In those days when we waged the revolutionary struggle there were many women revolutionaries. Today, in south Korea, too, many women faithfully carry on the revolutionary struggle without yielding to the enemy in the slightest. At present, however, our officials believe that women are able to perform no other revolutionary work than to serve as chairmen of the Women’s Union organizations at best. Women are human beings, just like men, and they account for half the total population of our country.

Why, then, can they not become cadres and direct men? In the final analysis, women are not trained to be cadres because our officials have the wrong concept and attitude towards them and the outdated feudal-Confucian ideas are working in their minds. It is because our officials retain these old ideas that they hold women back from playing their part even when they are promoted to cadres. I am told that a certain man is displeased with his wife working as a cadre and torments her, with the result that she cannot perform her duties properly. This is due to the fact that Party organizations neglect the education of men. Moreover, it is said that if a man respects his wife and helps her to carry on social activities with success, some people mock him, saying that he is submissive to his wife. They are absolutely mistaken.

Because survivals of the old ideas persist in their minds in no small measure, our officials refuse to train women to be cadres and tend to look down upon women cadres. Once I held talks with vice-directors of the departments of the Party Central Committee. When the talks were over, a woman vice-director stood behind the male vice-directors and went out after them. Perhaps she herself thought that she should go out after all the men. On seeing this, I thought that cadres in the Party Central Committee themselves still had the wrong attitude towards women. When this is the attitude of the officials of the Party Central Committee towards women, there is no need to mention those of provinces and counties.

Party organizations should see to it that officials acquire a correct concept of women and make efforts to train many women to be cadres. Nowadays it is noticeable in the country areas that men walk about with briefcases under their arms while women all work in the fields. This will not do. Men should do difficult work and instead women should be allowed to go around carrying handbags. Party organizations should educate men properly so that in society women are respected and their socio-political activities are fully guaranteed. In schools, too, students must be taught to respect women.