Friends of Korea

Commemorating the life of Kim Jong Il

2012-02-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

Comrades Dermot Hudson, Andy Brooks, Michael Chant and Mun Myong Sin

By New Worker correspondent

FRIENDS of Koreamet in London’s historic Marx Houselast Saturday to commemorate the life of Kim Jong Il, the Democratic Koreanleader who sadly passed away in December. But this was no solemn occasion but acelebration of the life of a revolutionary devoted to the Workers Party ofKorea and the democratic people’s republic that has been a red bastion in Asiasince its foundation in 1948.

NewCommunist Party leader Andy Brooks, who chaired the meeting, said it wasfitting that we should recall the life and work of Kim Jong Il in the buildingwhere Britain’s first Marxists, like Harry Quelch, worked and provided Leninwith rooms to edit and print the underground Russian paper, Iskra, when the Bolshevik leader livedin exile in London.

Theevent, organised by the Friends of Korea committee, began with a shortdocumentary film about Mount Myohyang,a national park in Democratic Korea that Kim Jong Il personally helped toconserve for the Korean people. This was followed by contributions from twoleading members of the friendship committee on the life of Kim Jong Il. MichaelChant from the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (ML) spoke about theKorean leader’s efforts in building the Korean communist movement over thedecades while Dermot Hudson of the KoreanFriendship Association opened on the development of the Juche idea and Songunpolitics under the direction of Kim Jong Il.

Comrade Mun Myong Sin, a diplomat from the Londonembassy of the DPR Korea then joined the panel for a question and answersession which developed into a general discussion on life in Democratic Koreatoday.

TheCo-ordinating Committee of Friends of Korea consists of the European Regional Societyfor the Study of the Juche Idea, UK Korean Friendship Association, NewCommunist Party of Britain, Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain(Marxist-Leninist) and the Socialist Labour Party, and another meeting isplanned for March.

KIM JONG IL

2011-12-30T03:47:00.000-08:00

In Memoriam

New Worker

Kim Jong Il

2011-12-20T14:58:00.000-08:00

messages of condolence

Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK & the Juche Idea Study Group of England

We are very shocked to learn of the unexpected and tragic passing of the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army. We never expected this to happen so suddenly. We ASSPUK and JISGE members share the deep grief of the Korean people.

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il was the loyal and faithful successor to the great leader Generalissimo Kim Il Sung. He was the standard bearer of the Juche revolutionary cause , leading the Workers' Party of Korea over several decades. He ensured that the WPK became the party of the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung defending the monolithic unity of the Workers' Party of Korea, smashing the attempts of modern revisionists, opportunists ,factionalists and great power chauvinists to defile the revolutionary constancy of Juche. When the imperialist reactionaries and renegades of socialism sneered at socialism , demanding that the DPRK "open up" and "reform" he declared "Expect No Change from Me "

He defended the purity of the Juche idea . He systematised and enriched the Juche idea . The Juche idea shines out a philosophy for achieving the independence of the popular masses . He developed the Songun idea an embodiment of the Juche idea and sword for defending socialist Korea The many works written by the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il are a priceless treasure of the world socialist movement. As supreme commander of the Korean People's Army comrade Kim Jong Il led the work of defence upbuilding and continued the cause of Juche-army building pioneered by the great leader President Kim Il Sung. Stressing the importance of the anti-imperialist military front led the DPRK to victory in the DPRK-US confrontation smiting the reactionary US imperialists by carrying out 2 nuclear tests so that the DPRK became a proud independent socialist nuclear power of Juche.

The great leader comrade Kim Jong Il led the struggle to build up the independent national economy . He made sure that the living standards of the Korean people were improved . Under his leadership the many social benefits enjoyed by the Korean people were preserved and further enhanced. He passed away whilst a trip of on the spot guidance, thus he was working for the people right up to the last minute. He had continued working hard at an age when most people retire.

Kim Jong Il, lodestar of national reunification, led the fellow Korean people along the road of independence and great national unity with his resolute will to implement the instructions of the President for national reunification and ushered in the June 15 era of reunification in which the noble idea of "By our nation itself" is materialized.

The great leader comrade Kim Jong Il led the cause of anti-imperialist independence throughout the world. Songun politics was an inspiration to the peoples struggling against imperialism and the Juche idea a powerful compass for defeating imperialism.

We Juche idea and Songun idea followers mourn the loss of a great leader not just of the Korean people but the entire world revolutionary movement. We share the grief of Juche idea followers the world over as well the revolutionary peoples of the world.

We are sure that the Korean people will turn sorrow into strength and courage , uniting behind the general Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the central military commission. May the Korean people under the leadership of general Kim Jong Un march forward along the path of Juche charted by the great leaders comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il . Victory to the Juche revolutionary cause ! The great leader comrade Kim Jong Il is immortal.

ASSPUK
JISGE

New Communist Party of Britain

We were saddened to hear of the suddendeath of Kim Jong Il, the great leader of the DPR Korea who devoted his entirelife to serving the Korean people.

