London tribute to Korean revolutionary

Choe Il welcoming guests

By New Worker correspondent

 

Kim Jong Il’s birthday has long been known as the Day of the Shining Star in Democratic Korea. In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and across the world events were held throughout the month in honour of the DPRK leader who died at his post on 17^th December 2011.

In Britain solidarity events in honour of the 76^th anniversary of the birth of dear leader Kim Jong Il closed with a lunch-time reception at the London embassy of the DPRK this week. British communists, including New Communist Party leader Andy Brooks and Michael Chant of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (ML), joined diplomats and solidarity activists at the reception that was opened by Democratic Korean ambassador Choe Il.

The DPRK ambassador paid tribute to Kim Jong Il’s outstanding contribution to the Korean revolution and the world communist movement, and Dermot Hudson from the Korean Friendship Association (KFA) spoke about the dear leader’s life-time achievements in the service of the Korean people.

Red Salute to Kim Jong Il!

Kim Song Ji, Andy Brooks and Michael Chant

by New Worker correspondent

Friends of the Korean revolution have been commemorating the anniversary of the birth of dear leader Kim Jong Il throughout the month at events in the capital and other parts of the country. And last week comrades and friends gathered to mark the Day of the Shining Star at the John Buckle Centre, the HQ of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (ML) in London.

Kim Jong Il steered the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) through the difficult times that followed the death of great leader Kim Il Sung in 1994. He devoted his entire life to serving the Korean people in the cause of building a human-centred society, a cause that is espoused by the democratic and anti-imperialist forces the world over.

Following in Kim Il Sung’s footsteps, Kim Jong Il led the Workers Party of Korea into the 21st century to build a strong and prosperous socialist republic. Kim Jong Il was a leading Marxist thinker who made an important contribution to modern communist theory as well as an astute statesman who led the Korean people through thick and thin to overcome natural disasters, the imperialist blockade and diplomatic isolation.

Andy Brooks, the chair of the Friends of Korea committee that organised the meeting, welcomed everyone to the event to honour the memory of the Korean communist leader who died at his post in December 2011. The speakers, who included Michael Chant from the RCPB(ML) and Kim Song Gi from the London embassy of the DPRK, both spoke about the continued advances of the people of Democratic Korea and their contribution to international peace and progress. The focus was naturally the courageous initiative by DPRK leader Kim Jong Un that led to the creation of a united Korean sports team at the Winter Olympics currently taking place in south Korea and an easing of tension across the armistice line which, hopefully, will lead to a positive response to Democratic Korean peace proposals by the south Korean authorities.

This was followed by a lively question and answer session with the DPRK diplomat and a general discussion that continued, as usual, over refreshments after the formal close of the meeting.

The truth about Korea in north Wales

By Ray Jones

Dermot speaking

About 20 people gathered on a cold evening last week in St John’s Methodist Hall in Llandudno to hear what was happening in Korea. At the invitation of Conwy Peace Group, Dermot Hudson from the Korean Friendship Association (KFA) and Lindis Percy from the Campaign for Accountability of US Bases, both of whom have recent experience of Korea, reported to the meeting.

Dermot set the scene with a brief history of the country and its division into two states following the war caused by the USA.

The north became a socialist state, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), whilst south Korea became an occupied puppet of the USA led by a fascist government. The south became the darling of the West and the north the most slandered state in the world.

The DPRK became the most independent country in the world, not in the grip of any great power, with a fine social welfare system that ensures free education and healthcare for all. South Korea became in effect a colony of the USA, with security laws which threaten seven years in jail or even death for supporting the DPRK or communism.

Dermot pointed out that the DPRK has been forced to develop nuclear weapons by the nuclear threat of US forces in the south and in the light of the history of imperialist aggression against non-nuclear states such as Iraq and Libya.

To say that the nuclear weapons of the DPRK are the problem is nonsense. For the many years before the DPRK had such weapons the USA continued its aggressive posture and did little to solve the issues.

Lindis, a veteran peace campaigner, told the meeting of the massive demonstrations for peace and the demand for reunification of Korea that she had witnessed in the south.

She described how she was roughly handled by south Korean security when she had joined in the protests outside the US embassy against the stranglehold the US military has on the south with its 83 bases around the country.

Lindis had hopes that the new moves around the Winter Olympics would lead to improvements in the relations between north and south.

There was an interesting discussion following the speakers, which had to be cut short due to time constraints. There were, of course, different points of view, but there seemed to be only one person who remained vehemently anti-DPRK and totally taken in by the imperialist propaganda!