KFA UK at the south Korean embassy in London on 26th March 2015

DEFEND PEOPLES KOREA!

 By New Worker correspondent

‘NO OTHER country is attacked and abused like the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’ said Dermot Hudson of the Korea Friendship Association at a public meeting in Liverpool. He described the relentless propaganda against the DPRK as being at an intensity and ferocity that outstrips the worst days of the cold war.

The meeting was held on the 17th March at the Quakers Meeting House in Central Liverpool. Peter Hendy, who chaired the meeting, opened it by identifying the United States as the major imperialist power provoking war and conflict around the world.

For over 60 years the US has promoted international hatred towards the DPRK through disinformation, fabrication and counterfeit arguments – the objective being to isolate, provoke confrontation and to subjugate the DPRK.

The lack of validity in the propaganda directed against the DPRK was emphasised by Dermot Hudson, a longstanding Korean solidarity activist, in his speech. He found the extreme hostility, demonization and lies hard to understand.

“Peoples Korea was not responsible for 9/11 or beheading hostages. In contrast the US has 700 military bases outside its borders, 255,065 military personnel based worldwide and has invaded over 60 countries since the end of the second world war.”

Dermot warned of the actual physical threats posed by US imperialists and south Korean lackeys carried out in the Foal Eagle and Key Resolve annual exercises in south Korea. These involve a total of 12,000 US troops and 200,000 south Korean troops.

These are nuclear war exercises and a test run for invading the DPRK. Dismissing claims that they were “defensive” in nature he posed several questions: “Why do they continue to hold exercises practicing an invasion of the DPRK? Why does the US keep 1000’s of troops in South Korea? What would be the response if the DPRK or China or Russia were to conduct military exercises in Mexico or Canada? Would they been seen as ‘defensive’ exercises?”

Dermot attacked attempts by US imperialists to escalate so called human rights issues. This was a blatant strategy to undermine the DPRK politically and ideologically by distorting the reality of life in Peoples Korea. The Commission of Enquiry formed by the United Nations was one-sided with the DPRK allowed no representation to defend itself.

No visits to the DPRK were even proposed with evidence being provided from so called “defectors”. The credibility of those involved in the Commission was suspect when it was revealed individuals had links with human rights violations and CIA-fronted organisations.

He refuted the testimony of “defectors” as unreliable and inaccurate pointing out that some had masqueraded as coming from the DPRK but had in fact South Korea accents! Others had been found to have committed serious crimes such as murder, rape, theft and corruption underlying the dubious and deviant characters making the claims.

Dermot cited the celebrity Pak Eun or Yeonmi Park, whose stories were found to be inconsistent and lies. All defectors are under the control of the South Korean National Intelligence Service and live on funds provided by the south Korean regime which further undermines their testimony.

Dermot examined the contradictory figures and speculative figures provided by the anti-DPRK lobby about those allegedly held in prisons. A forensic examination of some of the ludicrous claims made was provided before Dermot posed the question: “So who are the real human rights abusers in the world?”

He recounted the catalogue of abuses that the US has perpetrated around the world including the use of germ warfare during the Korean War when it carried out 800 germ warfare sorties. 

It was evident that the diverse audience enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the DPRK countering the lies and myths peddled in the western media. Concluding the meeting Dermot Hudson urged everyone to take an active role in the Korean Friendship Association to defend People’s Korea, its socialist development and independence.

Expose US war-crimes!

 The UK Korean Friendship Association hosted a meeting via Skype at 1400 hours on 26^th February. KFA members from different parts of the country took part in the seminar including KFA Official Delegate Dermot Hudson, Andy Brooks, the general secretary of the New Communist Party and other KFA members in London and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

All the participants strongly denounced the hypocrisy of the  US imperialists for their "human rights " campaign saying that, in fact,  the Americans were the greatest human rights abusers since the Second World War.

It was pointed out that during the Korean war delegations from the British peace movement visited Korea and saw for themselves the evidence of germ warfare committed by the US imperialists in Korea. Books published at the time fully exposed this war-crime. The   KFA members pointed out that the germ warfare of the US was in violation of international conventions and protocols such as the Geneva convention.

During the seminar attention was also drawn to US war-crimes during the Vietnam war and also in during the invasion and occupation of Iraq. US imperialism was also responsible for the Bhopal disaster in India and for massive exploitation in the Third World.

