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.