Following Kim Il Sung’s footsteps Kim JongIl led the Workers Party of Korea into the 21^st century to build astrong and prosperous democratic republic. Kim Jong Il was a leading Marxistthinker who made an important contribution to the modern communist theory as wellas an astute statesman who led the Korean people through thick and thin toovercome natural disasters, imperialist blockade and diplomatic isolation.

While ensuring the DPRK’s defence againstthe threats and provocations of USimperialism and its lackeys Kim Jong Il worked tirelessly to ease tension onthe Korean peninsula to pave the way towards the peaceful reunification of Korea.

We are confident that the Workers Party ofKorea, and the Korean people as a whole, will continue along the path chartedby the first Korean communists who lit the flame of revolution on the Koreanpeninsula that now burns so bright in the DPR Korea.

On behalf of the Central Committee of theNew Communist Party of Britain we send our heartfelt condolences to the WorkersParty of Korea and the Korean people in their hour of grief.

AndyBrooks

GeneralSecretary

Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)

The Revolutionary Communist Partyof Britain (Marxist-Leninist), its Central Committee and all its circlesexpress their deepest sadness on the untimely passing of the great leader,Comrade Kim Jong Il, and send their heartfelt condolences to Comrade Kim JongUn and the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and, through them,to the entire Korean party and people. Your loss is our loss and a loss to allthose fighting throughout the world for national and social liberation andemancipation and for the creation of a new world of socialised humanity.

In a turbulent world situationand in the face of the unceasing and brutal hostility, provocation and blockadeof US imperialism and its allies, including successive British governments,Comrade Kim Jong Il has led the Korean party and people in continuing to buildthe socialist society of their choice, in the most trying circumstances, anddefending the sovereignty and independence of the DPRK, while ceaselesslystriving for the peaceful reunification of the Korean people by their ownefforts. In this he has adhered faithfully to the Juche principles espoused bythe great leader of the Korean people, President Kim Il Sung.

There is little doubt that withoutComrade Kim Jong Il leading the continued building of the DPRK as animpregnable fortress, capable of devastating retaliation on any who violate thepeace, the DPRK would long since have fallen prey to the criminal aggressionand wanton destruction of Anglo-American imperialism, a repeat of the KoreanWar of such bitter memory, wreaked upon other countries in recent times. Thisstand has inspired and will continue to inspire the struggling peoples of theworld.

We are convinced that the Koreanparty and its leadership and the entire Korean people will turn their greatgrief into strength and march forward on the road of building a prosperoussocialist country, sovereign and independent, and bring into being theircherished goal of reuniting the Korean nation by its own efforts, withoutoutside interference. We, as they, willdraw inspiration in our struggles from the heroic life and work of belovedComrade Kim Jong Il.

Chris Coleman

National Spokespersonof RCPB(ML)

Kim Jong Il

2011-12-20T14:24:00.000-08:00


1942 -- 2011 Co-ordinating Committee of Friends of Korea c/o 170 Wandsworth Road, London SW8 2LA. December 19th 2011 (Juche 100) Message of Condolence The Co-ordinating Committeeof Friends of Korea, Britain, expresses its deepest condolences on the sad anduntimely death of Kim Jong Il, the great leader of the Korean people. This isan incalculable loss of one who devoted his entire life until his last breathto serving the Korean people in the cause of building a human-centred society,a cause which is one espoused by the democratic and anti-imperialist forces theworld over. Kim Jong Il followed in thefootsteps of the great leader Kim Il Sung, carrying forward his legacy,cherishing and working tirelessly for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula, and building the DPRK into an impregnable fortressin order to contribute to the peace and security of the region and on the worldscale. It was by following and developing the principles and outlook of Juchethat Kim Jong Il led the people in striving to fulfil the goal of building theDPRK into a powerful and prosperous country. It was a course which is beingfulfilled by the deed of the people themselves, ever ready to defend this loftyideal. We express the sentiment ofprogressive opinion to stand as one in friendship and solidarity with theKorean people in these difficult times. Above all, we take it as our duty todefend the right of the Korean people to follow their own chosennation-building path, free from outside interference. This is a course fromwhich no hostile force can divert the Korean people and its leadership, andwhich contributes to the aspirations of peace-loving people everywhere for anew world free from imperialism, domination, subjugation, aggression and war. The Friends of Korea in Britain express their confidence that the Workers’ Party ofKorea, and the whole people of the DPRK, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un,will overcome all difficulties in carrying forward the legacy of Kim Jong Il.We salute Comrade Kim Jong Il in his passing, and underline our conviction thathis contributions to the cause of progressive humanity and to bringing intobeing a new world and bright future will forever remain undimmed. The Participating Organisations of Friends of Korea

Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK

Juche Idea Study Group of England

New Communist Party of Britain

Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)

Socialist Labour Party

Korean communists fighting history

2011-10-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

By New Worker correspondent

NEW COMMUNIST Party comradesjoined other communists at seminar last week at the John Buckle Centre in southLondon to celebrate the 66^thanniversary of the foundation of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK).

Theseminar at the London HQ of the RCPB (ML), called by the Friends of Koreaco-ordinating committee, heard contributions from Korean solidarity activistson the achievements of the WPK and its great leaders Kim Il Song and Kim JongIl, over the years.

