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Legends
of Mt. Baekdu
¡¡These
days legends praising Marshal Kim Jong Il as the peerlessly great man sent by
heaven are circulated from mouth to mouth among south Korean people.
Many of the legends are those related with Mt. Baekdu.
In particular, the Baekdu Bright Star legend on the unique birth and growth of the
Marshal gives people great joy and hope.
Some time ago an eldest man of an island in the South Sea who had toured Mt. Geumgang
of north Korea told his villagers a legend about the three General Stars of Mt. Baekdu.
He said that the legend he heard from a south side¡¯s guide during his tour to Mt.
Geumgang was very emotional.
One spring day during the
darkest period of the Japanese colonial rule over Korea, flowers bloomed on aged trees at
the foot of Mt. Taebaek, birds flew in flocks to magnolias on Mt. Jiri and various flowers
emitted fragrance at Mt. Bugak.
A traveler who heard the
wondrous rumor looked up toward the northern sky to see Mt. Baekdu and a very bright and
large star on it, which was the General Star.
The General Star brightened
the dark sky like in daytime, shedding rays of liberation over the whole Korean Peninsula
and giving hope of national resurrection to the Korean people.
The General Star symbolized
General Kim Il Sung.
The Korean people said that
the star symbolic of General Kim Il Sung shed bright rays of national liberation
for the oppressed nation.
Thereafter, another large
star appeared shedding brilliant rays beside the General Star and a small twinkling star
between them.
Then, flowers blossomed on
aged trees at the foot of Mt. Taebaek and birds flocked to Mt. Jiri again.
People said that the large
star symbolized anti-Japanese woman general Kim Jong Suk and the uncommonly twinkling star
was the Bright Star of Baekdu symbolic of Marshal Kim Jong Il.
After the Bright Star of
Baekdu rose high, a very dignified and exquisite peak on Mt. Baekdu emitted brilliant
light with a particularly beautiful rainbow hung over it. Later the peak was named Jong Il
Peak.
Under the brilliant rays
emitted from the peak Marshal Kim Jong Il grew up to be the most brilliant
commander possessed of literary and military arts.
For the young Marshal the
thick forest of Baekdu was the cradle of life in which he cultivated his body and mind.
His toys were the revolver
magazine and cartridge belt of his mother Kim Jong Suk scorched with cannon smoke.
The drum of victory in the
anti-Japanese war was the first sound he heard and a lullaby for him.
In those days he grew up
into the most brilliant general, crossing over majestic Baekdu together with Kim Il
Sung and Kim Jong Suk whose names made the Japanese troops faint.
From that time, people
eagerly waited for the three Generals of Mt. Baekdu to descend on a five-dragon wagon from
Lake Cheon on Mt. Baekdu.
This was the legend the old
man told his villagers.
Legends reflect popular
feelings. They contain the hope and desire of people.
The legend
about the Bright Star of Baekdu reflects the people¡¯s warm
reverence for anti-Japanese Generalissimo Kim Il Sung and anti-Japanese heroine Kim
Jong Suk and their unbounded trust in and expectation for Kim Jong Il, son of Mt.
Baekdu and son of guerillas.
Here is another legend, the
legend about the fog of Panmunjeom which is also circulated from mouth to mouth in south
Korea in every November.
It was a Sunday morning in
late November Juche 85 (1996). That day it was fine as usual from the morning at the truce
village of Panmunjeom.
Suddenly, the truce village
was enveloped with a thick fog. The guards in the southern portion of the truce village
were bewildered by the mysterious and unusual weather.
Next day Radio Pyongyang
aired a report that Marshal Kim Jong Il inspected Panmunjeom on the previous day.
The guards of the south
side were stunned and severe reprimand was given to them by the US Forces Korea Command
and the south Korean Defense Ministry for having neglected watch.
However, they could not but
answer that they had been unable to distinguish anything in the dense fog.
That was really a wonder of
nature.
The dense fog settled just
when Kim Jong Il appeared at Panmunjeom. The fact tells that he is a brilliant
general produced by heaven, so heaven sent the fog of Mt. Baekdu to protect him.
This is convincing with the
fact that Panmunjeom had never been enveloped with such a dense fog.
Similar legends in praise
of Marshal Kim Jong Il are prevalent in different parts of south Korea from the
truce village to the southern end.
As everything follows the sun, all people follow the great man. No force can check this tendency.
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