No Motherland Without You

No Motherland Without You
Chosŏn'gŭl 당신이 없으면, 조국도 없다
Hancha 이 없으면, 도 없다
Revised Romanization Dangsini eopseumyeon, jogukdo eopda
McCune–Reischauer Tangsini ŏpsŭmyŏn, chogukto ŏpta

The "No Motherland Without You" (or "Ode to Kim Jong-il"), is a song from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) which is about the country's deceased leader Kim Jong-il. It proclaims the talent and virtues of Jong-il, and the attachment of the Korean people for him as he led them out of the turmoils of the Arduous March. The repeated phrase in the song is "Without you, there would be no us! Without you, there would be no motherland!" It is also considered to be the anthem of the Songun ("military-first") policy Jong-il implemented in coexistence with the Juche Idea in 1995. It is frequently broadcast on the radio and from loudspeakers on the streets of Pyongyang.[1]

Lyrics

Though the official lyrics use the phrase "김정일동지" (Comrade Kim Jong-il) to refer to the son of Kim Il-sung, the current usage of the song refers to him as "김정일장군" (General Kim Jong-il) because of his capacity as the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army since 1991.

The military version of the song refers to Kim Jong-il as General Kim Jong-il ("Kim Chŏng-il changgun"), not Comrade Kim Jong-il ("Kim Chŏng-il tongji") because of his concurrent capacities as KPA Supreme Commander-in-Chief since 1991 and Chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission since 1993, while the civilian/official version refers otherwise because of his capacity as Workers Party of Korea General Secretary since 1997 and other previous and present civilian positions.

See also

References

  1. Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2007). World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia. Marshall Cavendish. p. 929. ISBN 978-0-7614-7631-3.

External links

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