This was an event of great significance in making the 20th century an era of the cause of anti-imperialist independence.

Although the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was not a member state of the movement (it became a member state in August 1975), President Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) paid close attention to the movement which was opposed to military blocs and aspiring to build an independent and peaceful world from its outset.

He made great efforts to realize the consolidation and development of the movement and unity and solidarity of its member states with an understanding that the mission of the movement was to oppose all forms of domination, subjugation, aggression, and intervention, defend peace and security, realize the independence of countries and nations and achieve free social and economic development.

In many of his talks and other works including The Non-aligned Movements Is a Mighty Anti-imperialist Revolutionary Force of Our Times published in December 1975 in the inaugural issue of Guidebook to the Third World, a periodical published in Argentina, he gave a scientific definition that the movement embodying the lofty ideal of anti-imperialist independence was a powerful one opposed to imperialist and colonialist aggression and plunder and that the member states constitute a strong force standing in confrontation with the imperialist reactionary forces; and he gave answers to many theoretical and practical problems arising in consolidating and developing the movement–that the member states should confront the schemes of the imperialists for division and alienation with the strategy of unity, that they should maintain the principle of non-interference in the one another’s internal affairs, that they should settle their disagreements and disputes by means of negotiation, and so on.

He also led his country to fulfill its mission and role as a member state of the movement.

The complicated international situation created at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s exerted a harmful influence on the Non-aligned Movement as well as on the socialist forces.

Taking advantage of the disappearance of the cold war structure and the destruction of the balance of forces in the international arena, imperialists attempted to emasculate and obliterate the fundamental ideals and character of the movement which had fought for anti-imperialist independence, peace against war, and progress.

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At the end of August 1992, the chief editor of the Indonesian newspaper Media Indonesia asked Kim Il Sung to give answers to the questions regarding the orientation of the development of the Non-aligned Movement.

It was just before Indonesia was to host the 10th Summit Conference of the Non-aligned Nations.

The conference was supposed to make an accurate evaluation of the prevailing situation and achieve a consensus of opinion on the important issues related to the road the Non-aligned Movement should take. By that time, however, the member states failed to reach a consensus on some matters or even take a clear-cut stand.

Non-aligned Movement has forfeited its position and role; since the imperialist forces of domination remain, and since the ideal of non-alignment has yet to be realized, the Non-aligned Movement must continue to exist and to strengthen and develop; there is no change in the world people’s aspiration to build a free, peaceful new world, and advancing towards independence and peace is the fundamental historical tide that cannot be turned back; the movement, which regards independence as its lifeblood, must invariably uphold its fundamental ideal and principles.

And he illustrated the direction for further consolidating and developing the movement.

His opinions became the spirit of the 10th Summit Conference of the Non-aligned Nations, and the conference marked an important occasion in maintaining the mission and role of the movement aspiring after independence.

A former foreign minister of Indonesia, who had watched the process of development of the Non-alignment Movement, had this to say: The DPRK is playing an independent role on the international arena and a definitely leading role in the Non-aligned Movement in particular; it was the DPRK that saved the organic body, called Non-aligned

Movement, by giving it vaccine in time when it was suffering from the political fever of “liberalization” and “multi-party system” after the end of the cold war; it was also the DPRK that made the movement come to its sense when it was knocked out in a ring by the heavy strike of the Western forces; it is entirely the exploit of President Kim Il Sung that the DPRK saved the movement and is leading it.