Celebrating Korea’s victory over imperialism

By New Worker correspondent

FRIENDS and comrades marked the 62^nd anniversary of the Korean people’s victory in the Fatherland Liberation War in London on Saturday 18th July. The meeting, called by the Korean Friendship Association and the Juché Idea Study Group heard an opening from Dermot Hudson of the KFA and a report-back of a recent trip to the DPR Korea by Shaun Pickford.

Dermot Hudson said: "The Fatherland Liberation War referred to as the Korean War in the imperialist countries was provoked by the US imperialists on 25^th June 1950 and lasted three years. It was a most intense war, one of the fiercest wars of the 20th century. Indeed it was a third world war in miniature in which the two systems in the world, capitalism and socialism fought each other.

“The  US imperialists along with troops from 15 of their vassal states attempted to destroy the young Democratic People's Republic of Korea in its cradle, an obscene and barbarous war in which a big power and its minions tried to pulverise into submission a small country.”

 Dermot also spoke about the 21st anniversary of the demise of great leader President Kim Il Sung: "President Kim Il Sung was a great man, a great leader, a great philosopher who created the Juché Idea and authored the Songun idea.

“He wrote over 1,800 works,  and was the father of modern Korea, indeed Korea is the Kim Il Sung nation. He was respected as one of the outstanding leaders of the international communist and working class movement.”

Shaun Pickford said: “I was able to return to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea after an interval of three years and saw immense improvements in the cultural and living standards of the Korean People. All the progress that is being realised in the DPRK, is based on socialist principles and self-reliance.

“The Supreme Leader of the DPRK, Marshal Kim Jong Un, is working continuously for the welfare of the Korean people and spares nothing for the well-being of the workers, farmers and intellectuals. Such a leader as Kim Jong Un, cannot be found elsewhere in the world, as the DPRK leader is always putting the people first in everything”.

The meeting also received a message from Cllr Damien Biggs, East of England regional party secretary and National Executive Committee member of the Socialist Labour Party.

A very lively discussion followed with questions and answers and concluded with the adoption of a solidarity message to DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

US embassy picketed

 By New Worker correspondent

MEMBERS and supporters of the UK Korean Friendship Association held a very successful picket – numbers double previous turn-outs –of the United States embassy on Thursday 25th June to mark the start of the Month of Solidarity with the Korean people and the 65th anniversary of the start of provocation of the great Fatherland Liberation War.

It was supported by the Association of Supporters of Songun Policies UK (ASSPUK), the Juché International Study Group of England (JISGE) and the New Communist Party including general secretary Andy Brooks and Central Committee member Theo Russell.

Members of the RCPB (ML) and the CPGB (ML) were also present.

Dermot Hudson, who chairs the UK KFA and the JISGE made a short speech introducing the picket explaining it was part of the Month of Solidarity with the Korean people and it was to mark the 65th anniversary of the start of the Korean War (Fatherland Liberation War).

US troops still occupy south Korea today. Comrade Hudson said that at the same time KFA members in Ireland were also picketing the US embassy in Dublin.

 Dermot Hudson also said: "The US imperialists, the ringleader of the world imperialism and international reactionaries, provoked a war in Korea on the 25th of June 1950 by instigating their south Korean puppets to attack the young Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“The US imperialists were hungry for profits and conquest. The US imperialists fought an unjust aggressive war against the Korean people.

“The US imperialists launched a war of conquest against the DPRK, a war to destroy the Juché-based people's democratic system in the DPRK as well to destroy socialism in Asia and the world.

“The Korean people, led by the great revolutionary leader Marshal Kim Il Sung, a true military strategic genius and ever-victorious iron-willed and brilliant fought a fierce anti-imperialist and anti-US struggle against US imperialism and the allied forces of international reaction.

“It was a fierce class struggle against the enemies of the people. The Korean people fought a national liberation war against the Yankee imperialist invaders, a war of justice for independence and freedom and also a war to reunify the sacred motherland.

“The Fatherland Liberation War of the Korean people proved to a crucible of the Songun idea.

“We condemn the appalling barbarity of the US imperialists during the Fatherland Liberation War.

“We denounce their crimes of massacring civilians, use of biological and chemical weapons: 35,383 people were murdered by the US at Sinchon-ri and 1,050 people at Susan-ri (one third of the population of the area), just to give a few examples.

“The US imperialists tried to exterminate the Korean people by carrying out the war that they had long planned.

“History will curse forever the US imperialists as sub-human savages and criminals as well as an enemy of humanity and progress. Indeed US imperialism is the ringleader of aggression and war, as proved by the recent racial violence and oppression of black people.

“It is the US that is the biggest human rights violator in the world.

“The US imperialists continue to occupy south Korea to this very day, ignoring the will of the Korean people and the voices of world progressives. The US imperialists have committed crimes in south Korea too numerous to mention, but these include murder, rape and theft.

“They are exploiting the south Korean people by taking huge sums of money in so-called "upkeep expenses".

“The US imperialists have introduced anthrax into south Korea in order to commit genocide against the Korean nation. This is a horrendous crime. The US imperialists have also tried to stifle the DPRK using the ‘human rights’ issue and used the United Nations against the DPRK."

Andy Brooks, general secretary of the New Communist Party, thanked everyone for coming saying it was a very successful. He said that US had caused the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula by reneging on agreements with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The following slogans were shouted: “US out of Korea,” “Yankee go home,” “Korea is one,” “Long live the Workers' Party of Korea,” “Long live Marshal Kim Jong Un,” “Long live the worker’s paradise of the DPRK,” “Down with US imperialism,” “Down with the fascist American regime”.