Message of Pochonbo battle

Seventy one year have passed since the Pochonbo battle (June 4, 1937), which wrote a glorious page in the annals of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle.

The historic battle demonstrated that Korea was not dead but alive and that if the Korean people fought they could surely achieve national independence and liberation. President Kim Il Sung wrote in his reminiscences With the Century:

“…In other words, this battle marked a decisive turning point in the liberation of my conquered nation.”

From the early 20^th century the Korean nation was forced into colonial slavery by the Japanese.

Especially in the 1930s, the Japanese imperialists intensified unprecedented fascist repression, economic plunder and exploitation of the Korean people to complete the preparation for the continental invasion. Forcing the Koreans to be “subject of the Japanese Empire,” they pursued a cruel policy to wipe out their national identity.

Korea literally turned into a hell and all the people were at the crossroads of life and death.

Commander Kim Il Sung decided to advance towards Pochonbo and other areas at home with a large unit of the Korean people’s Revolutionary Army (KPRA) and launch military and political activities in order to deal a serious blow to the Japanese imperialists and give the people confidence in national liberation.

At that time Pochonbo on the northern border of Korea was one of military vantage points for the Japanese army. Many Japanese ruling organs were located in and around the area. The Japanese set 18 police posts and built batteries at intervals of about a few kilometers and built border road.

Threading its way through the enemy’s strict cordon around the border, the KPRA unit led by Kim Il Sung arrived at Pochonbo.

At 10 p.m. of June 4 1937 a signal shot by the Commander for attack rent the air.

As soon as the battle started, the Japanese ruling organs including police station and sub-county office were enveloped in flames and the enemies were destroyed by the KPRA unit. The guerillas scattered and pasted up the proclamation, appeal and leaflets on the street and alleys and launched publicity activities against the Japanese imperialists.

People of all ages and both sexes in Pochonbo rushed out to the street to warmly welcome the KPRA unit and the whole town was in tumult of joy.

In front of the crowds with excitement Kim Il Sung made historic speech entitled Let Us Fight on Staunchly for the Liberation of the Fatherland to implant them with the confidence and pride that the Korean spirit was alive and call on them to liberate the country by fighting against the Japanese imperialists.

Then his unit again defeated Japanese troops at Kouyushan and Jiansanfeng, demonstrating its power and striking the enemy with fear.

The Pochonbo battle was a model of guerilla warfare.

The impact of the battle was really great.

In the battle, the KPRA horrified the Japanese invaders by dealing a serious blow to them who had lorded it over Korea and Manchuria.

“I felt like hit on the back of my head” and “It left a grudge as great as if purple eulaia gathered for a thousand days were burnt in a moment.” These are what the then Japanese officers said.

Korea had appealed to the powers of independence at an international peace conference, indicting Japan for its crime. The world community was surprised to hear that the Korean revolutionary army was mercilessly destroying the Japanese army styling itself a strong army in the world.

In the 1930s, the Korean national liberation movement radically developed and the myth of Japan’s mightiness was shattered to pieces by the fierce military and political activities of the KPRA led by Kim Il Sung.

Therefore, the Japanese tried to ban the publication and mislead the public in order to sweep the KPRA’s military achievements under the carpet.  

In such political developments the victory in the Pochonbo battle had a great influence.

In particular, the battle convinced patriotic-minded person waging anti-Japanese movement within and without the country and the Korean people from all strata including workers, peasants, conscientious intellectuals and students that they could achieve national independence and liberation and provided a favorable condition for rallying broad segments of Koreans behind the anti-Japanese national united front.

With the Pochonbo battle as a momentum the Korean people became more enthusiastic to participate in the anti-Japanese armed struggle and trusted and supported the KPRA in all sincerity.