The Nature of Kim Jong Suk
President Kim Il Sung gave an emotional account of the anti-Japanese war heroine Kim Jong Suk during his lifetime, which is to be found in his reminiscences With the Century. A quotation goes:
“She (Kim Jong Suk) was afire with love for the people. She thought her sacrifice for others was not in the least wasteful.”
The anti-Japanese war heroine Kim Jong Suk threw herself in the strong current of the revolution in her teens and devoted all her life to her comrades and nation with noble human love and benevolence, enduring all hardships and ordeals.
“Younger Daughter of the Hoeryong House”
Kim Jong Suk’s family moved from Hoeryong, their native place, to Beigou, Yanji County, China.
As tenant all the family worked hard but they were as hard up for living as they had been in Hoeryong. Although they were poverty-stricken, they always lived in harmony.
Kim Jong Suk, though young, worked in the field with her mother and elder brother in the day time, and wove cloth with a loom together with her sister at night.
Despite her poor living she devoted herself to helping her neighbours and friends.
One day Kim Jong Suk went to a nearby hill early in the morning to pick edible herbs and returned home in the evening with empty basket. Her mother looked dubious. Kim Jong Suk told her mother what had happened: When she was on her way back home towards evening with the herbs she had picked, she heard a baby crying in a hut at the foot of the hill. It sounded so pitiable that she entered the hut, only to find a young woman ill in bed with her baby crying while trying to suck at her breasts that had run dry. Kim Jong Suk took the baby onto her back and lulled it to sleep. Then she prepared gruel with her herbs, and served it to the woman. She even cleaned the rest of the herbs for a meal for the next morning.
Learning this, her neighbours praised her, saying that the younger daughter of Hoeryong House was kinder than grown-ups. Thereafter they fondly called her “younger daughter of the Hoeryong House.”
One of the days when a bloody fight for the life was going in Chechangzi Guerrilla Zone, Kim Jong Suk felt sorry that she had to give nothing but gruel to the guerillas for supper again. That morning she had seen off her fellow guerillas to a battle against the Japanese “punitive force” after they had gruel for breakfast.
She searched her knapsack and found a small amount of wheat flour. Mulling over how to serve the guerrillas equally with the little amount of flour she decided to make cake by stripping some bark from pine trees and mixing with the flour. She climbed a mountain despite her state of emaciation. She broke down from dizziness several times but stripped the bark, thinking of her comrades who were enduring hunger.
That evening the guerrillas were delighted to see the cake. So pleased to see them having their supper with relish she brought her share and gave it to them.
Once Kim Jong Suk was engaged in the underground revolutionary work in Taoquanli, Changbai County, China.
One day she knew that a landlord in Liugecun banished his kitchen maid, a little girl who was suffering from typhoid fever, to a hut in the mountains. It was certain what would become of her if she was left alone, but nobody extended a helping hand. Her relatives, to say nothing of her neighbours, expressed great pity for her but none of them dared to take care of her for fear of infection. When Kim Jong Suk went to the hut without hesitation, the girl was almost dead. At the miserable sight of the girl who was unconscious due to a high fever, Kim Jong Suk pictured the people in the homeland who were writhing in agony. Later, on receiving that news, some villagers came to the hut and their eyes were full of tears facing an incredible scene. Kim Jong Suk was feeding the girl gruel spoonful by spoonful, holding her in her arms.
Kim Jong Suk smiled and comforted them, saying,
“Don’t worry, and please go back. If we are afraid to save a child at a risk of our lives, how can we restore the country and rescue our fellow countrymen? I’m determined to sacrifice my life for the sake of the people.”
She remained in the hut, looking after the girl until she got well.
Later the villagers regarded Kim Jong Suk as a “godsend” to the poor.
