Monday 15 September 2008

Meeting to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the DPRK

ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF SONGUN POLITICS UK


The Juche Idea Study Group of England and Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK
are holding a meeting to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the DPRK
on Saturday 20th of September-papers/talks on
*60 glorious years of the DPRK
*overview of the DPRK's independent development
*superiority of Juche based people centred socialism of the DPRK

please contact juche007@yahoo.co.uk or uk@korea-dpr.com for details of venue

Thursday 11 September 2008

The 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - DPRK by AUCPB

Special publication, by the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (AUCPB), September 2008 dedicated to

The 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - DPRK

“The socialist system of our country is a truly democratic system, truly providing the workers, peasants and all working people with political freedoms and rights”. KIM IL SUNG

On 9th September 1948, at the 1st Session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the formation of the DPRK was proclaimed by Kim Il Sung. Kim Il Sung – hero of the anti-Japanese struggle, the founder of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), its Great commander in chief, who led the Korean people towards the liberation of their Fatherland from the Japanese enslavement, was elected Premier of the DPRK, then Head of State (its president).

According to the constitution, the Supreme People’s Assembly is the highest organ of power in the DPRK. Between the sessions of the SPA, Central Standing Committee of the SPA continues work uninterruptedly. The present constitution of the DPRK was adopted at the I Session of the SPA of the DPRK of the fifth meeting on 27 December 1972. Afterwards, (at sessions of the SPA DPRK – 9th April 1992 and 5th September 1998), several changes and additions were introduced into it, in connection with the development of statehood and a slight change in the state structure of power, that is completely natural for a developing socialist state. The Socialist Constitution of the DPRK is called the Kim IL Sung Constitution, having judicially documenting the idea of the Great Leader about state structure and the achievements in the construction of socialism.

Chairman of the country’s National Defence Commission – Comrade Kim Jong Il is at present, the Head of State. The status of President of the country after the demise of the Great Leader, remains with Kim IL Sung and noone else has been elected to this post since. Comrade Kim Jong Il was first elected to the post of Chairman of the National Defence Commission (NDC) of the DPRK on 9th April 1993, re-elected to this high and responsible post on 3rd September 2003.

Local organs of power make up the People’s Assemblies - provincial ones (for towns and central subordination), town ones (district) and local district (county). In the period between sessions, the local organs of power consist of People’s Committees (provincial ones (for towns and central subordination), town ones (district) and local county district ones.

The system of state organs of the DPRK allows the workers, peasants, soldiers and working intelligentsia to actively participate in state affairs and in the running of the state, and the state organs of power best implement the interests of the people, ever more energetically advancing the revolution and socialist construction, strengthening the country’s defence capability.

In North Korea after the liberation of the Fatherland (15th August 1945) and the successful solution to the tasks of the anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution, in an extremely short period of time (1945 -1948) the social-economic basis of exploitation was liquidated, and the start of the transition over to socialism was laid down. New, socialist production relations were established in the DPRK, directed at the raising the prosperity of the working people – the entire people. Continual improvement in the material and cultural life of the people is the highest principle of the state and party activity in the DPRK.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a sovereign socialist state, where state (common people’s) and cooperative ownership makes up its economic base, where all members of society work, forming a united collective, in which every person helps each other and with this, high results are achieved in work.

State (common people’s) ownership prevails in industry and cooperative ownership prevails in agriculture. Cooperative ownership is one of the forms of socialist property developing in close connection with common people’s property.

Cooperative property, as a form, carrying a transitional character, according to level of further strengthening of the socialist material-technical basis of agriculture (thanks to investment of state funding) and raising the ideological level of the peasants, gradually transfers over in common people’s property.

In the DPRK, personal property also exists, which makes up a share of socialist distribution thanks to the state and society, and also products from a very small personal subsidiary economy. In the DPRK, personal property is protected by law and provides the right for it to be inherited.

In the DPRK, according to the Constitution, an 8 hour work day has been established. In separate spheres of production, 7 hour and 6 hour work days have been established. Mothers who have 3 children, work 6 hours but get paid for 8 hour work day. Citizens can start work from the age of 16. The work carried out by persons under 16, is banned. The citizens of the DPRK do not pay income tax on their wages (everyone receives so-called “pure” wages”).

The DPRK is a Socialist democratic state and provides its citizens, by the Constitution, guaranteed true rights and political freedoms. Every citizen of the DPRK who has reached 17 years old, has the right to vote and also be elected to all organs of people’s power. Every citizen has the right to freedom of speech, print, assembly, association and demonstrations, freedom of belief and of atheism.

Every citizen of the DPRK has the guaranteed right to work according to their interests and abilities, the right to housing and paid holidays, the right to free school (11 year) and higher education, the right to free health care, freedom of scientific and literary-creative activity. Veterans of the revolution, members of families of revolutionaries and patriots who have passed away, members of families of military service personnel of the Korean People’s Army, war invalids are taken special care of by the state and society.

