September 9, Moscow (RSTV)   

[all photos]

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A unique symbol of the 2nd International Congress of Solidarity was the painting “Spirit of the Nation,” painted by activist Margarita Silakova as a gift to Shin Hong Chol, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the DPRK to Russia.

The painting is done in oil. According to the instructions of Alexander Mostov, Leader of our organization, the canvas depicts a Korean tiger tearing the US flag over the sacred Paektusan Mountain in a furious leap.

The Congress delegates who examined the painting noted its deep symbolism and masterful execution: the image of the tiger reflects the unyielding spirit of the Korean nation, ready to defend itself from any aggression; the US flag being torn by a tiger symbolizes the final defeat of US imperialism and the liberation of the Korean Peninsula; and Mount Paektusan stands for the unyielding revolutionary beliefs passed down by Koreans from generation to generation.

The significance of the image of the tiger in modern Korean culture is rooted in ancient history. Since time immemorial, the Korean people have considered the Korean tiger as the protector god of the nation, a symbol of encouraging good and punishing evil.

During the occupation of Korea by the Japanese imperialists, which began in 1905, they, wanting to “assimilate” the Koreans and condemn them to eternal colonial slavery, resorted to all sorts of tricks in an attempt to humiliate the national consciousness of the Korean people. For example, according to the reference book "Geography of Korea", published in 1904, like many other Japanese books, it was argued that Korea was like a cowardly herbivorous hare. But in reality, Korea is like a tiger whose spirit cannot be chained.

Thus, the tiger is firmly entrenched in the history of the Korean people's liberation movement as a symbol of protecting the national spirit. It is not for nothing that the Koreans nicknamed Commander Kim Il Sung, who brought down just punishment on the Japanese occupiers, as the Paektusan Korean Tiger.

With the spirit of the Paektusan tiger, the Korean people, having defeated the Japanese imperialists, liberated Korea and repelled the armed attack of the US aggressors, and today they are vigorously promoting the construction of a powerful socialist power, with the spirit of a strong nation similar to the tiger. This is the special symbolism of Margarita Silakova’s painting.

On July 15, the painting was handed over to Kim Song U, Adviser to the Ambassador of the DPRK to the Russian Federation, during the opening ceremony of the Congress. Currently it is kept in the Moscow Embassy of the DPRK.

Note: In the photograph, Margarita Silakova discusses the painting with the wife of the DPRK ambassador.