Politics

It was when the agrarian reform was being carried out in the DPRK after the country’s liberation on August 15 1945.

A religious man living in Ryonggang County was defined as a landlord because he owned a small area of field and orchard. He was spending each day in distress as all his properties were confiscated and he was ordered to move to another place.

He was a conscientious religious man who lived an honest life without abandoning his principles as a Korean even during the Japanese imperialists’ military occupation and faithfully supported the people’s government after liberation.

As he learned about this incident, Comrade Kim Il Sung said that some officials arbitrarily interpreted the law on agrarian reform and implemented it in a distorted manner, and took a measure to return his field and orchard.

Not only the religious man and his family but also all the villagers were excited to hear about the measure and said that General Kim Il Sung was indeed the god of Korea who takes care of all the people. 

Kang Ryang Uk, who was working as secretary general of the provisional people’s committee at that time, said to the General that he was of the same opinion with the priest and the villagers.

The General said that he was grateful to the priest and Kang for calling him the god, but it was not him but the people that should be upheld as the real god, adding that it was not an empty talk but his faith that was created in the course of the revolutionary struggle.

He continued that as priests evangelize the disciplines taught by the god, he who believes in the people as in god had some disciplines—first, look up to the people and serve them as god; second, devote yourself to them; and third, do everything by relying on them and depending on their efforts.

Later, Kang recalled that it was the day when he saw before his eyes the entity of the venerable and sacred god he had worshipped and imagined with his soul and that the view of “The people are god” of President Kim Il Sung who infinitely respected the people and humbled himself was neither a verse of the Bible nor a political strategy for gaining the public favour by displaying his modesty, adding that what he wished was to make all the people masters of their own destiny and masters of the country.