It was chairedby Dermot Hudson of the UK Korea FriendshipAssociation and the discussion began with contributions from Michael Chant ofthe RCPB (ML), NCP general secretary Andy Brooks and DPR Korea London diplomatMun Myong Sin on the importance and relevance of the Korean revolutionaryexperience to the world communist movement in the 21^st century.

The NCP leaderpraised the feats of the WPK and denounced the hostile propaganda ofimperialism against the DPRK in his contribution, which focused on therelevance and meaning of independence and self-sufficiency in Juche thinking.

Michael Chant spoke about the importance andsignificance of the WPK and the great role of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and Dermot Hudson gave a succinct history of the Korean communists’revolutionary struggle from the beginning of the struggle against Japanesecolonial rule in the 1920s.

After around-table discussion the seminar concluded with the unanimous agreement tosend the following congratulatory message to Democratic Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

Message of Congratulations

Adopted at the Seminar organised by Friends of Korea, October 6, 2011 (Juche 100)

London, England

To Comrade Kim Jong Il

General Secretary, Workers’Party of Korea

Pyongyang

DearComrade Kim Jong Il

ThisSeminar convened to celebrate the 66th anniversary of the foundation of theWorkers’ Party of Korea conveys to you its warmest and most fraternalgreetings. It also wishes you the very best for your continued successes on theoccasion of the 14th anniversary of your election as the General Secretary ofthe Party, and on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the formation of theDown-with-Imperialism Union by the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung.

TheDPRK has the inviolable right to defend its sovereignty and independence, anddevelop the human and material resources to do so. It is the US military presence which has been a threat to peaceand security on the Korean Peninsula for more than 60 years, since the division of thenation following the Second World War. The aspiration and task taken up forsolution by the Korean people, under your leadership and that of the Workers’Party of Korea, is to reunify and denuclearise the Korean Peninsula under thebanner of “By our nation itself”, which reflects the united will of the Koreanpeople. Korea Is One!

Theseare difficult times for the world’s peoples, but the continued defence by theDPRK of its sovereignty, and its refusal to conciliate with the arrogantbullying of US imperialism, is a very great contribution to thepeople’s struggles. Our hearts go with you every step of the way in your greatwork.

Thework of progressive people in Britain, in this regard, is to counter the slanders anddisinformation spread about the DPRK, and to unite everyone in solidarity andfriendship. US imperialism, closely supported by the Britishgovernment, is escalating military tension on the Korean Peninsula, and our struggles here are also to hit at thisAnglo-American chauvinism and trouble-making.

TheWorkers’ Party of Korea under your leadership is the sure weapon to defend theachievements of the Korean people and to thwart all the plans of Anglo-USimperialism to stifle and wipe out the beacon of the DPRK.

Maywe wish you on this occasion good health and long life, and assure you that westand shoulder to shoulder with you in our common cause of building a newworld, the world of peace, independence and socialism.

With warmest fraternal regards

Seminarorganised by the Co-ordinating Committee of Friends of Korea

Hail the Korean People's Struggle for Peaceful and Independent Reunification

2011-06-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

Joint Statement, June 15th 2011

June 15 marks the 11th anniversary of the historic North-South Joint Declaration signed between Chairman Kim Jong Il of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea in the year 2000. On this occasion, our parties and organisations reaffirm their support for the principles laid out in this historic document. It is a document that belongs not only to the Korean people, but also to all peace-loving people of the world. The peaceful and independent reunification of Korea is the desire of all the progressive forces worldwide, in opposition to the crimes of Anglo-US imperialism which wishes to maintain the status quo of division and tension on the Korean peninsula.
The June 15 North-South Joint Declaration was an historic landmark in the struggle of the Korean people to reunify their homeland forcibly divided by the US imperialists following World War Two. The Declaration opened up a new era for independence, peace, reconciliation and reunification on the Korean peninsula until the US-sponsored anti-national, anti-communist and retrogressive Lee Myung Bak regime in the south began to sabotage its spirit and principles.
The anniversary of the Joint Declaration this year is marked at a time when the intrigues of the US and the south Korean puppet regime are becoming increasingly dangerous as they work together to isolate and criminalise the DPRK and the movement for national reunification. This includes jailing reunification activists in the south under the fascist National Security Law, and carrying out one provocation after another such as the joint US-south Korean military exercises aimed at invading the DPRK and bringing the Korean peninsula ever closer to a cataclysmic nuclear war.
It is a fact that the US cannot forgive the DPRK for being the first country following the Second World War to defeat it on the battlefield, setting an example for all nations and people who aspire for independence and self-determination. Its revenge seeking against the DPRK continues unabated to this day.
In the face of these intrigues and betrayals by the US and the Lee Myung Bak regime, the DPRK has steadfastly upheld the principles laid out in the June 15 Joint Declaration. The DPRK has carried forward the struggle under the banner of “By the Nation Itself”. That is, the Korean people themselves must settle the issue of Korean reunification, peacefully and without outside interference. By upholding these principles, the DPRK has provided the Korean people with the political leadership that has enabled them to find their bearings in spite of the threats and grave dangers posed by US imperialism and the traitorous Lee regime.
We would also like to take this opportunity to hail the 47th anniversary on June 19 of the start of the work of General Secretary Comrade Kim Jong Il at the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. The WPK is imbued with the concern for the whole of society, serving to unite the people around the cause of independence and socialism, in contrast to the bestiality and brutality of imperialism which stands for war and reaction. Those who take up responsibility for revolutionary leadership are greatly to be cherished, and it is a great testament to quality of leadership of Comrade Kim Jong Il that he has taken up this responsibility within the Central Committee of the WPK for these past 47 years.
Our parties and organisations once again reaffirm our steadfast opposition to all warmongering against the DPRK and the Korean people. We pledge our support for the Korean people’s movement for reunification, independence and peace, and to the leadership of Comrade Kim Jong Il and his Songun (army-first) politics, and that of the WPK, which is proudly and successfully carrying forward the historic cause of the June 15 Declaration.

Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea
Juche Idea Study Group of England
UK Korean Friendship Association
New Communist Party of Britain
Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
Socialist Labour Party

Joint Statement of Participating Organisations of Friends of Korea

2011-01-21T13:21:00.000-08:00

JOINT STATEMENT OF PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS OF FRIENDS OF KOREA
c/o 170 Wandsworth Road, London SW8 2LA.

January 13, 2011 (Juche 100)

We would like to give warm support to the Joint New Year Editorial carried by Rodong Sinmun, Joson Inmingun and Chongnyon Jonwi, leading newspapers of the DPRK on New Year’s Day: “Bring about a Decisive Turn in the Improvement of the People’s Standard of Living and the Building of a Great, Prosperous and Powerful Country by Accelerating the Development of Light Industry Once Again This Year”.
As well as being an inspiration to all throughout the world who wish the DPRK well, it gives the lie to the disinformation peddled here in Britain and elsewhere about the DPRK, its leadership, its economic and political situation, and its future prospects.
A major milestone in the life of the nation during 2010 was the Conference of the Workers’ Party of Korea, convened to greet the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Party. This was an event that captured the imagination of the world, demonstrating that the WPK and the Korean people are of one mind, determined to defend in every way the sovereignty of the DPRK and the path the people themselves have chosen.
The great upsurge which took place during 2010 further opened the path for improving the people’s living standards. For example, in the light industry, chemical industry and metal industry, modernisation projects made possible the mass production of steel, artificial fibres and fertiliser; hundreds of major projects in the infrastructure of the country, such as power stations and land reclamation, were brought to completion.
In the sphere of art and culture, the people gave free rein to their thoughts and feelings in order to produce works of art, literature and music which are mass-based and of high ideological and artistic quality.
Although these advances were carried out under an extremely tense international situation and in the teeth of vicious sanctions, the Workers’ Party of Korea remained pro-active, true to its revolutionary nature. The guidance provided by General Kim Jong Il proved invaluable. In particular, his two visits to China created an environment favourable for the revolutionary cause of the DPRK, and hence for progressive humanity.
The Korean people are faced with the immediate task of consolidating and further developing the successes already achieved in raising the people’s standard of living to a level commensurate with the DPRK’s being a prosperous and powerful country. This is the most important issue, the highest goal of the Party and people’s struggle.
To improve economic management is becoming ever more pressing at this time of the revitalisation of the national economy of the DPRK. In conjunction with this, the quality of education becomes crucial, and excellence in the spheres of literature and the arts, health care and sports is spurred on by the upsurge to accomplish a thriving nation-building project.
Even in the face of the vicious challenges of those who would like to keep the Korean nation permanently divided, the movement for national reunification made dynamic progress in 2010. The 10th anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration and the 30th anniversary of the proposal for founding the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo were marked significantly in the north, south and abroad. Humanitarian activities were conducted between the north and south despite the schemes of the conservative authorities and outside forces.
In this connection, we would also like to fully support the January 5 joint statement of the DPRK government, political parties and organisations at a joint meeting convened as regards the grave situation prevailing on the Korean Peninsula. Important proposals to the south Korean authorities, political parties and organisations were put forward in this joint statement reflecting the sentiment of all Koreans for peace and reunification.
The January 5 joint statement makes important proposals for wide-ranging dialogue and negotiations, for letting bygones be bygones and for discussing and solving important matters pertaining to the Korean nation. We assess that the immediate offer for the north and south to refrain from slanders and provocative acts is a very just, timely and sincere proposal. In common with all progressive forces who cherish justice, truth and peace, we extend the proposals our warm support and fervently hope that the south Korean authorities, political parties and organisations will respond positively to them.
We in Britain are uplifted by the optimism of the Joint New Year Editorial. The Korean people, rallied around the Central Committee of the WPK headed by General Kim Jong Il, do not make light of the difficulties and sacrifices on the road ahead. But the onward march of the revolutionary forces is an engine of great innovation to overcome the obstacles and provide solutions to the problems of opening the path to a great, prosperous and powerful society in the DPRK, and to a new society on a world scale.

