiful in the world. He gave the precious teaching that if we lose our folk tradition, we will lose our nation itself.

His teaching gave the officials a great impact. Folklore isn't just customary rules or way of life, sentiments or taste that has been handed down through generations, but it also encapsulates the breath and soul of the nation and the unique custom and footprints of that nation. Therefore, if we don't inherit and develop the folklore, we cannot defend nor add luster to it. His teaching was engraved within the officials mind as a precious guideline.

The loss of folk tradition leads to that of the nation itself. Today, there are so many nations that lost their folk tradition and their unique national characteristics by plunging into "globalization", which is the result of imperialists' shifty and wicked ideological and cultural poisoning.

However, thanks to the immortal exploits of the Chairman who wisely led to inherit and develop the folk tradition of the country and nation, regarding it as the crucial issue that is directly related with the destiny of the nation, today, our people are invariably defending and maintaining the Juche and national character. In addition our people formed a great family with the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un as their fatherly leader and demonstrating our nation's dignity and honor.

In our country the folk tradition is flourishing day by day and the superiority of the nation is being displayed to the full. Today's reality proves that only when we are led by a great leader can the folk tradition and nation be defended and the bright future of people's ideal socialist powerful nation accelerated.