Women have equal social standing and rights as men, and women and children are provided with special benefits by the state.

The rights and freedoms of the citizens are continuously expanding according to the level of development of socialist society.

One needs to especially take note of the attention and care taken by the state and the Worker’s Party of Korea (WPK) towards the up and coming generation. Children are surrounded by an all-common love. For them, all conditions have been created for the creative development of the individual and his or her gifts, for the preservation of their health, for the chance to participate on any sport of their desire regardless of whether or not they live in a large city or in a small village. Daycare and kindergartens are completely free for the parents. Educators with special education take care of the children. Constant control over the health of the children is carried out. Palaces and houses for children are found in every populated area. In the summertime, children spend time at pioneer camps, where they often rest together with children from other states that are friendly with the DPRK, and with this, good friendly relations between children are established – the basis of normal respectful relations of the future generation in the future world. The young generation is being educated in the DPRK in the spirit of the highest of patriotism and high morals, is growing up highly cultured and highly educated.

Despite the most brutal economic embargo imposed by the USA, practically from the moment of the formation of the DPRK, the constant ideological acts of diversion and the threat of a pre-emptive nuclear strike on part of frenzied American imperialism, the DPRK is successfully building its own socialist state, developing its own economy and strengthening its defence capability. The victory over the USA by the tiny, only just “born” DPRK in the Fatherland Liberation War bears witness to the strength of spirit of the citizens of new Korea, of their unity around their Leader with high patriotism that is stronger than the any of the latest weapons.

The state leads and runs the economy of the country which is developing in a planned way (5 year plans are being adopted which take into account all spheres of industrial and agricultural production, the development of science, technology, the people’s education, health, industrial and housing construction, etc.). The detailing of planning makes it possible to concretely take into account all the elements of production and provide for constant growth in the economy. A special role is allocated to scientific-production activity connected to the military-industrial complex that serves to strengthen the defence might of the country. This has the most important significance in the conditions of a 60-year old confrontation with the USA, constantly threatening the DPRK with a pre-emptive nuclear strike. The scientific-research work being carried out by Korean scientists, the recent creating of medium range ballistic missiles capable of reaching the territory of the United States and equipped with warheads (also designed by Korean scientists), have significantly cooled the military-adventurous dust of America, which has made it possible for the people of the DPRK under present conditions, to live and work more peacefully, advancing forward the cause of the three Korean revolutions – the ideological, technological and cultural revolutions on the path towards complete victory of socialism in the DPRK.

In the DPRK, several political parties and social organizations function. The ruling party is the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) – the party of the Great Leader Comrade Kim IL Sung, the revolutionary party of the Juche type, founded by the Great Leader on 10th October 1945. The Great leader Comrade Kim Jong IL has been unanimously elected several times over as the party’s General Secretary.

The Workers’ Party of Korea is made up of workers, peasants and intelligentsia who work in the name of the triumph of the cause of socialism and communism. The WPK has inherited glorious revolutionary traditions that were laid down in the heroic anti-Japanese struggle. The main tasks of the WPK are the achievement of continuous growth in the prosperity of the people, the strengthening of the might of the Fatherland and unifying the Korean nation.

The WPK is the political headquarters which organizes and directs the revolutionary struggle and socialist construction in the DPRK and fully answers for the destiny of the entire Korean people. The WPK today unifies in its ranks more than 3 million people (in the DPRK live more than 30 million people).

The Korean Social-Democratic Party was formed on 3rd November 1945. From the moment of its formation, the KSDP had written into its program – to recognize the leading role of the WPK and in a coalition with it, fight against the forces of imperialism and feudalism for the building of a democratic, sovereign and independent state. In the program of the KSDP, written in as the main tasks are – independence of the country and nation, implementing democracy in political life, development of the socialist economic system, greater prosperity for the people, development of national education, culture and art, and the achievement of the independent and peaceful unification of the Fatherland.

The Chondoist Chongu Party (CCP) was formed on 8th February 1946. Its Program differed little from the Program of the KSDP and, at one time, a member of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, the CCP fights for the achievement of the independent peaceful unification of the Fatherland.

The Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland (or Fatherland Front) was formed on 22 July 1946. Its main task for the members– independently of specialty, gender, religion and party membership, was to rally around the Leader (earlier, President Kim IL Sung, and nowadays – comrade Kim Jong IL) all patriotic, democratic forces in society on the basis of a worker-peasant alliance, and mobilize them into bringing to life the idea of reunification of the nation.

The General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea has more than 1.6 million members and also includes all branch trade unions. Their main task lies in the active participation in socialist construction and running the socialist economy, health and safety, and ideological-educational work among their members.

