economy

The family of Kim Son Hui, aged 79, who lives in Minhung-dong, Moranbong District, Pyongyang, is one of families most well known for assisting the army.

Starting from her father-in-law who was a war veteran to his eight children and their descendants, the family has assisted the army through four generations. 

“I have been assisting the army with my husband Ho Mong, the eldest of the eight siblings, for thirty years. Despite the passage of time and the replacement of generations, our family’s tradition of assisting the army has remained unchanged,” said Kim.

Then, she put out a bulky, dog-eared book, which she said was the logbook of the family’s course of assisting the army.

Her father-in-law Ho Ik had keenly realized how precious his motherland was under the colonial rule of the Japanese imperialists. Therefore, when the US imperialists ignited a war of aggression in the 1950s, he volunteered to the front and fought bravely. Even after discharge, he would voluntarily visit a post of the People’s Army and assist it, and always taught his children that the happiness of their family is possible only when they have their motherland. As a result, all his six sons joined the army and his two daughters married army officers.

January 1 1995 was an unforgettable day for the family of the eight siblings.

In the period when the country was faced with severe trials, Chairman Kim Jong Il visited the Dwarf Pine Post, a subunit of the People’s Army, on his first inspection tour of Songun-based leadership of that year and met Ho’s fifth son Ho Kwang who was an officer there. When Ho Kwang’s father heard about that, he visited the post of his son together with his children and congratulated all the soldiers there.

The eight siblings continued to support the Dwarf Pine Post.

They showed growing care for the soldiers as they brought them aid materials and gave a family performance before them.

In particular, they plant trees with great care at the post on such meaningful days as the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army and the anniversary of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War.

It became a family tradition to have a gathering at the end of every year to review their course of assisting the army and the siblings and their spouses compete with each other and pool ideas to seek something new that they can do for the soldiers.

“It is our family’s trait which remains unchanged to support the mightiness of our country by assisting the army,” said Ho Kwang.

The state has awarded high state commendations on the eight siblings including the eldest brother Ho Mong who devoted his whole life to aiding the army.

In particular, the fifth brother Ho Kwang, who served as an officer at the Dwarf Pine Post, had two photos taken with Chairman Kim Jong Il. The eldest sister Ho Hye Sun took part in the Fourth National Conference of Mothers, and the second sister Ho Hye Ok and the wife of the youngest brother Ho Jin were invited as special delegates to the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War and the 75th founding anniversary of the KPA respectively.

Keeping in mind the trust and honour as the most valuable treasure of life, the eight siblings’ family continues their journey of assisting the army.