Literary Persons and Artistes Who Left Clear Traces in History of Juche-oriented Art and Literature

Famous Composer Kim Ok Song

Among literary persons and artistes who left their clear traces in the proud course of our revolution which was pioneered, and has advanced and emerged victorious with songs is Kim Ok Song who is one of the first merited artistes and people’s artistes in our country.

Kim persevered in his studies into music from his childhood in spite of poor living conditions.

He became able to lead a genuine life as a musician and reflect his surging emotion for creation in his melodies only after President Kim Il Sung liberated the country.

He joined the Korean People’s Army Song and Dance Ensemble in １９４７. Though he was a violinist at that time, he created "Song of Women" with an impulse to sing of the benevolence of the President.

The President bestowed the greatest trust upon him, saying that he had a real creative talent and it would be good for him to be a composer.

The deep emotion he felt that day served as a motive force which enabled him to glorify his whole life as a famous artiste.

Afterwards he created cantatas "General Kim Il Sung" and "Amnok River" which highly praised the immortal exploits of the President and his personality as a great man.

He volunteered for the army just after the war had broken out and aroused the soldiers of the People’ Army to performing heroic feats as a war composer.

"To a Decisive Battle" and "My Song in the Trench" are the famous songs he created while fighting battles with the People’s Army soldiers shoulder-to-shoulder on hills.

He composed many music pieces reflecting the heroic struggle and life of our people out in building a thriving nation true to the intention of the Party and the vibrant pulse of the times even in the post-war years, thus contributing to the development of the Juche-oriented musical art.

In particular the creation process of "A Bumper Harvest in the Chongsan Plain" and "We Have Planted Apple Trees on Mountains" provides the answer to the question of how our literary persons and artistes should live and struggle.

Kim was greatly excited upon the news that the President went to Chongsan-ri and created the Chongsanri spirit and method.

Then and there he went to the Chongsan Plain.

He experienced the reality of the socialist rural areas, while living with farmers at Chongsan-ri and reflected everything he saw, heard and felt in the melody, thus presenting a masterpiece pulsating with the spirit of the times.

That’s why the President acknowledged him as a composer who sang of the Party’s policy, not of nature, and Chairman Kim Jong Il placed him on the meridian of glory as a world-class composer, highly appreciating his remarkable talent and creative ardor whenever opportunity arose.

The respected Comrade General Secretary Kim Jong Un took benevolent measures for giving a concert to commemorate the centenary of his birth.

Along with masterpieces of the times which resound across the country displaying their eternal viability on the ongoing advance towards the comprehensive socialist development, the feats he performed for the development of the Juche-oriented art and literature will be conveyed forever.

Rodong Sinmun