editorial

With war victory day coming closer day by day, an increasing number of people visit the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery which implants in them the immortal soul of defenders of the country in the 1950s.

An endless stream of people flows to it these days. They include men and women of all ages and of all strata of society such as war veterans, service personnel of the Korean People’s Army, university students and members of the Korean Children’s Union.

Among them are war veterans who fought the war, people who got the idea of the horrors of war on TV screens or in books and schoolchildren who have experienced only happiness.

However, visiting the cemetery, they bear in mind how the country was defended and how valuable the life of heroic soldiers, who defended every inch of the country’s territory at the cost of their blood during the hard-fought three-year war, is.

During the past Fatherland Liberation War, the US imperialists mounted indiscriminate and brutal air attacks on the DPRK by dropping as many as 18 bombs per square kilometre of its whole territory and perpetrated brutal massacre everywhere they put their steps on.

Everything, which was dear, valuable and full of happiness including streets, villages, schools and hospitals, was completely destroyed and even birds vanished. Agonized cries of people over the lifeless corpses echoed across the country, empty cartridges covered the fields and mountains and blood flowed in the rivers, rather than water.

War is not pleasant and joyful, but there is a good reason for them not to forget it.

“We have obtained what is invaluable, victory, in the great Fatherland Liberation War. We will suffer the calamities of war again if we feel only joy of victory and do not remember all things devoted to the victory and heartrending sacrifices,” said Kim Hyok, a student of Kim Il Sung University.

Therefore, grey-haired war veterans and new generations visit the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery associated with the soul of defenders of the country again and again. Recollecting the days when they charged forward fluttering the DPRK flags torn by enemy bullets without burying their comrades-in-arms who fell in the fierce and decisive battles, the veterans tell the descendants how the great victory was achieved 70-odd years ago.

Seeing the photos of heroic soldiers on the gravestones of the cemetery, young people engrave on their heart the true meaning of great war victory and the underlying truth.

The people who rally closely around the great leader are sure to win.

Only strong military power can defend the sovereignty of the country and people, peace and justice.

Herein lies the reason why today the DPRK’s military power is much greater than that in the 1950s and that it should be increased without limit.

The DPRK people will never forget it and carry forward the tradition and history of victory of the great victorious wartime generation for generations.

This is the pledge made by the people and KPA service personnel on their visit to the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery.