Noir: R.I.P. Kim Jung Il

Did you know Kim Jong Il was already a master equestrian marksman at the age of five?
Kim Jong Il was very fond of running, tree-climbing, hide-and-seek, playing soldiers, horse-riding, reading, playing the organ and singing. He liked playing soldiers best, and as a commander he always led the game with skill and won it…

Kim Jong Il was very fond of horse-riding. At first he rode with the help of his parents. His mother would adjust the saddle and the stirrup to suit his height, and give him the neccessary warnings about riding a horse. By the time he was five years old, Kim Jong Il was able to ride without help, and never once fell from a galloping horse.

His father led him to like guns, with the advice that a good horseman should also be a good marksman.  His mother bought him an airgun and carefully guided his training in marksmanship. One day, Kim Jong Il saw his mother in a shooting stance with a pistol in hand, while inspecting the rifle range for the guards, and he said he would like to try his hand at it.  She extracted the cartridge from the pistol, showed him how to aim and pull the trigger, and then said:

“You must not start shooting without a definite target. You must have a noble aim before you start shooting.”

“The day I shot my rifle for the first time during the armed struggle against the Japanese, I made up my mind to fight for the revolution to the end under the General’s leadership and destroyed many enemy soldiers. I have kept to my pledge and safeguarded the General at the risk of my life, holding this pistol firmly in my hand.”

Kim Jong Il practiced shooting with the pistol every day. After many days of such practice, he got an opportunity to display his skill. With everyone watching him, he aimed at his targets and pulled the trigger. Bang, bang, bang! The three shots hit his three targets. Kim Il Sung hugged his son and exclaimed, “Excellent!” He then encouraged the (note: five year old) boy to practice shooting on horseback.

At birth, the country hailed him as their new divine leader.

A few woman soldiers and a small unit of the KPRA who were at the Paektusan Secret Camp at that time were the first to congratulate the birth of Kim Jong Il. Wishing him to become the lodestar that would brighten the future of Korea, the hailed him as the Bright Star of Mt. Paektu. Hearing the news of his birth from the messengers who had been to the Paektusan Secret Camp, the small units and groups and political workers operating in many areas were overjoyed at that event and inscribed the words on thick trees everywhere they went, to spread the news of his birth.

The news of Kim Jong Il’s birth spread rapidly, by word of mouth, throughout the country, like a legendary tale. On learning the fact, the enemy became concerned and tried to suppress the public excitement generated by the news.  A Japanese police document… said that the propaganda about the birth of a heaven-sent boy at Samjiyon in the vicinity of Mt. Paektu had caused great confusion in public sentiment in wartime.  An extract from the document reads as follows: “Since it is predicted that the heaven-sent boy will become a general who will bring independence to Korea, Korea will certainly become independent in the near future…”

Holding his son close to his heart, Kim Il Sung gazed intently as his lovable face for a while, and then told his wife that they should bring up the baby and their other children to be heirs to the revolution. He emphasized that he wanted to see the children carry forward the red flag of revolution which was hoisted on Mt. Paektu.

Kim Jong Suk made every effort to bring up her son, living up to the expectations of her husband. She taught him to be a sturdy son of the nation, to be a strong man who would shoulder the future of the Korean revolution.

Kim Jong Il’s film theory writings are pretty classic.


 “In the capitalist system of film-making,” he writes early on, “the director is called ‘director’ but, in fact, the right of supervision and control over film production is entirely in the hands of the tycoons of the film-making industry who have the money, whereas the directors are nothing but their agents…. The director is shackled…. he is a mere worker who obeys…”

“In socialist society the director is an independent and creative artist who is responsible to the Party and the people for the cinema…. The director is not a mere worker who makes films, but the commander!”

“In socialist society the director is an independent and creative artist who is responsible to the Party and the people for the cinema…. The director is not a mere worker who makes films, but the commander!”

“Artistic guidance to individual creative workers must always be specific.”

“It is only when production is well organized that it is possible to make an excellent film in a short time and with a small amount of manpower, funds and material.”

“The director must have confidence in himself and aim high and work boldly.”

Kim Jong Il issued a series of 3D stamps celebrating the birth of Prince William