Grand Monument Demonstrating the Ennobling Sense of Moral Obligation

On Jujak Peak, the top of Mt. Taesong in Pyongyang, the capital city of the DPRK, has been built the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery, a grand monument implied with the reverence of Chairman Kim Jong Il for his revolutionary forerunners.

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said.

"Not only our people but also foreigners are struck with admiration after visiting the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery on Mt. Taesong. The cemetery fully demonstrates the ennobling sense of moral obligation of our party that respects the forerunners of the revolution."

The building of the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery on Mt. Taesong was originally proposed by President Kim Il Sung on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the WPK.

One day in April, Juche61(1972), President Kim Il Sung, longing for his comrades-in-arms who had passed away earlier, climbed to Mt. Taesong and chose the building site on Jujak Peak, and proposed the construction of the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery.

Later, he told the names and ages, the appearances and features of the fighters to be laid down at the cemetery in detail, who had passed away without leaving a single photo, so that it could be completed within 3 years in October Juche64(1975).

From then on, he would have a look at the cemetery with his binoculars whenever he missed his comrades-in-arms.

Chairman Kim Jong Il was always concerned about how to face-lift the cemetery on the highest level to make it the best one in the world, which was associated with the ennobling sense of moral obligation of President Kim Il Sung, who always missed his comrades-in-arms,.

Entering the 1980s, he decided to rebuild and expand the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery on Mt. Taesong and ensured that the project should be carried out.

During the whole period of reconstruction, he gave valuable instructions for over 100 times while seeing the documents, ranging from the miniature and relief model to all the structures and formations of the cemetery, meeting officials and visiting the construction site in person.

On June 21, Juche 73(1984), he climbed to Jujak Peak where the project was under way.

That day, he was most interested in the material with which to make the busts of the fighters.

Those in the cemetery that had already been built were made of stone, but he did not like it.

So the sculptors made samples of the new busts with various materials and showed them to him.

Looking at the samples, he said that the busts of revolutionary martyrs should be made of bronze that would remain unchanged for a long time, not with marble or some other materials. He emphasized that only then, they would be made weightier, have better-looking and what was more, they would be permeated with their devotion while dignity and sense of politeness enhanced.

Concluding that all the busts of the fighters in the cemetery should be made of bronze, he instructed that coloring should be done with the brightest color. Afterwards, he looked at the samples of the busts made of bronze several times and gave his whole mind to manufacturing them excellently.

The ennobling sense of his moral obligation to hand down to posterity the visages and feats of the anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters loyal to President Kim Il Sung on the sacred road of revolution for the liberation of the country and the freedom and happiness of the people is also permeated in the wreath stand which was embossed with the Hero Medal.

On a scorching midsummer day, he visited the construction site again. While looking with deep emotion at the busts of the revolutionary martyrs that were portrayed as if they were alive, he was suddenly lost in thought when he saw that the Hero Medal was depicted only on the busts of some fighters.

Pointing out that the Hero Medal was inscribed only to the busts of the revolutionary martyrs who had been awarded the title of Hero after the liberation of the country, he told the officials in an excited tone that not only those but all the anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters sacrificed their youth and lives without any hesitation for the cause of the liberation of the motherland, cherishing the rock-firm faith and obligation in their hearts that they could carry out revolution and struggle and hope for the bright future of Korean revolution as they had President Kim Il Sung as their leader. He added that they followed a path of struggle with a smile which was nearly impossible to return alive, wishing their leader good health.

He said that if there had been an institution of conferring the title of Hero during the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle, they would all have been awarded it, and that all the revolutionary martyrs to be laid down in the cemetery were Heroes. He said nothing for a while, feeling heartbroken just because he couldn't glorify their lives with gold-star medals on their chests.

He said quietly that all the revolutionary martyrs to be placed in the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery were Heroes, but it would be hard to emboss each bust the Hero Medal. Then he went back to the bust again and thought deeply. Then his eyes were suddenly turned upon the wreath stand which had been temporarily built.

The wreath stand was depicted with a five-point star and gas fire to rise in the middle, the type common to the Soviet Union and other socialist countries at that time.

He said that if a big-sized gold-star medal was made of bronze and engraved on the wreath stand, everyone would see it to know that all the anti-Japanese revolutionary martyrs were Heroes. Then, he went to the wreath stand and informed the sculptors that it was not our own style to engrave a five-point star. He added that the DPRK Hero Medal relieved on the wreath stand of the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery would be more meaningful and significant.

The officials and sculptors admired his idea for its being wonderful and original.

This is how the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery on Mt. Taesong could have a unique Korean-style wreath stand which transmits the feats of the anti-Japanese revolutionary forerunners forever.

Later, he visited the construction site several times to tell them about depicting the red flag fluttering at the top and inscribing the autograph of President Kim Il Sung on the natural granite monument.

Under his wise guidance, the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery on Mt. Taesong was rebuilt into a grand monumental cemetery which was unprecedented in the world history.

Today, the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery, where the anti-Japanese revolutionary forerunners stand in their lifetime appearance with a red flag on Jujak Peak, warmly conveys the ennobling sense of the moral obligation of Chairman Kim Jong Il to the world.