Our Struggle Is One!

Strengthen the Unity between the Working People of Britain and the DPRK!

Victory to the Korean People’s Revolutionary Nation-Building Project!

Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea
UK Korean Friendship Association
New Communist Party of Britain
Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
Socialist Labour Party

Kim Il Sung Remembered

2010-04-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

By a New Worker correspondent

A successful seminar was held last week at the John Buckle Centre in London to mark the 98th anniversary of the birth of the great Korean revolutionary leader Kim Il Sung, organised by the Friends of Korea (FOK). In Democratic Korea this is celebrated at the Sun’s Day and all over the world friends of Korea held events last week to join with the Korean people in remembering their great son.
Workers Weekly editor Michael Chant and Dermot Hudson from the UK Korea Friendship Association presented short papers to kick off the discussion on the life and times of Kim Il Sung at the RCPB (ML) headquarters in London which kicked off a lively discussion for the rest of the evening.
Many in the room including the chair, Ella Rule (CPGB (ML), and the two opening speakers, had visited Democratic Korea over the years. NCP leader Andy Brooks and Chris Coleman of the RCPB (ML) talked about Kim Il Sung’s immense contribution to national liberation and the world communist movement while Jang Song Chol from the DPR Korea embassy in London told the seminar of his country’s current struggle to defend its independence and socialist way of life. Comrade Jang said that after the counter-revolutions in 1990 the DPRK’s enemies predicted its collapse in 3 or 4 years, yet the country went on to launch two satellites and carry out two nuclear tests. Jang said that the new Obama administration in the United States appeared to be friendly, suggesting “work with us, you don’t need nuclear weapons”; yet the new US “nuclear posture” announced last week singled out the DPRK and Iran for nuclear weapons targeting.
“A wolf is a wolf,” said Jang. “You can’t disguise it as a lamb”.
Everyone agreed with that and with a letter of greetings and congratulations to mark the Sun’s Day that was sent to DPRK leader Kim Jong Il.

London friends send solidarity message on Sun's Day

2010-04-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE OF FRIENDS OF KOREA
c/o 170 Wandsworth Road, London SW8 2LA.

April 8th 2010 (Juche 99)

Kim Jong Il
General Secretary, Workers’ Party of Korea
Chairman, DPRK National Defence Commission
Pyongyang
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Dear Comrade Kim Jong Il,

On the auspicious occasion of Sun’s Day, celebrating the 98th anniversary of the day of the birth of the great leader President Kim Il Sung on April 15, we would like to convey to you and to the Korean people heartfelt greetings and congratulations. President Kim Il Sung was a great leader respected by progressive people throughout the world. He is cherished and loved as someone who dedicated his entire life and all his energies to the people’s cause. He was a revolutionary who welded the mass and revolutionary movements in Korea into an indivisible whole.

April 25th also marks the 78th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army. Since its founding by Comrade Kim Il Sung during the anti-Japanese war and under his leadership, the KPA has played a heroic role to ensure the success of the national liberation of Korea and of the socialist nation-building project.

Comrade Kim Jong Il, April 9th also marks the 17th anniversary of your election as Chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission. Under your wise leadership and Songun policy, the Korean people are achieving unprecedented victories in strengthening the social system of their choice, and defending the DPRK’s independence against all the hostile threats of the imperialist powers. In so doing, the Korean people are inspired by your will and desire to serve humanity by building a strong and powerful nation, which is an indispensable and decisive force in the context of the people’s struggles worldwide to bring an end to war and aggression. We see today in your work to guarantee the Korean people’s unity and courageous defence of their homeland against the imperialists, the living legacy of Comrade Kim Il Sung’s revolutionary leadership.

We denounce all the provocations of the US imperialists and their instrument, the hostile regime in south Korea, to attempt to bring down the socialist system in the DPRK by force of arms and reverse the advances made to achieve national reunification. We reiterate our support of the struggle of the Korean people to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and a lasting peace based on justice. Despite the setbacks caused by reaction and retrogression, we are sure that the unanimous wish of the Korean people to peacefully reunify their homeland will come to fruition in the not-too-distant future. The Korean people who are responding to the necessities of the time, rising as one in a new revolutionary upsurge to build a prosperous nation under the Songun-based leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea, are an inspiration to all the world’s progressive forces.

Dear Comrade Kim Jong Il, we wish you on this occasion the best of health and a long life. We stand shoulder to shoulder with you and the Korean people in our common cause of independence, socialism and a future fit for humanity.

adopted at the meeting celebrating the Day of the Sun, 2010
John Buckle Centre, London
Thursday, April 8th 2010

Defence of DPRK Is a Must!

