No Motherland Without You

"No Motherland Without You" (or "Ode to Kim Jong-il"), is a North Korean song about the country's Eternal Leader, Kim Jong-il. Composed by Hwang Jin-young and written by Lee Jong-oh, it extols the proclaimed talent and virtues of Kim, and the attachment of the (North) Korean people for him as he led them out of the turmoils of the 1990s famine (referred to as the Arduous March). The repeated phrase in the song is "We cannot live without you! Our country cannot exist without you!" It is also considered to be the anthem of the Songun ("military-first") policy that Kim implemented in coexistence with the Juche Idea in 1995. It is frequently broadcast on the radio and from loudspeakers on the streets of Pyongyang.[2]

Tangsini ŏpsŭmyŏn chogukto ŏpta
English: No Motherland Without You
당신이 없으면 조국도 없다
Personal anthem of Kim Jong-il
LyricsLee Jong-oh, c. 1993
MusicHwang Jin-young, c. 1993
Adopted1993 (1993)
No Motherland Without You
Chosŏn'gŭl
당신이 없으면 조국도 없다
Hancha
當身이 없으면 祖國도 없다
Revised RomanizationDangsini eopseumyeon jogukdo eopda
McCune–ReischauerTangsini ŏpsŭmyŏn chogukto ŏpta[1]

Significance

"No Motherland Without You" was composed especially for Kim Jong-il, the former leader of North Korea.[3] It is considered his "signature song".[4] The song enjoys popularity in North Korea.[3] It is often sung at the end of public gatherings where as the "Song of General Kim Il-sung" is sung at the beginning of public gatherings.[5]

Lyrics

Though the official lyrics use the phrase "김정일동지" (Comrade Kim Jong-il) to refer to the son of Kim Il-sung, the current usage of the song refers to him as "김정일장군" (General Kim Jong-il) because of his capacity as the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army from 1991 to 2011.

The military version of the song refers to Kim Jong-il as General Kim Jong-il ("Kim Chŏng-il changgun"), not Comrade Kim Jong-il ("Kim Chŏng-il tongji") because of his capacities as KPA Supreme Commander-in-Chief from 1991 to 2011 and Chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission from 1993 to 2011, while the civilian/official version refers otherwise because of his capacity as the General Secretary of the Workers Party of Korea from 1997 to 2011 and other previous civilian positions.

See also

References
  1. Keith Howard (January 2006). Korean Pop Music: Riding the Wave. Global Oriental. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-905246-22-9.
  2. Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2007). World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia. Marshall Cavendish. p. 929. ISBN 978-0-7614-7631-3.
  3. Sue Vander Hook (1 January 2011). Communism. ABDO. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-61758-947-8.
  4. Dalton Fury (20 October 2015). One Killer Force: A Delta Force Novel. St. Martin's Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-4668-7090-1.
  5. Eddie Burdick (26 May 2010). Three Days in the Hermit Kingdom: An American Visits North Korea. McFarland. p. 328. ISBN 978-0-7864-5653-6.
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