Saturday 22 December 2012

A Red Salute to Kim Jong Il!




Andy Brooks talking about Juche
By New Worker correspondent


FRIENDS of Democratic Korea returned to the Marchmont Centre in central London last weekend to mark the 1st anniversary of the passing of dear leader Kim Jong Il called by the Juché societies in Britain, electrified by the news that the DPRK had successfully put a satellite into Earth orbit.
 The achievement of Democratic Korea’s independent space programme was a fitting tribute to the memory of Kim Jong Il and the new leadership around his successor, Kim Jong Un. And that was a point stressed by all four speakers at the meeting on Saturday organised by the Juché Idea Study Group and the Association for the Study of Songun Politics.
 But first of all everyone stood to observe two minutes’ silence in memory of Kim Jong Il. A screening of Korea Changing Sorrow into Strength and Courage was followed by thoughtful contributions from Dermot Hudson and Shaun Pickford from the Juché society on the life of Kim Jong Il.
 Dr Hugh Goodacre, a lecturer at the University of London, opened discussion on the meaning of Juché that was taken up by New Communist Party leader Andy Brooks in his own contribution to the discussion. Brooks stressed the importance of independence and self-reliance in the philosophy of Kimilsungism and the Juché Idea.
 The general secretary of the NCP said that the DPRK and the Workers Party of Korea were under attack by right-wing and bogus “left-wing” revisionists as well as the bourgeois pundits who never even bothered to read what Kim Jong Il actually said. If they had they would see that Kim Jong Il had made an immense contribution to Marxist-Leninist theory and ideology.
 “In his 1982 work On the Juche Idea, Kim Jong Il brought together and systematised the Juché theory while his 1994 thesis Socialism is a Science affirmed that socialism would eventually become the economic system of the entire world because it is the only form of society in which people can be truly free,” Andy Brooks declared.
 All these points were triggers for a lively discussion amongst the activists and supporters of Korean-style socialism which could have continued well into the evening. But sadly time ran out leaving  just enough  to end  with the enthusiastic adoption by acclaim of a solidarity message to Kim Jong Un, the new leader of the Party and People of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Thursday 13 December 2012

Remembering Kim Jong Il




By New Worker correspondent


FRIENDS of Korea met in London last weekend to pay tribute to the memory of dear leader Kim Jong Il, the leader of the Workers’ Party of Korea who died on 17th December 2011.
 Though a solemn occasion it was also a celebration of the achievements of Kim Jong Il and the people of Democratic Korea under his leadership. And this was vividly shown in the north Korean film screened at the meeting at the Marchmont Centre in Bloomsbury on Saturday.
 The film, a documentary covering the funeral of the Korean leader also showed how the Korean workers have turned their grief into action to carry on the work under their new leader Kim Jong Un.
 During the formal part of the meeting tributes were paid to Kim Jong Il’s work from Michael Chant of the RCPB (ML), Dermot Hudson of the Juché Idea Study Group and NCP leader Andy Brooks and a message was read out from John McLeod of the Socialist Labour Party, who unfortunately could not come in person.
  The meeting was organised by the Co-ordinating Committee of the Friends of Korea, which brings together all the major movements active in Korean friendship work in Britain today.  It is chaired by Andy Brooks and the secretary is Michael Chant.
 The committee consists of the New Communist Party of Britain, Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (ML), Socialist Labour Party, European Regional Society for the Study of the Juché Idea and the UK Korean Friendship Association.
 Meetings are open to all friends of the Korean revolution and the committee organises events throughout the year in London, which are listed by the supporting movements and on the Friends of Korea blog.

the meeting agreed unanimously to send the following message:



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


December 8, 2012 (Juche 101)



The Dear Respected Marshal Kim Jong Un,
First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea,
First Chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission,
Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army


Dear Comrade Kim Jong Un

This meeting convened by the Committee in Britain to Commemorate the Passing of Kim Jong Il sends its deepest respects to you personally and through you to the Workers’ Party of Korea and the entire Korean people on the occasion of the first anniversary of the passing away of Comrade Kim Jong Il on December 17, 2011.

We express the sentiment of progressive opinion to stand as one in friendship and solidarity with the Korean people. Above all, we take it as our duty to defend the right of the Korean people to follow their own chosen nation-building path, free from outside interference. This is a course from which no hostile force can divert the Korean people and its leadership, and which contributes to the aspirations of peace-loving people everywhere for a new world free from imperialism, domination, subjugation, aggression and war.

The common cause of the people is that of the defence of independence and sovereignty of peoples and nations, and our common conviction is that humanity will achieve a world where the people are the masters of their own destiny. This is what Comrade Kim Jong Il devoted his entire life to until his last breath, and we have the utmost confidence that this is the path of leadership that you yourself have unswervingly taken up. The legacy of Comrades Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung in bringing into being a world without war and where the people face a bright future will forever remain undimmed.

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




Michael Chant (Secretary)
On behalf of The Participating Organisations of Friends of Korea





Wednesday 12 December 2012

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Friends of Korea Commemorative Meeting






Meeting to mark the first anniversary of the passing of Kim Jong Il,
leader of the Workers’ Party of Korea and of the Korean people.

Saturday, December 8, 2-5pm

Marchmont Community Centre, 62 Marchmont Street, London WC1N 1AB

(nearest tube: Russell Square)

All friends of Korea are warmly invited to participate in this meeting which will take a stand in celebrating the achievements of Kim Jong Il and of the people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) under his leadership.

With a memorial film-showing, together with a number of short presentations highlighting the importance and significance of Kim Jong Il’s life and work. Also highlighting the confident outlook of the Korean people whose sentiment is that Kim Jong Il still lives on in their advances.

