No Motherland Without You

"No Motherland Without You" (or "Ode to Kim Jong Il"), is a North Korean song about the country's second supreme leader, Kim Jong Il. Composed by Hwang Jin Young and written by Ri Jong O, it extols the proclaimed talent and virtues of Kim, and the North Korean people's loyalty to him.

Tangsini ŏpsŭmyŏn chogukto ŏpta
English: No Motherland Without You
당신이 없으면 조국도 없다
Personal anthem of Kim Jong Il
LyricsRi Jong O, c. 1993
MusicHwang Jin Yong, 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[2] and is considered his "signature song".[3] The song enjoys popularity in North Korea,[2] where it is frequently broadcast on the radio and from loudspeakers on the streets of Pyongyang.[4] Whereas the "Song of General Kim Il-sung" was sung at the beginning of public gatherings, "No Motherland Without You" was often at the end.[5]

Lyrics
Korean English
1. 사나운 폭풍도 쳐몰아 내고

신념을 안겨준 김정일동지

(후렴)

당신이 없으면 우리도 없고

당신이 없으면 조국도 없다


2. 미래도 희망도 다 맡아주는

민족의 운명인 김정일동지

(후렴)


3. 세상이 열백번 변한다 해도

인민은 믿는다 김정일동지

(후렴)

 1. You pushed away the severe storm.

You made us believe, Comrade Kim Jong Il.

(Refrain)

We cannot live without you.

Our country cannot exist without you!


2. Our future and hope depend on you.

People's fate depends on you, Comrade Kim Jong Il.

(Refrain)


3. Even if the world changes hundreds of times,

People believe in you, Comrade Kim Jong Il.

(Refrain)

In military contexts the title "General" replaces "comrade," reflecting that Kim was Supreme Commander of the armed forces and Chairman of the National Defence Commission in addition to his political role as General Secretary of the Workers' Party.

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. Sue Vander Hook (1 January 2011). Communism. ABDO. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-61758-947-8.
  3. Dalton Fury (20 October 2015). One Killer Force: A Delta Force Novel. St. Martin's Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-4668-7090-1.
  4. Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2007). World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia. Marshall Cavendish. p. 929. ISBN 978-0-7614-7631-3.
  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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