The solemn music of the immortal revolutionary hymn "Song of General
The congratulatory message President
Dear fellow countrymen,
Valiant men and officers of the People's Army,
Dear citizens of Seoul,
...
On the occasion of the liberation of Seoul, I, on behalf of the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, extend my congratulations to all the Korean people and express my thanks to the officers and men of the heroic People's Army who have participated in the battle to liberate Seoul.
I also offer my congratulations to the citizens of Seoul who have been freed from the fascist oppression of the traitorous Syngman Rhee clique.
...
The congratulatory message President
The liberated south Korean compatriots, unable to repress their great happiness and joy to be in the embrace of President
The voice of the radio announcer, Ri Sang Byok, was also filled with emotions and excitement, as he was conveying in tears the congratulatory message to the whole world, at the Seoul Radio Station.
Seventy years have passed since all the fellow countrymen shed tears, receiving the congratulatory message of President
However, not many people know about the painstaking efforts made by President
On the day before the operation for liberating Seoul, he called a senior official of the Information and Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. Emphasizing the great significance of seizing control of the Seoul Broadcasting Station in time, he gave detailed instructions on sending our broadcasters so that they could start broadcasting service in Seoul immediately after its liberation.
He said that If we liberated Seoul and broadcasted the voice of the DPRK government through the Seoul Broadcasting Station, not only Korea but also the whole world would get to know the victory of the People's Army. He added that it would greatly encourage the fighting Korean people and shatter the enemy's morale.
He went on to say that the Central Broadcasting Committee should select by that day the broadcasters to follow the People's Army advancing south, so that when the People's Army liberated Seoul, they should immediately grasp the microphone of the Seoul Broadcasting Station and bring the voices of our Party and the Government of the Republic on the air.
Then he told the official that it would be advisable for the broadcasters to prepare their manuscripts in advance if they were to go to Seoul and start broadcasting soon. And he said that he would personally write the congratulatory message to send, as regards the liberation of Seoul, to the people across the country, the People's Army and the citizens of Seoul.
Ri Sang Byok and other broadcasters could hardly calm down their excitements.
He, an ordinary broadcaster, had the greatest honor to go straight to Seoul to convey the congratulatory message.
Moreover, President
Like this, President
The group of broadcasters left for Seoul without delay in the military cars provided by the President.
The road was not smooth. It rained hard and the muddy water flew through the trenches. But the cars ran without stopping. At the guard posts and the river-crossing places, they were given top priority for passing, thanks to the President's instructions.
They passed Cholwon at dawn on the 28th, following the advancing People's Army, and finally arrived in Seoul at 3:00 p.m. They immediately adjusted the broadcasting equipment and started the first broadcasting service there.
At 9:00 p.m. on June 28, the historic congratulatory message that President
The unforgettable emotions and excitement of the day still go on and the great history of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War will be handed down for generations.