While the CIA carried out torture against people held in secret prisons that were not on US soil the US government hypocritically talks about non-existent "labour camps" which were allegedly located inside the DPRK. Dermot Hudson said that on the nine visits to the DPRK he had never seen a labour camp while the US had carried out illegal imprisonment and torture at their Guantanamo Bay concentration camp on the territory of Cuba and other places throughout the world.

The meeting concluded by adopting the following resolution:

This meeting has been called to expose the phony human rights campaign of US imperialism against the Democratic People’s Republic (DPRK) and to expose the real “human rights violator “the US itself so it may be indicted before the court of history for its crimes against humanity. The “human rights “campaign against the DPRK it is not just hypocritical but it also serves as a smokescreen to divert attention away from real human rights  abuses  in the USA.

         These are far numerous to list as the USA is known for invading  many countries and also for racial discrimination and for phone tapping and electronic eavesdropping . It is rightly known as a “land barren of human rights “. However the most serious human rights abuses  committed by the US were the use of germ warfare during the Korean war against the DPRK and the torture carried out by the CIA in the years  2001-2006 .

The US imperialists waged biological warfare in Korea in the 1950-1953 war in violation of the Geneva Protocol. The use of biological weapons was confirmed by an International Scientific Commission which included the respected British scientist Professor Joseph Needham and also by confessions of captured US personnel. In carrying out biological warfare against the Korean people the US imperialists utilised the services of Japanese war criminal Shiro Ishii of the notorious Unit 731.

During the  Korean war the US carried out over 800 germ warfare sorties . The death toll from the US germ warfare ran into thousands . This was a barbaric crime that was much worse than those committed by Hitler in the second world war. We believe it is high time for the US to stop covering this crime and  come clean finally about it.

Recently, the US Senate issued a report opening to the world torture committed by the CIA over a long period. Of course the CIA had long been infamous for assassination, terrorism, dirty tricks and  interference . It earned notoriety as the shock brigade of US imperialism, Its role was exposed in the 1970s by a defector from the CIA, Philip Agee. However under  the guise of the so-called “war on terror “  the CIA became a major human rights violator committing torture and detaining suspects without  trial.

            The CIA operated a network of secret prisons around the world  and indulging kidnapping and  “rendition “ as part of its Detention and Interrogation Programme and carried out torture of detainees. The programme authorized CIA officers to use extreme interrogation techniques, including sleep deprivation, water boarding , painful stress positions, dietary manipulation, walling, 'rectal rehydration' or rectal feeding, etc. These techniques were most barbaric.

Thus the US stands condemned and guilty for crimes against humanity. We demand that the UN Committee on Human Rights and other international bodies organise a full and proper investigation into these crimes committed by the US. The UN must act in a fair and impartial way and must not be afraid of the United States.

Adopted unanimously by the meeting at 14.50 hrs on 26^th Februqry 2015.

Snow White Korean-style!

Dermot Hudson of the KFA with some of the cast

 By New Worker correspondent

COMRADES and friends of Korea joined music lovers to see the Democratic Korean Youth Para Ensemble that is touring England for the first time with the support of the Korean Federation for the Protection of the Disabled.

. Twelve disabled children and young adults along with five other helpers demonstrated their immense artistic skills at Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre and the Royal College of Music in London this week.

The DPR Korea performers were assisted by London-based Korean resident Prof Kim So Ock of the Royal Academy of Music and the 90-minute performance included not only traditional Korean music but also some popular western pieces such as the Phantom of the Opera.

Particularly impressive was the performance by Kim Myong Suk, who is blind, on the kayagum, a traditional Korean instrument. It was also delightful to watch a group of deaf children perform Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with songs from the Disney classic including Heigh Ho! in Korean and Snow White dressed as a Korean fairy!

There was also a lovely rendition, in Korean and English of You Raise Me Up by Jang Mi Yon and the performance concluded with a spirited Kayagum version of the famous Korean song Arirang.

The performances showed that disabled people are treated well in the DPRK and are provided with all rights. The disabled in the DPRK live independent and creative lives with full living conditions provided by the socialist system.

One could see not only skill and creativity but dignity shining through. All in all a great night out and if you did not make the Oxford and London concerts plus try to make it to Cambridge for their last performance on 2^nd March.