May Day Comes Round Every Year

More than 100 years have passed since the working people rose up in a struggle under the slogan of unity for their class emancipation on May 1, 1890. May Day has been commemorated ever since. However, under the military occupation of the Japanese imperialists, the working masses of Korea lived outside history for a long time as objects of exploitation and oppression, not knowing the words May Day. President Kim Il Sung pushed the working people of Korea, who were nothing but slaves of the exploiting classes and talking tools, to the fore as the most precious beings in the world and masters of history, and retrieved the holiday of the working people to them.

Earlier even when he was forcing his way through a bloody, protracted anti-Japanese armed struggle to liberate the country, he saw to it that May Day was celebrated cheerfully as the holiday of the working people of the whole world. Having victoriously concluded the Arduous March which extended from early December 1938 to March 1939, he had the soldiers of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army commemorate May Day on the hill of Xiaodeshui before advancing into the homeland. The forest of the Xiaodeshui hill rang with the merry sounds of laughter and singing of the soldiers full of confidence and optimism for victory. This was a good prelude to the victorious battle of the Musan area in the homeland.

The President remembered the May Day of 1940 in his reminiscences With the Century when they celebrated the workers’ gala day with frog dishes. On the evening of that day, he had a meaningful talk with the fighters around the campfire. He said although they were now holding a feast with frog dishes to commemorate May Day, they would defeat the Japanese imperialists and celebrate the liberation of the country in Pyongyang by feasting on the dishes of mullet caught in the Taedong River. With this, he told them ardently to fight stoutly for national liberation full of hope for tomorrow.

In 1946, the first Pyongyang city mass rally was held in celebration of May Day. At the rally, the great leader made a historic speech by the title of An Appeal to the Fellow Countrymen on the Occasion of May Day. In the speech, he called upon the working people including the workers and peasants to turn out in the building of a new country.

In 1951 when the Fatherland Liberation War was at its height, he issued Order No. 310 of the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army under the title of On the Occasion of May Day, infusing confidence and optimism in victory in the minds of the Korean people. May Days are recorded significantly in the annals of Korea where miracles and innovations have taken place in succession. They are marked as occasions when the unity of the leader and the people was strengthened.

Visiting factories, farms and fishing villages without rest, the President discussed state affairs with ordinary workers and implanted the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance in them and kindled flames of revolution and struggle in their hearts. His love and trust exalted the spirit of Chollima in Korea and marvelous miracles and innovations took place in different fields of the national economy.

Certainly, the revolutionary feats of President Kim Il Sung who spent all his life among the people and built a socialist power of independence, self-sufficiency and self-reliant defense by giving full play to their inexhaustible strength, will be transmitted for all time. The immortal exploits of the President who led the revolution to victory after victory by relying on the fighting power and creative strength of the working masses in keeping with the requirement of the era of independence were firmly guarded by Chairman Kim Jong Il. Today respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un ensures that exploits of the leaders shine ever more brightly. Under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Un who set forth the slogan “Everything for the people and everything by force of the masses of the people!” and is devoting everything for the good of the people after the noble intentions of the great leaders, the working people’s dreams and ideals are coming true in this land.

The heroic working class of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il led by the great Party will win victory and glory in the revolution and construction on the occasion of every May Day.