The “250-mile journey,” a length of 400 km,

is described as a training exercise that challenges the limits of men–an

exercise undertaken by only some troops such as the special forces or marines.

However, the “250-mile journey” this author looks at is now taking in North Korea, with youths, not soldiers, as the participants.

“Study tour of 250-mile journey for

national liberation” begins from Pyongyang

The 22nd of last month marked the beginning

of the “1,000-ri Journey Study Tour” of Red Flag Mangyongdae Revolutionary

School in Pyongyang. This study tour comes from the ‘1,000-ri [400 km] Journey

of Revolution,” reportedly made by a 13-year-old Kim Il Sung in 1925 from

his home in Mangyongdae to Manchuria, driven by the “will of

independence for his nation” after hearing the news that his father, Kim Hyung

Jik, had been arrested by the Japanese police. The walking study tour path

starts from Pyongyang and stretches to Popyeong, where a number of

revolutionary sites, such as the location of the ferry Kim Il Sung purportedly used to cross the

Amrok [Yalu] River are visited. This is all aimed at strengthening loyalty for the Kim dynasty, instilled in these children by walking the “path of penance” traveled by Kim Il Sung.

Organized in time for the “90th anniversary of

the 250-mile journey for national liberation made by Kim Il Sung and the 40th

anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il’s organizing of the march along the course,” hundreds

of young participants from all over North Korea take part in the tour. Watching the gathering for the start of the event, televised by KCTV, spotting young faces that look like those of South Korean elementary school

students is easy. One boy was introduced as being 13 years of age, but many of the boys

seemed much younger. These children are not setting off in full combat gear like

special forces or marine troops, begging the question: can these young children actually endure the

“250-mile journey”?

The day the study tour embarked on the

journey from Pyongyang, large crowds flocked to the streets to cheer them

on, and energized by the outpouring of encouragement coupled with ardent

reports on state media, the boys appeared excited. One boy interviewed for the

piece even claimed that the marching made “every student in the country look at him

in envy,” with no apparent pretense.

However, this “250-mile journey” is truly a

“250-mile journey”–no exaggeration. Excitement at the surrounding cheers is

fleeting; they must make the meandering 400km trip over the course of 10 days during the coldest

months of winter. One defector recalled completing the trip himself at age 15,

saying, “It’s a grueling journey, during which blisters on one’s feet are popped with

needles and thread during rest periods.” He explained that since it is a

“sacred journey,” following in the revolutionary tradition of Kim Il Sung, “no

stragglers are allowed.”

From an outside perspective, the concept of this arduous

journey is all but impossible to grasp,

but from North Korea’s perspective, it is considered an “honor”. This is

because selection for the study tour itself confirms individuals to be of the

“loyal class.” As such, participation in this sojourn full of blisters and

bone-chilling cold earns one a great deal of bragging rights in North Korea.

Baekdu Mountain study tour organized at the

start of each year

Although not to the same extent as the “1,000-Ri

Journey of Revolution”, various groups hold study tours in the Mt. Baekdu

region for the upcoming birthday of Kim Jong Il on February 16th. These

excursions focus specifically around Milyong, where North Korea claims Kim Il

Sung fought against the Japanese and Kim Jong Il was born. It is a arduous path

in the frigid cold, but according to defectors, these projects are still somewhat

effective at increasing loyalty to the Kim dynasty.

Milyong, the place where North Korean

propaganda claims Kim Jong Il was born, is actually a fabrication concocted by

the state. Kim Il Sung did fight against the Japanese, but his troops

were pushed back by Japan’s 1940 suppression operation and in a state of

retreat in the Soviet Union. Therefore, during Kim Jong Il’s birth on February

16, 1942, Kim Il Sung’s troops could not have been fighting on Mt. Baekdu. Scholars

estimate that Kim Jong Il would have been born somewhere near Vladivostok in

the Soviet Union.

However, North Korea managed to effectively

combine Kim Il Sung’s fight against Japan with Baekdu mountain, the sacred

mountain of our people. The expression, “While continuing his battle against the Japanese on

the snow covered Baekdu mountain, Kim Il Sung gave birth to the revolutionary

second generation, Kim Jong Il,” plays an integral role in propagandizing the legitimacy

of the North Korean regime to the people. Moreover, events like these journeys are

prepared tirelessly to preserve and perpetuate these myths, making the

“250-mile journey for national liberation” undertaken by children a “study tour

of penance” set to increase stability and longevity of North Korea’s ruling

system.

*Views expressed in Guest Columns do not necessarily reflect those of Daily NK.