The League of Socialist Working Youth of Korea (nowadays called – the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League) was founded on 17th January 1946 and is a mass political youth organisation. As a militant youth organisation called upon to adopt the relay race of the revolution, the KYL is the trusty reserve and supporter of the WPK, and has more than 3.8 million members.

In the DPRK, function the North Korean Federation of the Peasants’ Associations (1.3 million members), the Democratic Women’s Union of North Korea (more than 200 thousand members), and also several organisations that place emphasis on their activity on several questions such as – the peaceful unification of the Fatherland, cultivation ties abroad, the struggle in defence of peace, solidarity with the peoples of the world for independence, self-reliance and against imperialism. The Korea Christian Federation, the Korean Buddhist Federation and other social political organisations also function in Korea. All of them in their work are helping to solve questions on one thing or another in Korean society, unifying all the citizens around the policies of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

Korean citizens abroad (those who in the period of colonial rule by Japanese imperialism were forcibly driven from their homes and into Japan under the pretext of work or military duty, or were compelled to travel abroad in search for a means of existence) according to the Law citizenship, have the status of citizen of the DPRK and at any time may be repatriated to the DPRK. Since the end of 1959, more than 150 thousand Koreans have been repatriated to the DPRK from Japan. President Kim Il Sung created an aid fund in Japan, to help with education and grants for Koreans living in this country. Presently, in Japan the Association for Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryong), which unifies more than 700 thousand members.

“Chongryong” has a good publishing base and supplies its own products in various languages to more than 150 countries of the world.

Socialist Korea has wide international political contacts and diplomatic representation in the vast majority of countries of the world. The international authority of the DPRK has especially grown in the last 15 years thanks to the irreconcilable firmness of the political line and self-reliance of the DPRK foreign policy. The DPRK is a member of many international and Worldwide organisations. The International Institute for the study of the Juche Idea (head-quarters in Tokyo) has Regional Institutes that are functioning in the countries of Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa.

The DPRK for the past 60 years has passed along a very difficult and glorious path of defending its independence and self-reliance despite the hostile policy of the USA and its satellites.

Today, the DPRK is a highly developed industrial power, in possession of a nuclear weapon as the only real present restraining factor in providing a reliable defence capability for the country, in conditions of a deepening system crisis of imperialism on the whole, and the recession in the USA.

The Songun (Army first) policy implemented by the WPK makes it possible to find solutions to the most complex of tasks, which others would think impossible. The Songun policy means unity of the Army and people and that the revolution will triumph only with the presence of weapons. Songun politics, the basis of which was worked out by the Great Leader in the period of the anti-Japanese struggle, officially become the country’s state policy in January 1997. This policy provided not only the indestructible unity of society, but also the triumphant construction of socialism in extremely difficult for the DPRK foreign policy conditions. The Army watchfully stands guard on its native borders, constantly updating and modernizing its professional skills and introducing and mastering new types of weapons, as a threatening warning to any possible aggressor. The Korean People’s Army also takes an active part in socialist construction in the towns as well as in the countryside.

In Socialist Korea, a very respectful and extremely careful attitude dominates in relation to their cultural and national treasure and their own history. There are many museums and exhibitions of various themes. In the DPRK many beautiful memorials to the present epoch have been built and continue to be built – memorials for the future generations about the arduous struggle for the liberation of the country and the establishment of a new social-political system – socialism.

Korea is a wonderful country of “morning calm”, rich with surprisingly rare species of animals and plants together with beautiful and charming landscapes, blindingly wonderful waterfalls and wonderful views around the mountain peaks. Koreans love their country and carefully look after its beauty and are preserving it for the future generations. The beauty of the nature of the DPRK, the grandiose successes in socialist construction, attract many tourists to the DPRK.

Koreans live friendly, not just work, but also know how to rest well, singing their song “We do not envy anyone”.

Congratulating the heroic Korean people on the 60th Anniversary since the founding of the DPRK, we sincerely wish them further new successes in all spheres of various activity on the path towards a prosperous and powerful socialist power of a united Korean nation.

We congratulate on this famous date, the outstanding state and political activist of the modern epoch, the banner carrier of the struggle against imperialism in North East Asia, the worthy continuer of the cause of the Great Leader Comrade Kim IL Sung – the Great Kim Jong IL, and wish him new victories over American imperialism in the struggle for the cause of Socialism, for PEACE across the whole world, for INDEPENDENCE and SELF-RELIANCE of all peoples, who have chosen their own historical path of development.

Further information on the DPRK, its Constitution and the daily struggle against American imperialism, about the successes in socialist construction and our support of the policies in the DPRK, can be read on the website of the AUCPB http://www.vkpb.ru in the section- “Inside the countries of socialism” DPRK http://www.vkpb.ru (В странах социализма», КНДР.)

