Anthem · 1993 · Central & East Asia
No Motherland Without You
당신이 없으면 조국도 없다 / Dangsini eopseumyeon jogukdo eopda
A North Korean song of 1993 in praise of the leader Kim Jong Il, often played on the radio and from street loudspeakers in Pyongyang.
- Words
- Ri Jong-o
- Music
- Hwang Jin-yong
- Culture
- the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
- Language
- Korean
- Place
- North Korea
- Date
- 1993
- Type
- Anthem
- The words
- In copyright (words by Ri Jong-o and music by Hwang Jin-yong, 1993)
This song is about hard things from the past, like war, cruelty or death. You can read about it with a grown-up.
The story
"No Motherland Without You", also called "Ode to Kim Jong Il", is a North Korean song about the country's second supreme leader, Kim Jong Il. It was first released in 1993, with music by Hwang Jin-yong and words by Ri Jong-o. Written especially for Kim Jong Il, it is regarded as his signature song, and it extols his proclaimed talents and virtues and the people's loyalty to him.
The song is popular in North Korea and is often broadcast on the radio and from loudspeakers in the streets of Pyongyang. Where the "Song of General Kim Il Sung" was sung at the beginning of public gatherings, "No Motherland Without You" was often sung at the end. From at least 1994, before the "Song of General Kim Jong Il" was written, state television opened each day's broadcasts with it.
It exists in two versions. The civilian words call Kim Jong Il "Comrade", while the military version calls him "General", as he had been Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army since 1991.
What it says
A song of loyalty and devotion to Kim Jong Il; solemn and hymn-like.
The words
The words of this song are still in copyright, so they are not printed here. “What it says” above gives their theme in our own words.
People, places and events
Sources
- Wikipedia, "No Motherland Without You", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Motherland_Without_You
- Wikipedia (Korean), "당신이 없으면 조국도 없다", https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%8B%B9%EC%8B%A0%EC%9D%B4_%EC%97%86%EC%9C%BC%EB%A9%B4_%EC%A1%B0%EA%B5%AD%EB%8F%84_%EC%97%86%EB%8B%A4
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). No Motherland Without You. In Songs in History. https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/no-motherland-without-you
- MLA
- “No Motherland Without You.” Songs in History, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/no-motherland-without-you. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “No Motherland Without You.” Songs in History. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/no-motherland-without-you.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘No Motherland Without You’, Songs in History. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/no-motherland-without-you (Accessed: ).