2010-02-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

The peoples of the world today desire peace, and are opposed to any doctrine that suggests a pre-emptive war is necessary in order to achieve peace.
One of the targets of this doctrine is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Contrary to reactionary propaganda, the DPRK is in no way a threat to peace. The DPRK in fact stands for the peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula without outside interference, and in building a social system in which the people are in control of their own destiny, North Korea is also a powerful factor for peace.
The DPRK points out what is in fact the case, that the main threat to world peace and security is the striving by the United States for domination and dictate. They will not let their sovereign country go the way of Iraq and Afghanistan, and are prepared to resist open declarations of war by the traitorous regime in the south of Korea.
The people of the DPRK are forging ahead with building a prosperous country, but are having to do so in conditions of a divided Korean peninsula, tens of thousands of US soldiers stationed in the south with their nuclear threat, the threat of aggression from the south at the instigation of the US, and punitive and unjust sanctions.
In these conditions, the DPRK has taken the initiative and is calling for a formal peace treaty to replace the armistice agreement, still in place after the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953. They have pointed out that if mutual confidence is to be built between the DPRK and the US, it is essential to conclude a peace treaty for terminating the state of war, a root cause of the hostile relations, to begin with.
Anglo-US reaction, together with the hostile propagandists of south Korea, are attempting to combine military threats with slanders, lies and disinformation about the DPRK in order to turn back the clock, keep the Korean Peninsula divided and wipe out the gains that the people of the DPRK have achieved under socialism. The disinformation about the so-called "human rights issues" and the "nuclear issue", and the smearing of the DPRK as a "hermit kingdom", as a "failed" or "illegal" state, must be opposed by all democratic forces. The defence of the DPRK’s right to be is a must! Hands off Korea!
It is in this context that the Friends of Korea are organising this public meeting, which also marks the anniversary of the birth of leader of the Korean people Kim Jong Il, which falls on February 16. Kim Jong Il is the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Chairman of the National Defence Commission, and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army. In these capacities, he has led the Korean people in solving crucial tasks in building the DPRK as a powerful socialist society, in formulating significant concepts and programmes which put the Korean people in control of their own destiny, and in building the military defence of the DPRK which sets in motion the initiative of the Korean people in making the DPRK impregnable against imperialist aggression.
Friends of Korea calls on everyone who is interested not only in the situation on the Korean Peninsula, but in taking a stand against warmongering and aggression, to attend this public meeting. A panel comprised of participating organisations and individuals from Friends of Korea will make brief remarks, lead discussion and take questions regarding the reality of the DPRK and its role in world affairs.

Friends of Korea statement

Defending Democratic Korea

2010-02-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

by a New Worker correspondent

FRIENDS of Korea met at London’s historic Marx House last Saturday to celebrate the 68th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Kim Jong Il and take part in discussion on the current situation in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, led by a panel of speakers who have all visited north Korea many times.
The meeting was held under the title of “The Defence of the DPRK is a must” and that was the theme of speakers, who included New Communist Party leader Andy Brooks, Michael Chant of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist), John McCleod of the Socialist Labour Party, Keith Bennett and Ella Rule (Communist Party of Great Britain-Marxist-Leninist) and Dermot Hudson from the United Kingdom Korean Friendship Association.
All paid tribute to Comrade Kim Jong Il, and his great leadership of the Korean people. A message of congratulations to Comrade Kim Jong Il was unanimously adopted with great enthusiasm by all present, expressing unbounded admiration, pledging that the progressive forces in Britain would always stand shoulder to shoulder with the Korean people in their struggles to build a powerful socialist country, against US imperialist aggression, and for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. The message also placed on record the demand of the British people that the United States sign a peace treaty with the DPRK, and that it remove all its troops from the peninsula and end all threats to the DPRK.
The panel and participants from the audience expressed unreserved support for the DPRK in defending its right to be, and explained how the DPRK was above all standing by its principles of maintaining its independence and building socialism. The panel explained at length aspects of the life of the people of the DPRK, and elaborated on the stand of Democratic Korea in regard to the Six-Party Talks, the striving of the DPRK to create the conditions for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and its contribution to combating the aggressive and hostile stands of US imperialism and its allies. The meeting expressed contempt for the anti-communism, which is a relic of the Cold War. It pledged to redouble its efforts in earnest to combat the disinformation spread about the DPRK and build friendship with the Korean people and their leadership.
The questions, answers and discussion could have gone on much longer, as the scheduled time for the conclusion of the meeting came. Participants continued to discuss the exploits of the great leaders Comrade Kim Il Sung and Comrade Kim Jong Il, and pledged further to build the Friends of Korea as a powerful friendship organisation which unites all friends of Korea in Britain.

Congratulatory message to Kim Jong Il

2010-02-15T07:53:00.000-08:00

Co-ordinating Committee of Friends of Korea
c/o 170 Wandsworth Road, London SW8 2LA.