Organised by the British Committee to Commemorate the Passing of Kim Jong Il

Monday 12 November 2012

Free Ro Su Hui!




 By New Worker correspondent
NCP leader Andy Brooks joined a picket of the south Korean embassy in London last week to demand the release of the south Korean peace activist arrested in July after he returned from a visit to the north. Ro was arrested and detained by the south Korean puppet regime under the so-called "National Security Law" which punishes south Koreans for visiting north Korea or sympathising with it in anyway.
The 1st  November protest was organised by the International Committee for the Release of Ro Su Hui which is supported by the NCP and a number of Juche and Korean solidarity movements in Britain and abroad. Dermot Hudson, the secretary of the new campaign, read out demands for Ro Su Hui’s release throughout the picket as well as messages of support from the Swiss Korea Committee and the  Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front of south Korea (AINDF).

Tuesday 16 October 2012

The Outstanding Achievements of the DPRK



by Workers Weekly correspondent

“Celebrating the Outstanding Achievements of the DPRK” was the title of a friendship and solidarity meeting held on Saturday, October 13th. It was organised at the John Buckle Centre by the Friends of Korea (FoK), and marked the 67th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, which fell on October 10th. The FoK has the aim of combating the disinformation peddled by those who wish the DPRK ill, and accuse it of all the crimes that imperialism is itself responsible for. To this end it seeks to unite all friends of Korea in Britain in taking a stand in favour of the DPRK, and to encourage all to investigate the truth about the DPRK, its achievements and social system, and to defend the right of the DPRK to its independence and sovereignty and the right of its people to chart their own destiny.
            In the DPRK today, the people fully benefit from universal free medical care, guaranteed under the Socialist Constitution and the Public Health Law. The system of taxation was abolished 38 years ago, with the national economy on a firm footing being the source of the state income.
            Of note recently has been the care of the rising generation. This is not only evident in the guaranteed right to education, but the organisation of children into the Korean Children’s Union representing the hope and future of the DPRK. In the DPRK there is universal 11-year compulsory education. There are also a huge number of large and small colleges.
            The government of the DPRK is a genuine people’s government with local organ’s of power, as well as the Supreme People’s Assembly.
            The Korean people receive such social benefits as free housing, and to constantly improve the people’s living standards is the central aim of the organisation of the economy. As an example, spectacular new tower blocks of flats have been erected in the past year in Changjon Street in Pyongyang, changing this area of the capital beyond recognition, including public service amenities and parks, in addition to modern dwellings.
            At the meeting, Michael Chant, as Secretary of the FoK, welcomed all the participants who filled the hall. He especially welcomed Mun Myongsin as guest from the Embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in London. The meeting opened with the showing of a film on Kim Jong Il and the significance of his Songun politics, following which a talk was given by Dr Hugh Goodacre on the history of the Workers’ Party of Korea. A period of discussion followed, and extracts from messages to the meeting from Andy Brooks, Chair of FoK, and Dermot Hudson, Vice-chair, were read out.
            In conclusion, it was pointed out the importance of the DPRK’s finding a place in the hearts of working people in Britain, in the spirit of friendship and proletarian internationalism.





Solidarity messages                                                                 




To the Supreme Leader of the Korean People,
Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un



October 13, 2012 (Juche 101)

Dear Comrade Kim Jong Un

This friendship and solidarity meeting convened to celebrate the 67th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers’ Party of Korea conveys to you its warmest greetings. The meeting also marks the important 15th anniversary of the election of Comrade Kim Jong Il as the General Secretary of the Party and on this occasion we also pay tribute to Comrade Kim Jong Il as Eternal General Secretary of the WPK.

The Workers’ Party of Korea is imbued with a humanity and concern for the whole of society. It serves to unite the people around the cause of independence and socialism, in contrast to the aggression and brutality of imperialism which stands for war and outright reaction.

The progressive forces in Britain are duty bound to combat the disinformation of the enemies of the DPRK. We are fighting together against the imperialist forces that would turn back the world to medievalism in pursuit of their neo-liberal agenda. But the common cause of the people is that of the defence of independence and sovereignty of peoples and nations, and our common conviction is that humanity will achieve a world where the people are the masters of their own destiny.

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.

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





Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un
First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
First Chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission
Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army

9th October 2012

Dear Comrade Kim Jong Un,

The New Communist Party joins with millions of Koreans and working people all over the world celebrating the 15th anniversary of the election of Comrade Kim Jong Il  to the general-secretaryship of the Workers Party of Korea and the 67th anniversary of the founding of the Workers Party of Korea.
            Over the decades the Workers Party of Korea has faced hardship and war to lead the Korean people to victory. In recent years the Workers Party of Korea has won great victories too. Natural disasters have been overcome. Diplomatic isolation has been broken and the intrigues of US imperialism and their south Korea puppets have been exposed.
            The Korean revolution is an inspiration to all communists and freedom-fighters throughout the world. The Korean people, determined to preserve their independence and socialist system, have closed ranks around the Workers Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the face of new threats from American imperialism.
            The achievements of Democratic Korea today are based on the sacrifices of generations of Koreans in the past and the tireless work of the leadership of the Workers Party of Korea that follows in the footsteps of your country’s great revolutionary leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
            We have no doubt that the Korean masses, who are building socialism in the north and struggling for freedom and re-unification in the south, will be victorious in the struggles to come. And we are confident that with you at the helm the Korean people will achieve the end of partition and the re-unification of the Korean peninsula.

Wishing you good health, a long life and success in your work,

Yours fraternally,

Andy Brooks
General Secretary