by Dermot Hudson
Dermot Hudson at the seminar
Dermot Hudson, the Chair of the UK Korean Friendship Association, recently spent a week in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to join in the celebrations marking the foundation of the Workers Party of Korea (then the Communist Party of North Korea) on 10th October 1945.The Communist Party of North Korea later developed into the Workers’ Party of North Korea (WPNK) when it united with the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1946. The Workers Party of Korea as it exists today was founded in June 1949 by merging the WPNK with the Workers’ Party of South Korea (WPSK) and another smaller movement known as the People’s Party.
I travelled to People’s Korea on the 7th October and stayed until the 14th October. It was a week in paradise away from the stress of life under decaying capitalism and imperialism! This was my 20th visit to People’s Korea.The purpose of the visit was to participate in the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the great Workers Party of Korea (WPK), the supreme general staff of the Korean revolution and organiser and guide of all the victories of the Korean people. I was leading a delegation of the British Group For the Study of the Juche Idea.
It was not my first time visiting the DPRK to attend keynote anniversaries; I had previously visited the DPRK for the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in September 2018 and for the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers Party of Korea in October 2015 . What I saw this time far exceeded the celebrations I witnessed in 2018 and 2015 in terms of scale and quality.
Our delegation travelled via Beijing, and arrived on the afternoon of the 7th October. Waiting to check in for the Air Koryo flight we met delegations from Brazil, Poland, Denmark, Finland. Switzerland, Bulgaria and many other countries. It is a myth that the DPRK is “isolated”. In fact not only did followers of the Juche Idea and friendship organisations make their way to Pyongyang but also high-level delegations from China, Russia,Vietnam and Laos including Party general secretaries.There were also high level delegations from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Nicaragua.The Iranian delegation got a round of applause on the plane.
Even before we landed in Pyongyang we got a flavour of the rapid development of People’s Korea – namely Air Koryo’s (the national airline of the DPRK ) in-flight catering has been upgraded and improved.The stewardess handed out boxes which contained not only the famous Air Koryo burger but biscuits and other confectionery including chocolate bars. On the way from the airport we saw whole new streets that were not there in 2019 and 2024. A block of flats near to the Koryo Hotel that was under construction in April 2024 had been completed.
Our delegation had been invited by the Korean Association of Social Scientists but was guided by Kim Kyong Chol of the Korea Association for Cultural Exchange with Foreign Countries. Kim was a keen singer and an enthusiastic person.
During our visit we visited the following; the Korean Revolution Museum, the Museum of Party Foundation, the Pyongyang Central Zoo and Natural History Museum , the Central Cadres Training School of the Workers Party of Korea ,the Great Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum , Hwasong Street at night , the Taekwondo Hall, the Juche Idea Tower and Kim Il Sung University.We were honoured guests at the National Meeting and Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance on the 9th October , at the Military Parade on the 10th October and the Public Procession and Torchlight Gala on the theme of the immortal banner of building a just and peaceful world.
It is difficult to detail all that happened and that we saw in the DPRK so I will just give a few important highlights .
Firstly , the International Seminar on the Juche Idea that was held in the People’s Palace of Culture from the 8th to the 9th October attracted participants from all over the world including the following countries; Austria , Brazil, Belarus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Switzerland and many others .
I made a speech on behalf of the British Group For the Study of the Juche Idea in which I said (in part ) the following “the Juche idea teaches the peoples of the world to build countries that are politically independent , economically self-sufficient and self-reliant in defence. Peoples’ Korea itself is a living example of the application of independence , self-sufficiency and self-defence. Whilst conflicts rage in many parts of the world, the Korean peninsula enjoys peace thanks to the nuclear deterrent of the DPRK .Today People’s Korea is a society free from division, conflict and disorder. It is an oasis of calm in a troubled world”
We attended the national meeting for the 80th founding anniversary of the WPK and the Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Long Live the Workers' Party of Korea in the May Day stadium on Rungna Island.The May Day stadium is actually the biggest stadium in the world with a seating capacity of over 150,000. It is not rotting and rusting as falsely asserted by the reptile bourgeois media but in good condition.
First we heard the speech of respected leader Kim Jong Un, the general secretary of the Workers Party of Korea. He rounded off his speech with the following words “availing myself of this opportunity, I will always cherish love for the people and not neglect my obligation of requital. I affirm my commitment to working harder to live up to their trust.
“I will surely turn this country into a more affluent and beautiful land and into the best socialist paradise in the world, with belief in the people supporting our Party and by always becoming one in mind and body with them”.
At the end of the meeting there was a rousing rendition of the Internationale by a military band and a choir. After the national meeting the mass game “Long live the Workers Party of Korea “ was held .This was a dazzling array of colour, gymnastics and songs.The famous DPRK singer Kim Ok Ju sang many of the songs. In my opinion it surpassed other DPRK mass games such as “Arirang and “Glorious Country” .