February 13, 2010 (Juche 99)

Comrade Kim Jong Il
General Secretary, Workers’ Party of Korea
Chairman, National Defence Commission
Pyongyang
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Dear Comrade Kim Jong Il,

This meeting, organised by the Friends of Korea in Britain, would like to convey to you our warmest congratulations on the important occasion of the 68th anniversary of your birth on February 16, and wish you all good health and a long, long life. We send you our very best wishes for the continued success of your great work in these dangerous and decisive times.
The Korean people are one people and your outstanding contribution to bringing closer the reunification of the country is an inspiration to all those who hold dear the sovereignty and independence of the peoples of the world.
Your tireless contribution to the struggle for peace, progress and security against aggression and war, not only on the Korean Peninsula but also on the world scale is indeed an example from which all democratic people can learn. We Friends of Korea in Britain are inspired also in our struggles by the heroic example of the single-hearted unity of the Korean people under your leadership. The firm stands of the DPRK under your leadership against the US imperialists and their allies in Britain in their attempts to stifle the DPRK and to slander it as a “rogue state” are a great contribution to the anti-imperialist struggles of the people.
We place on record our support for the demand that the old armistice regime, a product of the Cold War, be replaced by a peace treaty as a first step towards creating a peaceful environment on the Korean Peninsula. We demand that all US troops be removed from the Korean Peninsula forthwith, and that all attempts to destabilise the DPRK be ended immediately.
We stand shoulder to shoulder with you and the Korean people under your great leadership, and express our common conviction that humanity will achieve a better world where the people are the masters of their own destiny.

Adopted by the meeting marking the 68th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Kim Jong Il
Marx House, London, UK – Saturday, February 13, 2009

Signed by participating organisations:

Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea
UK Korean Friendship Association
New Communist Party of Britain
Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
Socialist Labour Party

Friends of Korea congratulate DPRK on Party foundation day

2009-10-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Message of Congratulations
Adopted at the Friends of Korea Meeting, October 8, 2009 (Juche 98)
London, England

To Comrade Kim Jong Il
General Secretary, Workers’ Party of Korea
Chairman of the National Defence Commission
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Dear Comrade Kim Jong Il

This meeting convened to mark the 64th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers’ Party of Korea conveys to you its warmest congratulations. It also wishes you the very best for your continued successes on the occasion of the 12th anniversary of your election as the General Secretary of the Party, and on the occasion of the 83rd anniversary of the formation of the Down-with-Imperialism Union by the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung.

In these times when US imperialism is intent on causing tragedies for the people of the world, the right of the people to resist and forge their own path of development is of paramount importance. The continued defence by the DPRK of its sovereignty, and its refusal to conciliate with the arrogant bullying of US imperialism, is a very great contribution to the people’s struggles in these circumstances.

Our hearts and minds are with you and the Korean people every step of the way as you strive to implement the most heartfelt wish of President Kim Il Sung to reunify and denuclearise the Korean Peninsula. It is US imperialism and its hostile policies towards the DPRK that is the block to this great task, and we call on the US to engage in bilateral talks with the DPRK. We pledge to do our utmost to support this struggle by countering the slanders and disinformation spread about the DPRK, and to work to unite everyone in solidarity and friendship with the DPRK and the Korean people.

The DPRK has the inviolable right to defend its sovereignty and independence, and develop the human and material resources to do so. It is the US military presence which has been a threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula for more than 60 years, since the division of the nation following the Second World War. The aspiration and task taken up for solution by the Korean people, under your leadership and that of the Workers’ Party of Korea, is to reunify and denuclearise the Korean Peninsula under the banner of “By our nation itself”, which reflects the united will of the Korean people. Korea Is One!

The Workers’ Party of Korea under your leadership is the sure weapon to defend the achievements of the Korean people and to thwart all the plans of Anglo-US imperialism to stifle and wipe out the beacon of the DPRK.

May we wish you on this occasion good health and long life, and assure you that we stand shoulder to shoulder with you in our common cause of building a new world, the world of peace, independence and socialism.

With warmest fraternal regards

Participating organisation and individuals of the Co-ordinating Committee of Friends of Korea, which comprises:

Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea
UK Korean Friendship Association
New Communist Party of Britain
Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
Socialist Labour Party

Reports of the seminar

Milestone in Korean History -- New Worker
Joint Seminar on WPK's experience in Party Building -- KCNA

Friends of Korea joint letter on the Korean War

2009-07-29T02:40:00.000-07:00

Comrade Kim Jong Il
General Secretary, Workers’ Party of Korea
Chairman of National Defence Commission, DPRK
Pyongyang
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

25th July 2009 (Juche 98)

Dear Comrade Kim Jong Il,

Our organisations participating in this celebration to mark the 56th anniversary of the end of the Korean War and the historic victory of the Korean people send you the warmest congratulations and heartfelt best wishes.

The Korean War was an illegal war of aggression organised by the US imperialists under the flag of the United Nations. US imperialism is the most barbaric force that humanity has encountered, armed to the teeth with nuclear and other weapons and operating on the fascist dictum "might makes right". It seeks to blackmail any people who affirm their collective right to existence, just as the DPRK is leading the Korean people in doing.

Just as hundreds of millions of people opposed the US-led illegal war of aggression against the Korean people in 1950, so today the working class and people of Britain, as well as all the peace loving people of the world, must not permit Anglo-US imperialism to justify another Korean War.

