Song of General Kim Jong Il
| Song of General Kim Jong Il | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 김정일장군의 노래 |
|---|---|
| Hancha | 金正日將軍의 노래 |
| Revised Romanization | Gim Jeong-il Janggun ui Norae |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Chŏng-il Changgun ŭi Norae |
The "Song of General Kim Jong Il" (Korean: 김정일장군의 노래 Kimjongil janggunui nolae) is a marching song from North Korea. It was composed by Sol Myong-sun (설명순, 1936–2012[1]) and the words were written by Sin Un-ho (신운호, 1941 – March 24, 2020) in 1997.[2][3]
The song praises the "Eternal General Secretary", Kim Jong Il (who ruled from 1994 until 2011) as a part of his cult of personality. During the presidency of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il helped to run his father's own personality cult. Although the "Song of General Kim Jong Il" is not as widely popular as the "Song of General Kim Il Sung" (nor was his cult as large as his father's), it is also played regularly in North Korea.
The song is played by the North Korean state television at the start of broadcasts each day.[4] It was also played after the telecast of Kim Jong Il's memorial service on December 29, 2011. Pyongyang FM Broadcasting also plays a chime version of the first two lines of the song as its interval signal at the start of broadcasts.
According to North Korean sources, their satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2, supposedly launched in a test on April 5, 2009, is broadcasting this song amongst other data.[5]
An English version has been recorded by Ritta Dimek.[6]
The first verse of the song was modified in 2025, with the phrase "Three thousand miles of beautiful scenery" (금수강산 삼천리) replaced by "Concluded by beautiful scenery" (금수강산 끝까지). [7][8]
See also
References
- ^ 北혁명가요 작곡가 설명순 사망. Yonhap News Agency. 21 July 2012.
- ^ "Song of General Kim Jong Il". Naenara. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- ^ 北 '김정일장군의 노래' 작사 신운호 사망...김정은 조화보내. tongilnews. 25 March 2020.
- ^ "KCTV startup". Korean Central Television. 13 April 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Defiant N Korea launches rocket". BBC News. 5 April 2009.
- ^ "Immortal Revolutionary Paean 'Song of General Kim Jong Il". Voice of Korea. Arts. Song: "Ode to Comrade Kim Jong Il". Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ "ころころ🍬🍬🍬 on X: 🇰🇵『金日成将軍の歌』と『金正日将軍の歌』の歌詞が変わってる！ / X". X (Twitter). Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ "주체조선의 하늘가에 영원히 울려퍼질 영생불멸의 혁명송가". 뻐꾸기TV. Archived from the original on 5 December 2025.
External links
- "Song of General Kim Jong Il" with Subtitles on YouTube
- "The Song of General Kim Jong Il" (mp3) at Naenara
- Lyrics in English at Naenara
- Lyrics in Korean at Naenara