The set piece of any DPRK celebration is the military parade. I had never attended a night-time DPRK military parade before. Previously I had only attended parades during the day time.
This parade was not held under easy or ideal conditions but in the rain and wind. Other countries would not have been able to do this but People’s Korea, Korea of Juche was able to do this.The parade included the Korean People’s Army fighters who had fought for the liberation of Kursk and also new ICBM ballistic missiles. A friend from Italy said to me as the new ICBM rumbled past “that is for Washington”. At the end of the parade comrade Kim Jong Un came and waved at the crowd.To my astonishment I found myself within five metres of him. I could not believe it .
No less impressive was the Public Procession and Torchlight Gala on the 11th October in Kim Il Sung square.The sky was lit up by lasers and later fireworks.The procession was led by a float which depicted the history of the Workers Party of Korea starting with the Down With Imperialism Union. I was delighted to see modern DPRK farm tractors in the procession.
We were among the first foreigners to visit the Central Cadres Training School of the Workers Party of Korea which is situated on the outskirts of Pyongyang. It is the size of a university. Displayed at the school are the portraits of Marx and Lenin.There is also a red flag displayed in every lecture room on the instructions of Kim Jong Un who said that they must uphold the Red Flag of communism. Seeing the portraits of Marx and Lenin made me deeply realise the falsity of the ultra-leftist slanderers who assert that the DPRK had abandoned Marxism-Leninism and the communist ideal. Revisionists and ultra-leftists both criticise the DPRK from different ends of the spectrum but at the end of the day it is just finding excuses not to support the most demonised and most advanced and revolutionary socialist country, it is also doing the dirty work of the CIA for them.
We saw that Pyongyang was a blaze of light and colour at night.The imperialists are lying when they say that there is no electricity in the DPR Korea. Rather than “everyone starving”, we saw no homeless or beggars on the streets and the guide for another delegation said that people get free housing and food only costs 0.3 dollars per month. Just compare that to the UK, No comment!
Now the construction of the 4th stage of Hwasong Street is under way, I saw it with my own eyes.This rapid development is being carried out under conditions of intense sanctions by the imperialists as well as natural disasters and the DPRK’s border being closed for four years due to the global health crisis.This development is being achieved without outside help, ‘aid’ or foreign capital. It is a miracle of self-reliance and shows what a socialist country can do when it relies on its own resources and believes in itself .
I will conclude here. I would like to thank the following for their kind assistance; Kim Kyong Chol and other guides from both the Korean Association for Cultural Exchange with Foreign Countries and the Korean Association of Social Scientists, the staff of the Koryo Hotel in Pyongyang and the DPRK Embassy in London.
I travelled to People’s Korea on the 7th October and stayed until the 14th October. It was a week in paradise away from the stress of life under decaying capitalism and imperialism! This was my 20th visit to People’s Korea.The purpose of the visit was to participate in the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the great Workers Party of Korea (WPK), the supreme general staff of the Korean revolution and organiser and guide of all the victories of the Korean people. I was leading a delegation of the British Group For the Study of the Juche Idea.
It was not my first time visiting the DPRK to attend keynote anniversaries; I had previously visited the DPRK for the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in September 2018 and for the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers Party of Korea in October 2015 . What I saw this time far exceeded the celebrations I witnessed in 2018 and 2015 in terms of scale and quality.
Our delegation travelled via Beijing, and arrived on the afternoon of the 7th October. Waiting to check in for the Air Koryo flight we met delegations from Brazil, Poland, Denmark, Finland. Switzerland, Bulgaria and many other countries. It is a myth that the DPRK is “isolated”. In fact not only did followers of the Juche Idea and friendship organisations make their way to Pyongyang but also high-level delegations from China, Russia,Vietnam and Laos including Party general secretaries.There were also high level delegations from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Nicaragua.The Iranian delegation got a round of applause on the plane.
Even before we landed in Pyongyang we got a flavour of the rapid development of People’s Korea – namely Air Koryo’s (the national airline of the DPRK ) in-flight catering has been upgraded and improved.The stewardess handed out boxes which contained not only the famous Air Koryo burger but biscuits and other confectionery including chocolate bars. On the way from the airport we saw whole new streets that were not there in 2019 and 2024. A block of flats near to the Koryo Hotel that was under construction in April 2024 had been completed.
Our delegation had been invited by the Korean Association of Social Scientists but was guided by Kim Kyong Chol of the Korea Association for Cultural Exchange with Foreign Countries. Kim was a keen singer and an enthusiastic person.
During our visit we visited the following; the Korean Revolution Museum, the Museum of Party Foundation, the Pyongyang Central Zoo and Natural History Museum , the Central Cadres Training School of the Workers Party of Korea ,the Great Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum , Hwasong Street at night , the Taekwondo Hall, the Juche Idea Tower and Kim Il Sung University.We were honoured guests at the National Meeting and Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance on the 9th October , at the Military Parade on the 10th October and the Public Procession and Torchlight Gala on the theme of the immortal banner of building a just and peaceful world.
