Day of the Shining Star in London

Michael Chant speaking

by New Worker correspondent

People battled their way through Storm Dennis to celebrate the Day of the Shining Star at a meeting in central London last weekend, organised by Korean Friendship Association (KFA) and the Friends of Korea (FoK) committee.

KFA Chair Dermot Hudson introduced the meeting, stressing the importance of the Day of the Shining Star and increasing solidarity with People's Korea. FoK Secretary Michael Chant, General Secretary of the RCPB-ML, spoke about the injustice of the sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), stressing the fact the UK is still maintaining the European Union (EU) sanctions against the DPRK despite leaving the EU!

A contribution from the DPRK’s London Embassy was read out. Part of it read: “February 16 is the birthday of Kim Jong Il, eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. When the day comes round every year, many people of the world recall him with deep emotion.

“Kim Jong Il devoted his whole life for the cause of global peace. He led the struggle to build a new world free from aggression and war upholding the banner of anti-imperialist independence.”

For peace in Korea!

Michael Chant speaking

By New Worker correspondent

Korean solidarity activists returned to the Marchmont Centre in central London last weekend to hear a Democratic Korean diplomat talk about the current situation on the Korean peninsula, at a joint meeting organised by the Korean Friendship Association (KFA) and the Friends of Korea committee.

     Chaired by NCP leader Andy Brooks, a panel of speakers including Michael Chant of the RCPB (ML), Dermot Hudson from the KFA and Kim Song Gi from the London embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea  (DPRK) spoke about a renewed Korean crisis following the failure of US imperialism to follow up commitments made at the 2018 summit between the US and DPRK leaders in Singapore and the follow-up summit in Vietnam earlier in the year.

Following the historic developments for peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula that took place in 2018, which showed the genuine desire of the DPRK and the Korean people to consign the hostility of the USA and the DPRK to history, the USA is still refusing to fulfil its commitments following the principle of action for action. The promise of the summits between President Trump and Democratic Korean leader Kim Jong Un is therefore not being fulfilled.

At a time when the 29 NATO partners are meeting in London to attempt to revitalise this aggressive alliance, and President Trump himself will be in Britain facing the opposition of the British people, it is vitally important to support the right of the Korean people to self-determination, independence and peace. The meeting called on all Korean solidarity campaigners to strengthen the solidarity of the people’s movements in Britain with the DPRK.

Prospects for peace in Korea

by New Worker correspondent

Michael Chant speaks

Comrades gathered at the Marx Memorial Library on 1st July in solidarity with Democratic Korea at a meeting organised by the Friends of Korea committee. Their main priority was to assess the prospects for peace on the Korean peninsula in the wake of the historic Singapore summit between Democratic Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US president Donald Trump.

Michael Chant of the RCPB(ML) opened the meeting, saying that the new relations between the USA and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) were most welcome and “have vindicated the stand of the DPRK in maintaining the peace, and show the strength of the nationhood of the Korean people”.

Up to now “the default position has been the use of violence by the USA and NATO in attempting to control the world and establish hegemony,” based on “nuclear blackmail, that only some must have nuclear weapons.”

Chant expressed the hope “that the 65th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement on July 27 1953 might be the occasion for the signing of a peace treaty!”.

Dermot Hudson, representing the Korean Friendship Association (KFA), said that he had been told by Alejandro Cao de Benós, president of the KFA, that US diplomats had approached DPRK embassies in many countries “begging for talks”, after 12 rounds of US sanctions, including those on second countries, “had achieved nothing and become a joke”.

But he warned that there were many enemies of the peace talks in the USA and danger that the USA could well introduce new demands to the talks, such as ending the DPRK’s civil nuclear power programme. Calling for a stepping up of actions in Britain to defend Democratic Korea and the Juche system, Hudson called the Singapore summit “a great victory for Democratic Korea and the astute tactics of Marshal Kim Jong Un”.

Theo Russell from the New Communist Party (NCP) pointed out that the current peace process had begun with Kim Jong Un’s call for the DPRK to take part in the Winter Olympics, where exchanges took place leading to the inter-Korean summits.

He said that in the past the USA had achieved peace deals with the Soviet Union, Vietnam and Cuba, the cancellation of the Iran agreement showed Trump’s unreliability and that he is a maverick, and that clear divisions within US ruling class meant that there was a strong chance of failure to agree a deal.

But he added that “everyone in this room would dearly love to see an agreement establishing peaceful relations between the USA and DPRK, and all the positive developments coming out of that for the people of Korea”.

Speaking for the Socialist Labour Party (SLP), John Tyrell said he was proud that through the efforts of a few people SLP members understand the need to support the DPRK and for the re-unification of Korea.

He said that the DPRK had learned the lessons of countries like Libya and Iraq, which were crushed after agreeing to disarm, but that if genuine peace and equal relations could be established between the DPRK and the USA it would be a major step for world peace.

The meeting ended by adopting a message of congratulations to Kim Jong Un, to the people of the DPRK and to the whole Korean people, on the historic successes achieved in safeguarding peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.

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.

A great communist leader

by New Worker correspondent

Michael Chant speaking with Andy Brooks and Dermot Hudson

COMRADES and friends met at the John Buckle Centre in south London last week to mark the 23rd anniversary of the passing of President Kim Il Sung on 8^th July  1994 and to discuss the tense situation on the Korean peninsula following the recent American  threats to launch a pre-emptive strike against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Kim Il Sung and the communist movement he inspired began the Korean people’s struggle against Japanese colonial rule in the 1920s that ended in victory in 1945. Kim Il Sung went on to lead the Korean people to another great victory against a foreign invader when the American imperialists and their lackeys attacked the people’s government in the north in 1950.

All the speakers, which included Song Gi Kim from the Democratic Korean embassy in London, Michael Chant from the RCPB (ML), Dermot Hudson from the Korean Friendship Association and New Communist Party leader Andy Brooks, paid tribute the achievements of the great Korean leader and the Workers Party of Korea that he led until his death in 1994.  After questions and discussion the meeting ended but discussion continued over drinks at the John Buckle Centre.

The Co-ordinating Committee of the Friends of Korea brings together all the major movements active in Korean friendship and solidarity work in Britain today. It is chaired by Andy Brooks and the secretary is Michael Chant. The committee organises meetings throughout the year, which are publicised by the supporting movements and on the Friends of Korea website.