Pyongyang
Telegram from Mao Zedong et al. Congratulating the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on the Fifteenth Anniversary of Its Founding
(September 8, 1963)


To Comrade Kim Il Sung, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Premier of the Cabinet of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea;
and to Comrade Choe Yong Geon, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea:


On this glorious occasion marking the fifteenth anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, on behalf of the Chinese people, the Communist Party of China, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China, we extend our warmest congratulations to the fraternal Korean people, the Workers’ Party of Korea, and the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.


The establishment of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea signified a major victory in the Korean people’s long-term anti-imperialist revolutionary struggle and holds epoch-making significance in their political life. Under the correct leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea headed by Comrade Kim Il Sung and the republic’s government, the industrious and courageous Korean people have achieved brilliant successes in the socialist revolution and construction, as well as in the Fatherland Liberation War against U.S. imperialist aggression.


The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea stands as the eastern outpost of the socialist camp. The heroic Korean people not only defeated the armed aggression of U.S. imperialism but, even after the armistice, continued to resolutely fight to uphold the Armistice Agreement, oppose the U.S. occupation of South Korea, and strive for the peaceful reunification of the motherland. Through these steadfast struggles, they have made tremendous contributions to safeguarding the security of the socialist camp and world peace. With their fearless spirit of daring to struggle and daring to win, the Korean people have confronted a heavily armed U.S. imperialist foe with equal determination, setting a shining example for revolutionary peoples everywhere.


Under the wise leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Korean people have worked selflessly in the cause of socialist construction, embodying the “Thousand-Mile Horse” spirit and adhering to the principle of self-reliance. In just ten years after the war, a prosperous and powerful new socialist Korea has risen from the ruins left by U.S. aggression. Today, we see that the Korean people are once again achieving great successes in their three-year campaign to fulfill the first phase of the Seven-Year Plan. The Chinese people are deeply delighted by this development.


The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a peace-loving nation that consistently pursues a peaceful foreign policy, firmly opposing U.S. imperialist policies of aggression and war while vigorously supporting the revolutionary struggles of peoples worldwide and the national liberation movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. As its international prestige continues to grow, the DPRK plays an increasingly important role in global affairs.


In its struggle against imperialism and in the cause of socialist revolution and construction, the Workers’ Party of Korea has skillfully combined the universal truths of Marxism-Leninism with the specific realities of the Korean revolution, formulating sound lines and policies that have guided the Korean people from one victory to another. Upholding Marxism-Leninism and resolutely opposing modern revisionism, the Workers’ Party of Korea has made outstanding contributions to maintaining the unity of the socialist camp and the international communist movement, as well as to advancing the revolutionary cause of peoples around the world. For the Workers’ Party of Korea’s unwavering adherence to Marxist-Leninist principles and its revolutionary fighting spirit, the Chinese people and the Chinese Communist Party express profound respect and admiration.


China and North Korea are neighboring countries closely linked like lips and teeth, and their peoples are brothers sharing life and death together. The combat friendship and great unity between the two parties and the two nations were forged in blood through prolonged joint struggles against imperialism, built upon the foundations of Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism. Both the Chinese Communist Party and the Workers’ Party of Korea are determined to carry forward the socialist revolution and construction to the very end, to continue the struggle against imperialism, to support all oppressed peoples and nations, to defend world peace, and to combat modern revisionism, safeguard Marxism-Leninism, and maintain the unity of the socialist camp and the international communist movement. For the sake of our common ideals, common causes, and ultimate victory in our shared struggle, the Chinese people will forever stand in solidarity with the fraternal Korean people, cooperating closely and advancing side by side.


Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
Liu Shaoqi, President of the People’s Republic of China
Zhu De, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China
Zhou Enlai, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China
August 8, 1963