We participating organisations, on behalf of all democratic forces in Britain, are indeed proud to be called Friends of Korea. We declare our great admiration for the historic victory of the Korean people, and the heroic advance in rebuilding their country, and in their fervent aspiration to once again reunify the Korean Peninsula under the precept of “By our nation itself”. We also celebrate on this occasion your tireless and peerless work, your leadership, and the collective spirit of the whole Korean people under your guidance in defending their socialist system and fighting for complete freedom and independence.

We expresses our utmost confidence that the Korean people through their own efforts will oust the US occupation troops from the south of their country, and reunify their country through their own efforts, peacefully and without outside interference.

We regard the Korean people’s victories as our victories, as we struggle for the same ideals and against the same enemies. As ever, we assure our comrades in the DPRK that we fight shoulder to shoulder with them in their struggles now and in the future also.

With warmest fraternal regards

Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea
UK Korean Friendship Association
New Communist Party of Britain
Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
Socialist Labour Party

Annual Barbeque & Summer Party

2009-07-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

Friends of Korea
annual barbecue and summer party

Saturday 25th July at 3.00 pm
Saklatvala Hall
Southall UB1 5AA

to celebrate the DPRK's victory in the Fatherland Liberation War.

Hands Off Korea!

2009-06-30T03:16:00.000-07:00

a resolution passed unaninimously at a Friends of Korea meeting in June.

This meeting on the present situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Marx House, London, Saturday, June 27th 2009, resolves as follows:

1. We condemn the accusations being directed at the DPRK from Anglo-American imperialism over the recent nuclear test.

2. We affirm that Anglo-US imperialism constitutes the main threat to world peace and security with its nuclear blackmail and aggression.

3. We hail the 9th anniversary of the signing of the historic June 15, 2000, North-South Joint Declaration, which marked an historic turning point in the Korean people's long march toward the reunification of their divided country.

4. We resolve to further build support for the Korean movement for reunification, which is overcoming the threats of US imperialist aggression, including through the activities of the Lee Myung Bak regime of national traitors in the south.

5. We condemn the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1874 which introduces more unjust sanctions against the DPRK, and we condemn the role of the British government in passing this resolution and its hostile stand towards the DPRK. We say: Hands off Korea!

6. We pledge to step up the work to provide information about the DPRK and to build friendship and fraternal relations between the people of Britain and the Korean people.

Solidarity in London

2009-06-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Friends of Korea passed a resolution in solidarity with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the conclusion of a public meeting at London's historic Marx House on Saturday 27th June. The discussion of the current situation in the DPR Korea was opened by Keith Bennett for the Friends of Korea committee and a diplomat from the DPR Korean embassy along with Andy Brooks (NCP), Michael Chant (RCPB-ML), Dermot Hudson (JISGE) and Ella Rule of the CPGB (ML).

photo: Andy Brooks, Dermot Hudson, Keith Bennett and Ella Rule.

Joint Letter to Comrade Kim Jong Il

2009-06-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

The following letter was sent to Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, on 11th June 2009.

Dear Comrade Kim Jong Il,

Our organisations participating in this seminar on the occasions of the ninth anniversary of the historic June 15th North-South Joint Declaration and the 45th anniversary of the start of your work at the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, send you our warmest congratulations and heartfelt best wishes.

These occasions are a testament to your achievements in the field of Party-building, and in the historic task of re-unifying the Korean peninsula.

The Workers’ Party of Korea is imbued with the humanity and concern for the whole society which you have embodied, and which serves to unite the people around the cause of independence and socialism, in contrast to the bestiality and brutality of imperialism which stands for war and reaction, and which is arousing the opposition of the whole of progressive humanity. Those who take up responsibility for revolutionary leadership are greatly to be cherished, and it is an immense testament to your qualities that you have taken up this responsibility within the Central Committee of the WPK for these 45 years.

We express our firm solidarity with the entire Korean people, who desire above all else the reunification of their homeland and the end of tension and the danger of war on the Korean peninsula. The Joint Declaration of June 15, 2000, remains the way forward for the Korean people themselves to reunify their country, being a tremendous blow to the schemes of Anglo-US imperialism to keep the Korean nation divided. It was a vindication of your far-sighted stand on the reunification of the one Korea, advancing further along the road laid down by President Kim Il Sung. Despite the set-backs which have been caused by the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors to the Korean nation, the reunification movement has been striving to open the way for independent, peaceful reunification under the principle of: "By our nation itself". We in Britain will do all we can to contribute to building the movement for the peaceful reunification of Korea also.

These are very dangerous times for the DPRK and the peoples of the entire world. US imperialism, closely supported by the British government, has shown itself to be the worst violator of human rights in its quest for global hegemony and would even like to deny the Korean nation its right to exist.

We wish to emphasise that it is US imperialism which is the threat to world peace and security with its nuclear monopoly and aggressive policies.Our organisations express once again our admiration for your work and leadership, which inspires us to greater heights and to work harder. We regard the Korean people’s victories as our victories, as we struggle for the same ideals and against the same enemies. We assure our comrades in the DPRK and the Korean people that we fight shoulder to shoulder with them in their struggles now and in the future also.

With warmest fraternal regards,

Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea
UK Korean Friendship Association
New Communist Party of Britain
Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
Socialist Labour Party