It is difficult to detail all that happened and that we saw in the DPRK so I will just give a few important highlights .
Firstly , the International Seminar on the Juche Idea that was held in the People’s Palace of Culture from the 8th to the 9th October attracted participants from all over the world including the following countries; Austria , Brazil, Belarus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Switzerland and many others .
I made a speech on behalf of the British Group For the Study of the Juche Idea in which I said (in part ) the following “the Juche idea teaches the peoples of the world to build countries that are politically independent , economically self-sufficient and self-reliant in defence. Peoples’ Korea itself is a living example of the application of independence , self-sufficiency and self-defence. Whilst conflicts rage in many parts of the world, the Korean peninsula enjoys peace thanks to the nuclear deterrent of the DPRK .Today People’s Korea is a society free from division, conflict and disorder. It is an oasis of calm in a troubled world”
We attended the national meeting for the 80th founding anniversary of the WPK and the Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Long Live the Workers' Party of Korea in the May Day stadium on Rungna Island.The May Day stadium is actually the biggest stadium in the world with a seating capacity of over 150,000. It is not rotting and rusting as falsely asserted by the reptile bourgeois media but in good condition.
First we heard the speech of respected leader Kim Jong Un, the general secretary of the Workers Party of Korea. He rounded off his speech with the following words “availing myself of this opportunity, I will always cherish love for the people and not neglect my obligation of requital. I affirm my commitment to working harder to live up to their trust.
“I will surely turn this country into a more affluent and beautiful land and into the best socialist paradise in the world, with belief in the people supporting our Party and by always becoming one in mind and body with them”.
At the end of the meeting there was a rousing rendition of the Internationale by a military band and a choir. After the national meeting the mass game “Long live the Workers Party of Korea “ was held .This was a dazzling array of colour, gymnastics and songs.The famous DPRK singer Kim Ok Ju sang many of the songs. In my opinion it surpassed other DPRK mass games such as “Arirang and “Glorious Country” .
The set piece of any DPRK celebration is the military parade. I had never attended a night-time DPRK military parade before. Previously I had only attended parades during the day time.
This parade was not held under easy or ideal conditions but in the rain and wind. Other countries would not have been able to do this but People’s Korea, Korea of Juche was able to do this.The parade included the Korean People’s Army fighters who had fought for the liberation of Kursk and also new ICBM ballistic missiles. A friend from Italy said to me as the new ICBM rumbled past “that is for Washington”. At the end of the parade comrade Kim Jong Un came and waved at the crowd.To my astonishment I found myself within five metres of him. I could not believe it .
No less impressive was the Public Procession and Torchlight Gala on the 11th October in Kim Il Sung square.The sky was lit up by lasers and later fireworks.The procession was led by a float which depicted the history of the Workers Party of Korea starting with the Down With Imperialism Union. I was delighted to see modern DPRK farm tractors in the procession.
We were among the first foreigners to visit the Central Cadres Training School of the Workers Party of Korea which is situated on the outskirts of Pyongyang. It is the size of a university. Displayed at the school are the portraits of Marx and Lenin.There is also a red flag displayed in every lecture room on the instructions of Kim Jong Un who said that they must uphold the Red Flag of communism. Seeing the portraits of Marx and Lenin made me deeply realise the falsity of the ultra-leftist slanderers who assert that the DPRK had abandoned Marxism-Leninism and the communist ideal. Revisionists and ultra-leftists both criticise the DPRK from different ends of the spectrum but at the end of the day it is just finding excuses not to support the most demonised and most advanced and revolutionary socialist country, it is also doing the dirty work of the CIA for them.
We saw that Pyongyang was a blaze of light and colour at night.The imperialists are lying when they say that there is no electricity in the DPR Korea. Rather than “everyone starving”, we saw no homeless or beggars on the streets and the guide for another delegation said that people get free housing and food only costs 0.3 dollars per month. Just compare that to the UK, No comment!
Now the construction of the 4th stage of Hwasong Street is under way, I saw it with my own eyes.This rapid development is being carried out under conditions of intense sanctions by the imperialists as well as natural disasters and the DPRK’s border being closed for four years due to the global health crisis.This development is being achieved without outside help, ‘aid’ or foreign capital. It is a miracle of self-reliance and shows what a socialist country can do when it relies on its own resources and believes in itself .
I will conclude here. I would like to thank the following for their kind assistance; Kim Kyong Chol and other guides from both the Korean Association for Cultural Exchange with Foreign Countries and the Korean Association of Social Scientists, the staff of the Koryo Hotel in Pyongyang and the DPRK Embassy in London.
