“This stone must be carried to Pyongyang safely. If it gets damaged even a little, it is tantamount to cracking our hearts”, said an adherent of the Juche idea in Peru in the early 1980s.
Progressive personages in Peru who were fascinated by the immortal Juche idea created by President Kim Il Sung heard the news that the Tower of the Juche Idea was under construction in Pyongyang, the capital city of the Democratic People’s Republic Korea.
After discussion they decided to find rare marble with special patterns, which had been indigenous to Peru and used by the natives to decorate structures and other souvenirs, and donate it to the construction of the tower.
In the course of reading documents at the history library of research institutes to find the record of the marble, they finally came to know that the marble was in the Andes in a historical record.
But their joy was short-lived as the home of the marble was in the Andes, far from the capital city of Lima, and the place was 4,000-5,000 meters above sea level without any grass and trees growing.
But they did not hesitate to set out on that road and finally arrived at their destination.
A bigger difficulty was to transport the marble weighing hundreds of kilograms to a road for transport.
Even a little mistake might make the stone fall in a deep gorge or threaten their very lives.
But they didn’t hesitate.
When the stone lost its balance during the transport, a man threw himself under the stone at the risk of his life.
They passed the dangerous area by propping the stone against their wounded arms and shoulders.
Choice stone materials were carried to Pyongyang thanks to the warm sincerity of them who are ardent followers of the great Juche idea.
The story of them, who donated the rare marble in the Andes is still told in Pyongyang, along with high-grade stone materials decorating the interior walls of the Tower of the Juche Idea.
Paektu Solidarity Alliance 