Cho's long epic poem Mt. Paektu was written in February 1947 and published in 1948 in Rodong Sinmun. It was the first poem written about Kim Il-sung, whom the original version of the poem simply refers to as Commander Kim. The poem, which tells the story of the Battle of Pochonbo in 1937, is a classic in literature portraying the anti-Japanese struggle. Its text inextricably links Kim Il-sung's person with Paektu Mountain, the namesake height of the poem - a connection that has remained central in North Korean propaganda to this day.