萬民的慈父

萬民的慈父
The Fatherly Man

Many people of the world still recollect how kind-hearted and generous Kim Jong Il, eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, was to foreigners as well as the Korean people.
One July day, Govind, former Secretary General of the Asian Regional Institute of the Juche Idea, was flying back to India, his homeland, after his visit to the DPRK.
Unfortunately, he had been suffering from a stomachache since takeoff. As time went by, it got worse and he slipped into a coma. Soon after, he was taken to hospital which was in the capital city of a country. Since that moment, Pyongyang had had frequent contacts with the Korean embassy in that country.
On hearing the report that Govind had fallen into a critical state and operation was needed, Kim Jong Il immediately dispatched some well-qualified doctors to that country while providing good medicines for him. What is more, he saw to it that Govind’s children were taken to the hospital and took care of their father, saying he would sorely miss his son who was now in his homeland far away from there.
After Govind regained consciousness, he was told the whole story. So impressed, he said: I have never heard that the leader of a country had a plane sent across the border for an ordinary foreigner in the history of any country; no other man but Kim Jong Il can do it.
Here is another story.
One winter day, a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship left Nampho (a city in the western coast of the DPRK) for its destination. Everything was alright until they met with a sudden accident; it began to drift away as it was pushed by ice floes. On the fifth day, the ice floes were everywhere around the ship and it was completely stuck. The sailors had run out of fuel, water and food, and this made them stand at the crossroads of life.
They sent messages to their country by radio but got no answer. After sending messages again and again, they felt as if all hope were gone. At last, they decided to inform the relevant organ in Nampho Port.
The next day, they received a message from the organ; a helicopter of the Korean People’s Army was dispatched to rescue the ship and they should get ready for taking water, fuel and food from it.
The buzzing sound of the helicopter from a distance was just like a helping hand to them who almost went hungry in despair for over ten days.
An official of the port got off the helicopter, asked about their health and told them the story; the accident was reported to Kim Jong Il, and he ordered a KPA air corps to dispatch a helicopter for them.
Sailors were all excited to hear the news. Moved by Kim Jong Il’s noble love for the ordinary foreign sailors, they wrote a letter of thanks to him.
Kim Jong Il was truly a great, fatherly man who was possessed of warm affection for human beings and helped those in trouble.

Source: Consulate General of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in Hong Kong