Thread by @NKcomics

The next story will come from this anthology:
Comic book of Legends of 3 Great Generals of Mt Paektu (vol. 7)
The Tale of 3 Commanders
Writer: Kim U-kyong
Kumsong Youth Publishing House
Juche 102 (2019)
Product code ㄱ-1961029
ISBN 978-9946-21-565-5

More DPRK magical realism!

This comic book contains adaptations of legendary stories of the 3 Great Generals of Mt Paektu

Publishing information

40
Story 3
Ryongsilgi Rock

Illustrations: Pak Chang-chol
Colouring: Pae Hyang-suk

41 1/2
On Mt. Hanna, there are about 500 uniquely shaped rocks a little to the southwest of Paengnokdam Crater Lake, and this rock is called Ryongsilgi Rock. If you pass Ryongsilgi Rock and go quite a way downhill, there are some villages not too far away.

2/2
A man named Tok-sam lived in one of those villages.
His eyes had not been good since he was young, but as he got older his eyesight gradually deteriorated, so he now could only discern the shapes of objects.

*Mt. Hanna = North Korean name for Mt. Halla on Jeju-do en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallasan

Ryongsilgi Rock = 영실기암 ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%98%81…

Paengnokdam Crater = 백록담 ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%B0%B1…

42
The famous haenyo* who was Tok-sam’s wife tried her best to fix her husband’s eyes, but there was no improvement.

43
[one day]
I heard that smoking through a “munamu” cigarette holder is good for your eyes…
-A “munamu” cigarette holder?

44
“Munamu” or black coral is a very rare sea plant. They say its wood grows only once every 10 years.
It’s said to grow only on bright moonlit nights, and the legendary munamu is said to be found at depths, below 30 gil* under the sea.
-Below 30 gil under the sea?

*a “gil” is an old Korean unit of length, measuring either 2.4 or 4 metres, so 30 gil is somewhere between 72 and 120 metres under the sea.

45
[next day]
I must find the munamu and heal my husband’s eyes.

46
Tok-sam's wife, who had been searching under the sea for about a month, finally broke off a piece of munamu and came out of the water.

47
Huh?!
[Tok-sam smoked with the munamu cigarette holder for nearly 20 years, but far from curing his eye disease, it only got worse as he aged.]

48
August 1995
[one day]
I guess I've become old now.
When you get old, you think of your parents more and you get the habit of looking back on your life often.

49
Should I climb up to Ryongsilgi Rock, where I used to hike with my father?

50
Imagine if all of those 500 weird rocks became soldiers & defeated the Japanese. How good would that be?

51
Why is my whole body hot all of a sudden?
Maybe there’s a forest fire.
[What?]
The rocks are sparkling.

52
Oh, that's why Ryongsilgi Rock is called the General’s Rock!

53
Huh? Tiger footprints?
Look, footprints of someone who seems to be 2 or 3 times the size of an ordinary man.
What under heaven is this?

54
Hey, my eyes can see. I can see everything.
[I can see]

55
I must hurry home and share this good news.
Honey! Daughter!

56
Honey! Where can she be?
If I wait a little, she will come soon.
Hang on, should I go visit my neighbours?

57
Is Song-man home?
[knock knock]
Is In-sok home?
Hey, Tal-mi!
Where has everyone gone?
What’s that group gathered under a tree?

58
I saw it clearly with my own eyes. The whole of Jeju Island is boiling right now.
-So, you definitely saw General Kim Jong Il coming down to Paengnokdam Crater?
-That's what I said. Why can't you believe me?

59
No, my long-dreamed-of wish has come true so suddenly that it feels like I'm dreaming.
-What? General Kim Jong Il has come? Oh, that's why Ryongsilgi Rock sparkled with light. When a great man moves, nature acts in strange and mysterious ways. That's exactly why.

60
People! I just came down from Ryongsilgi Rock & something strange happened… Everything this young man said is right.
-General Kim Jong Il has come!
-Riding upon a tiger he has come!

61
What is this? All those years I couldn't fix his eyes, but General Kim Jong Il comes to Jeju Island and now he sees the light!
-Honey!
-Father.
-Daughter!
-Father.

62
Let's go to Ryongsilgi Rock together and climb Paengnokdam Crater.
[After the Great General came to Mt. Halla, Tok-sam's eyes brightened & his body became healthy, & he lived with all his heart wishing for the day of Korea’s unification.]

THE END
This story claims to be an account of something that really happened in August 1995. Was there a geothermal anomaly on #JejuIsland at that time?
What is clear is that #KimJongIl did not visit Mt Halla riding on a tiger, restoring sight to a blind man.
#KoreanUpdates

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Ryongsilgi Rock from "The Tale of 3 Commanders"