2024.9.3.
The revolutionary spirit of self-reliance, created in the period of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle, had been fully displayed during the building of a new country after Korea’s liberation from Japan’s colonial rule (August 15, 1945).
Before the liberation, the Pothong River had been known as a disastrous one taking a large number of lives while flooding villages and fields in rainy season.
Taking to his heart the sufferings of people living alongside the river, President
He attended the ground-breaking ceremony for the river improvement project on May 21, Juche 35 (1946) and made an encouraging speech. In his speech, he said that success or failure in building a new democratic Korea totally hinged on the people’s own efforts and they should complete such projects as the Pothong River improvement project one after another by their own efforts though they had to tighten their belts. And he added that the river improvement project should be done by the Korean people themselves without any help from others and they should overcome all difficulties on their own efforts.
Cherishing deep in their minds the spirit of self-reliance the President implanted in them while breaking ground first to signal the start of the river improvement project, the people turned out as one in this patriotic nature-remaking project. They removed over 420 000 cubic meters of earth and built five kilometer-long embankment, thus finishing in 55 days the project which the Japanese imperialists failed to do for ten years.
With the completion of the project, the Pothong River turned into a river full of people’s happiness and a river of paradise.
The completion of the Pothong River improvement project was the first achievement the Korean people made in building the democratic capital city by their own efforts under the leadership of the President after the liberation of Korea.
Rodong Sinmun