President Kim Il Sung and O Jung Hup

President Kim Il Sung said:

"Among the commanding officers in the days of the anti-Japanese armed struggle, O Jung Hup was the strongest in the revolutionary spirit and highest in combat efficiency."

O Jung Hup is still alive in the memory of our fatherland and people as the model of defending the leader with his very life and as the image of loyalty. His life was like a passion that left the true value and worth of life of a revolutionary soldier to the rising generations with his example. That is why President Kim Il Sung, until the last moments of his life, did not forget O Jung Hup even after his death.

He wrote in his reminiscences "With the Century" that the 7th Regiment was an invincible unit, which could be called the "steel unit," and that it was all thanks to O Jung Hup, a loyal and distinguished commander, who was in charge of the command of the regiment.

He recalled with deep emotion that he could not forget O Jung Hup just like Kim Hyok or Cha Kwang Su, and that he was not only his revolutionary comrade but also a benefactor of his life.

One day during the arduous march in the winter of 1938, the 7th Regiment led by O Jung Hup began its forced march with the President's order to move in the direction of Sanggang district with the enemy behind. The enemy planes were roaring around in the sky, and the enemy were tackling with all their strength, giving them no time to rest. But O Jung Hup commanded the regiment with superhuman power, forcing way in the lead through waist-deep snow.

They had to be involved in battles dozen times a day against the enemy's huge forces amid severe hunger and cold, and the difficulty then could never be imagined.

At that time, his call upon the exhausted soldiers was just like a burning fire.

"We are suffering from a great ordeal at the moment, but once we overcome this, we are sure to win. As long as we thoroughly carry out the commander's order, the day of national liberation will come nearer and thus the victory of the Korean revolution will be hastened."

The soldiers, who gained strength and courage from his story, successfully realized the operational plan of the President by keeping on the fierce battles and arduous march.

As President Kim Il Sung highly praised, O Jung Hup was a bullet-proof wall, a brilliant commander and a loyalist who defended the headquarters of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army as firm as a rock from the enemy's constant attack.