by Dermot Hudson
a contribution made at a Friends of Korea seminar in London on Saturday 6th November 2021
The subject of the situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and around the Korean peninsula is a big and comprehensive one . At the moment the imperialist mainstream media have tended to ‘take the DPRK out of the news ‘, not mentioning it much , although the hostile propaganda against the DPRK continues. Recently, the DPRK tested missiles which would have once led to hysterical headlines in the imperialist media for days on end but this time it did not do so . This is because the imperialists have experienced a policy failure on the Korean peninsula ; military pressure and threats have not worked, sanctions have not worked and engagement such as Trump’s ‘big deal ‘ have not worked.The imperialist media does not like to talk about failure only success.
The current situation on the Korean peninsula is distinguished by the rapid progress of the DPRK in all fields despite the sanctions and by the continuation of the hostile policies of the US under the Biden administration.
From the 1st November to the 5th November the US and south Korea staged aerial wargames involving F15 and F16 fighters . These wargames were not announced prior and did not have a title.
The DPRK has recently celebrated the 73rd anniversary of the foundation of the DPRK and the 76th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers Party of Korea . The 73rd anniversary of the foundation of the DPRK was marked by a splendid parade of the Worker- Peasant Red Guard and Ministry of Public Security of the DPRK including for the first time in a DPRK parade fire engines and also dogs .
Today the DPRK is the only country in the world or one of the few countries in the world that does not have a case of COVID-19.This is confirmed by the World Health Organisation . This is due to the strict anti -epidemic measures of the DPRK government .
Self-reliance works ; the DPRK has been able to shut its borders for 21 months and still survive. Some countries would not survive for a few days let alone nearly two years . At present the UK is suffering from some shortages which some say are due to Brexit. Self-reliance works we should be shouting from the rooftops .
Despite false reports by the BBC , the DPRK has reaped a bumper harvest . Respected Marshal Kim Jong Un sent a message of thanks to farmworkers who achieved a bumper harvest despite the flooding in August . KFA UK had a Facebook posting debunking the false report of the BBC.
The Korean people are working in the spirit of self-reliance to implement the decisions of the 8th Congress of the Workers Party of Korea which was held in January this year
The key decisions of the Congress can be summarised as follows
Strengthening the independence of the economy
Tightening up the economic planning system
Improving people’s living standards
Implementing the people-orientated policy
Improving national defence
Combatting and eliminating anti-socialist and non -socialist practices
At the 8th Congress respected Marshal Kim Jong Un pointed out that “'The independent, planned and people-oriented characters of the national economy should be strengthened. To this end, it is necessary to raise the functions of the state that organizes economic affairs, and ensure unified management of products on the principle of making sure that the fruition of the economic activities is channelled into promoting the well-being of the people’
This essentially defines the nature of the DPRK as an independent economy, a people orientated economy and a planned economy rather than a market economy . It basically rejects ‘reform ‘ and ‘opening up ‘ . People like NKNews and Andrei Lankov who have spent about 10 years trying to say that the DPRK is becoming capitalist etc . This is a new form of anti DPRK propaganda aimed at denying support for the DPRK among socialist and communists by falsely portraying it as the same as the capitalist countries , although this does echo the earlier ‘convergence theory ‘ of the imperialists and former Trotskyites like James Burnham .
We must take note that the Biden administration may avoid direct confrontation with the DPRK but instead opt for a non physical , ideological confrontation with the DPRK which would include a renewed human rights offensive against the DPRK plus pressure on the DPRK to ‘reform ‘ and ‘open up’ .
Among the people-orientated measures is housing construction including the construction of 10,000 new homes in Pyongyang and housing in rural areas . This will be given to people free of charge .
In Samjiyon city in the far north of the DPRK last month over 1,000 people moved to new homes . In Namdong ri , south Pyongyan Province 700 families moved into new homes .
At the 3rd Plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea the epochal decision was taken to supply , free of charge, dairy products to all nursery and kindergarten children , Previously they had supplied Soya Milk to all children . This was a decision of Chairman Kim Jong Il in the days of the Arduous March .It is a slander that children are malnourished in the DPRK .
Other achievements such as the creation of 2,000 hectares of new land and increases in production in many industries have been achieved . In September many units fulfilled their 3rd quarterly plans .
With regard to the question of policy towards the USA respected Marshal Kim Jong Un made a very important speech On the Orientation of Present Struggle for a Fresh Development of Socialist Construction at the 5th Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK on the 29th of September . He exposed the US fake peace offensive saying that “is no more than a petty trick for deceiving the international community and hiding its hostile acts and an extension of the hostile policy pursued by the successive U.S. administrations”.
He also called for the south Korean authorities to change their attitudes and at the same time called for the reopening of the inter-Korean communication lines . This was put into effect on the 4th of October.
Similarly comrade Kim Yo Jong , vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK and a newly elected member of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK in a statement on the 27th of September said that the DPRK was willing to enter into dialogue and negotiations with south Korea , even to hold a 6th inter -Korean summit and sign an end of war declaration. However the US and south Korea must end their double standards for this to happen .
Peace is On Our Bayonets ! The DPRK ‘s self defence potential has been further boosted.
On the 16th September 2021 a Rail borne missile was successfully launched, greatly improving the tactical mobility of the DPRK ‘s strategic force . The DPRK is one of the few countries to have rail borne missiles.
A hypersonic missile was tested on the 29th September . On the 1st October an anti-aircraft missile was tested and on the 20th October a new type of Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile was tested.
The National Defence Exhibition at the Three Revolutions Exhibition was opened in October.The opening was accompanied by a fly past of jets and helicopters , a sky driver and a martial arts display . Marshal Kim Jong Un made a keynote speech in which he said the DPRK ‘s weapons are not targeted against any country and they are a deterrent . He dismissed the idea that the US was not hostile .
So to conclude the US hostile policy continues and although the DPRK is not in the news we must continue to step up solidarity .KFA UK has played its part by holding many online meetings and taking the initiative of launching an online monthly journal ‘ People’s Korea Today ‘.
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