Kim Il Sung Praised as Master of Independent Diplomacy: Paper

Kim Il Sung left an indelible imprint in the history of world diplomacy by adhering to the principle of independence in dealing with diplomatic affairs all his life.

Joseph Stalin enjoyed a high reputation among the heads of state and in the world revolutionary movement. He succeeded Lenin as leader of the former Soviet Union, turning his country into a socialist power, defending it during the Second World War and establishing the socialist system of the world as a counterpoise to the imperialist camp. The high-profile leader was so affectionate towards Kim Il Sung, even though he was much older and had more experiences. It was because his Korean counterpart was strong in his independent faith and thoroughgoing in the spirit of self-reliance.

He showed great interest in the line of nation-building advanced by Kim Il Sung after the defeat of Japanese imperialism. His chief concern was how the Korean leader was directing the effort to build a new society and what was his ambition and aim. At that time, Korea was faced with many complicated problems.

Soviet and US troops were stationed in the north and south of Korea respectively following Korea’s liberation, and there were a baffling complex of isms and doctrines concerning nation-building. Kim Il Sung put forward a line of building an independent and sovereign state in the form of Korean-style democracy, not American-style nor Soviet-style, and resolved all problems from an independent standpoint. He proposed a plan for withdrawing Soviet and US troops from Korea simultaneously and demanded that Stalin have his Soviet troops withdraw from the northern half of Korea.

It was a big surprise to Stalin, because the leaders of Eastern European nations were cosying up to him in the hope of prolonging Soviet presence in their respective countries after the Second World War. Late in June 1946, there was a summit meeting of the Korean and Soviet leaders, in which Kim Il Sung was steadfast in his principle of independence when discussing the problems arising in building new society in Korea. Stalin sympathized with his scientific analysis of the specific situation in Korea and his determination and idea for building an independent, new society, and expressed unqualified support for the original plan.

At the talks Stalin said: Although you are no more than 34, you have a profound knowledge of all the problems; your analysis and evaluation are correct.

One day in April 1970, President Kim Il Sung had a talk with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai who visited the DPRK. The Chinese guest asked casually about the US aircraft that had been shot down in the country the previous year. Kim Il Sung said: The pilots of the Air Force of the Korean People’s Army shot down EC-121, a large US spy plane, and many complicated problems were raised in the wake of the incident.

The premier resumed that the DPRK shot down the US aircraft and the Soviet Union transferred the wreckage of the plane to the US. Kim Il Sung responded with composure: When the KPA naval vessels captured the US armed spy ship Pueblo in 1968, the Soviet Union demanded that the ship be sent back as soon as possible, saying that the US would retaliate otherwise; the Soviet side pressed for the release of the ship’s crew but we did not agree; at that time, we were determined to counter the US bombing resolutely and destroy its main targets even by going there on foot.

Zhou Enlai was a seasoned diplomat with a long career. He dealt with a host of issues concerning with international relations and met numerous national leaders and politicians. However, he had never met such a statesman as Kim Il Sung who was strong in his independent faith and principle. In fact, when the Pueblo was captured, the situation was more unfavourable to the DPRK. The country was sandwiched between the imperialist superpower and the socialist giant. The US threatened to bomb Wonsan if the Pueblo was not returned. Undaunted, Kim Il Sung maintained the independent stand in dealing with the Soviet side and declared that the DPRK would return retaliation for “retaliation” and all-out war for “all-out war.” At last, the US had no option but to submit a letter of apology, virtually a letter of surrender, in the eyes of the world. When a large US spy plane intruded into the territorial airspace of the DPRK in 1969, the Korean pilots shot down the plane. This was an exercise of the country’s sovereignty. The President’s story left a lasting impression on Zhou Enlai.

In February 1993, the US announced the resumption of the Team Spirit joint war game and deployed its nuclear armaments in South Korea, thus driving the situation in the Korean peninsula to the brink of war.

In response to this, an order of the Supreme Commander of the KPA was issued on declaring a semi-war state on March 8, 1993.

A few days later, the DPRK government issued a statement declaring that it would withdraw from the NPT. It was indeed a severe blow to the US which was seeking the monopoly of nuclear weapons as a means of realizing its strategy for world supremacy.

In June 1994, in an attempt at a diplomatic compromise, former US President Jimmy Carter visited Pyongyang.

At the talks with President Kim Il Sung, he learned that his dialogue partner was knowledgeable enough to specify solutions to the fundamental issues regarding the confrontation between the two countries, and that he was strong in his independent faith, as compared with other politicians he had met before. Kim Il Sung said to the guest: There may be big and small countries, but no high-standing and low-standing countries; the US should neither despise nor look down on the DPRK, but it should deal with the DPRK on an equal footing.

Carter was attracted by the iron-willed leader who valued the sovereignty and dignity of his nation more than most. After returning to his country, he stated that President Kim Il Sung was greater than George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, the most illustrious in the founding and development of the US, put together. -0-