A proverb says that behind every great person there is a great mother.

Kim Jong Suk was not only the mother of leader Kim Jong Il but also a benevolent teacher who brought him up as an outstanding brilliant commander possessed of extraordinary military wisdom and stratagem.

Her stories about the history of the arms of the Korean revolution implanted his mind with the faith to invariably carry forward the revolutionary cause of Juche pioneered by President Kim Il Sung.

It was just after Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule that when young Kim Jong Il was willing to learn horse riding, she praised his manful spirit and instructed him in riding a horse. She also taught him how to shoot.

She visited different units of the services and arms of the Korean People's Army together with her son to let him get detailed knowledge of all military equipment and technological means.

And she often told him about Mt Paektu to nurture his brave nature.

She handed down to his son a pistol which she had kept to the last moments of her life.

Later, Kim Jong Il recollected with deep emotion that he had learned the profound significance of the gun from his mother at the Paektusan Secret Camp.

Kim Jong Suk always live in the hearts of the Korean people as she provided a firm guarantee for the prosperity of Songun Korea and happiness of all generations.