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.