Ineffaceable Memories: Close Bonds of Kim Il Sung with Chinese Leaders

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, April 23, 2002

Ineffaceable Memories: Close Bonds of Kim Il Sung with Chinese Leaders

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One must have many unforgettable memories as experienced for a lifetime from his past. Fortunate as I was favored by my early life as a diplomat and interpreter I had happily and for many times seen President Kim Il Sung. Since April 1950, President Kim Il Sung had during his lifetime made over 30 visits to China and these had brought him into great intimacy and profound friendship with Chinese leaders astride three generations. His lifelong contacts and association with Chinese leaders as I have come to known have formed an indelible part of lasting memories in my heart.

October 1970, China had just put an end to its decade-long chaos ravaging the Chinese land during the "cultural revolution" years. Kim Il Sung was seen again back on a new informal visit to China, being put up at Diaoyutai in Beijing. Chairman Mao went in person to see this Korean leader soon after his arrival. The two leaders had a long handshake after they met downstairs, Building No.18, at this state guesthouse of Diaoyutai. The day saw the two leaders had had a very long talk and profound exchanges of views on developments of international situation prevailing at the time and this had not even been excluded at feasting time. The following day also saw Premier Zhou Enlai made a call on the Korean leader at the guesthouse. They had a long talk and exchange of views on a wide range of issues of the time. It happened that as it was then told the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea was to be marked. Premier Zhou Enlai saw to it that all possible preparations were well made. A grand banquet was hosted in honor of President Kim Il Sung and his retinue at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and the great day of the Korean Workers' Party was marked. Since the "cultural revolution" scourge came to an end President Kim Il Sung was seen again back on his China "family visits" as he had made in those years before the "cultural revolution": One at least or two more in every year. He would go on a China visit to renew his friendship with Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing.

April 1975, President Kim Il Sung was invited by the CPC Central Committee and the Chinese Government on a formal visit to China. Deng Xiaoping, then assuming duties as vice chairman of the CPC Central Committee was entrusted to play the host. Deng went to the airport to meet this great Korean friend of the Chinese people upon his arrival. Back in the mid 1960s, Deng and Kim Il Sung had once met at Pyongyang. By now, 10 years later, they again happily met in Beijing. Deng accompanied and went with his guest directly to see Chairman Mao waiting at Zhongnanhai and Premier Zhou Enlai already hospitalized. Deng toasted the Korean state leader with a grand banquet held and had been in the company of the guest on a visit to Nanjing and a tour on the Yangtze River. But people didn't expect that Mao and Zhou departed after meeting their Korean guest for the last time in Beijing.

Kim Il Sung had been all tears on learning of the death of Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai. He went in person to the Chinese Embassy to express his heartfelt condolences over the death of the two Chinese leaders. In consoling with the dead he saw that a bronze statue was erected to the memory of Premier Zhou in Hamheung Chemical Fertilizer Factory Zhou had visited. After completion of the statue, Kim Il Sung specially invited Deng Yingchao ( Zhou Enlai's widow) on a visit and joined her in the unveiling ceremony of the statue. As things now stand with DPRK there are no other statues but the only one to Premier Zhou Enlai having been erected to the memory of a departed foreigner on the Korean land.

On September 9, 1978 fell the day to mark the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). A Chinese Party and government delegation was organized under Vice Chairman Deng Xiaoping. The 8th saw Deng at the head of the Chinese delegation left for Pyongyang to extend their congratulations. A rousing welcome ceremony was held upon arrival of Deng with his Chinese delegation in Pyongyang. With Vice President Pak Song Chol in his company, Deng with his retinue drove directly to the Presidential Palace of Kim Il Sung from the airport and was extended a warm welcome by President Kim Il Sung waiting already at the gate of his palace. Kim Il Sung embraced and shook hands with Deng most warmly and hosted a luncheon in honor of Deng. Foreign guests were found many and there was also the presence of state leaders in those days of Korean celebrations. But to the Korean leader, Deng's visit was different as he saw to it that Deng was specially arranged beside him on every occasion to make his presence in public on those gala days. Kim Il Sung had even specially had a day out to have long talks held and exchange of views with Deng. Moreover, a warm grand scene was seen when Deng went on a visit and welcomed by over 100,000 local people lining the streets of Hamheung. On the day of the Chinese delegation leaving for home, Kim Il Sung went specially on a parting visit to Deng at his guesthouse. At parting, Deng on his part also didn't forget to appoint a trip with the Korean leader to his birthplace Sichuan Province. In September 1982, as things had been appointed four years ago, when Kim Il Sung came on a visit to China Deng was once again in the company of Kim Il Sung on board a train on a special visit to Chengdu in Sichuan.

March 1990, General Secretary Jiang Zemin went at the invitation of President Kim Il Sung on a formal visit to the DPRK then with a warm welcome and great hospitality extended. October 1991, Kim Il Sung was again on a China visit. Deng Xiaoping had been in his advanced years and complete retirement then. However, in spite of his old age he still met Kim Il Sung and had more than an hour's talk with his Korean friend. General Secretary Jiang hosted a welcoming banquet in honor of President Kim Il Sung on his arrival. He had accompanied him on a tour of Yangzhou. Though Kim Il Sung had been in his eighties yet he still showed great interest in making a visit to Nanjing and Jinan and a tour of Mt. Taishan and Qufu. He spoke highly of the great achievements China made in socialist construction. On leaving for home, the Korean leader had left the word that he would come on a new visit when he got time. But no one expected that the Korean leader had made the last of his China visits.

Kim Il Sung cherished a deep love for Chinese culture and art. Whenever a Chinese art troupe was found on a Korean visit he would have time out at the performance. Once when a Chinese art troupe went on a visit to Korea from China's Shaanxi Province staging the art piece "Tale of the Silk Road" Chairman Kim Il Sung spoke highly of the high ideological and artistic plane on which the work had been created and staged. Whenever he was in Beijing, should time allow, his Chinese host would arrange special art performances in entertaining him and great enjoyment he would find in those of Chinese dances or Beijing operas staged.

Kim Il Sung was a modest respectful state leader cordial to people. He made inquiries of me every now and then about things in China for my work as a diplomat and interpreter on our way of bus riding. Whenever coming up with a question or problem he would check things out with every side. Every time before ending his visit, he would receive the whole working body on the Chinese side and had photo taken with them. Late by the 1980s, I worked in the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang. Kim Il Sung used to say hello to me on every occasion when I was in the company of a Chinese delegation going for an audience accorded and these have become lasting memories to me to this day.

By Zhang Tingyan, Diplomat at Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang in the 1980s and Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of Korea from 1992-1998.

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