Friday 5 September 2008

60th anniversary of DPRK-The DPRK Represents Genuine People’s Power and Is a Banner of the Unity and Solidarity of the Masses

Kim Il Sung

The DPRK Represents Genuine People’s Power and Is a Banner of the Unity and Solidarity of the Masses

A Speech at a Banquet to Celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Foundation of the DPRK

September 9, 1983

Dear comrades,

Esteemed foreign guests,

Today we are holding grand celebrations for the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with feelings of great national pride and amidst the warm wishes of the world’s people, at a time when the whole country is boiling with high revolutionary enthusiasm.

On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the DPRK, the glorious motherland of our people, allow me to offer my heartfelt congratulations to our heroic working class, cooperative farmers, valiant officers and men of the People’s Army and the Peo­ple’s Security Forces, working intellectuals and all the rest of the peo­ple who, under the unfurled banner of the Juche idea, have struggled with complete devotion for the prosperity and development of the country and for the victory of our revolution.

I would like also to extend militant greetings to the patriots, young people, students and all the other people in south Korea who, in the face of the harsh repression and persecution by the US imperialists and their stooges, are fighting courageously for national sovereignty, democracy and the reunification of the country, under the slogan of independence against America and democracy against fascism.

On this significant national holiday my warm greetings go also to the 700,000 Koreans in Japan and to all our other overseas compatri­ots who, with a sense of honour and pride in being citizens of the Republic, are struggling vigorously for the prosperity and progress of the nation and the independent and peaceful reunification of the country.

On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the DPRK, high-ranking leaders, party and government delegations, del­egates from friendship organizations and prominent figures from many lands have come to our country with feelings of deep friend­ship and are warmly congratulating our people. Allow me to express a warm welcome and my deep gratitude to the members of delega­tions from various countries and to all our foreign guests for coming to our country to join us in celebrating our national holiday.

Comrades,

The DPRK is our great revolutionary achievement.

Through a long and arduous revolutionary struggle the genuine communists and patriots of Korea achieved the historic cause of national liberation and established the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in their freed country.

With the establishment of the Republic our people, for the first time in their history, became a dignified people able independently to hew out their destiny as the true masters of the state and society, and our country appeared in the international arena with pride as a fully-fledged independent and sovereign state.

For the last 35 years the DPRK has followed a proud path resplen­dent with victories and glories and made tremendous achievements which will go down in our nation’s history.

Under the correct leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea the Government of the Republic carried out the socialist revolution and set up in our country the most superior of socialist systems free from exploitation and oppression and, by forcefully stepping up socialist construction, converted our country into a powerful socialist state with a solid independent national economy, brilliant national culture and self-reliant defence.

The DPRK is a cradle of happiness for our people.

Today, in the embrace of the Republic, our people are fully guar­anteed all political rights and freedoms and enjoy blissful material and cultural lives. Under the socialist system of the Republic the workers, farmers and all the rest of the people participate freely in state and social activities enjoying equal rights and they all live hap­pily without any worries or cares. From the very moment of their birth all our people without exception are guaranteed by the state and society the right to adequate food, clothing and housing and, thanks to universal compulsory free education and free medical care in our country, they have the full opportunity to learn and receive medical treatment without paying a penny. Our people’s material and cultural standards have now reached a very high level, and the communist ideal is already blossoming into reality in different spheres here.

We are justified in taking great pride in the fact that, under the banner of the Republic, we have, in the past 35 years, brought about the greatest transformation of the century that is without precedent in our nation’s history and built up the independent socialist country, the people’s land of bliss, that we see in our beautiful country today.

The DPRK represents genuine people’s power and is a banner of the unity and solidarity of the masses.

The Government of the Republic has served the people faithfully, regarding the protection of their interests as the basic principle guid­ing its activities. It has carried out all its policies to meet the will and demands of the people and has striven to guarantee a happy life for them. For its devoted service to them the Government of the Repub­lic enjoys the unreserved support and confidence of all the Korean people today.

Our people have always loved the Republic dearly and actively supported and defended it; they have devoted their all to the struggle for the Republic. Through their own experience our people have become fully convinced that the state power of the Republic represents genuine people’s power fighting for the interests of the popular masses and that only when the Republic is firmly safeguarded and constantly strengthened and developed can they enjoy a happy life and eternal prosperity. Today our people entrust their destiny entirely to our Party and the Government of the Republic and are solidly unit­ed with one idea and will around them.

The state power of the Republic serves the people and the people support the Republic, the Party, the Government and the people are inseparably united with one idea and purpose. This is the source of our invincibility and the sure guarantee for all our victories.

The DPRK is now enjoying great prosperity.

The political, economic and military might of our Republic is greater than ever before and the socialist construction of the country is progressing at a rapid pace. The whole country is now seething with the gigantic labour efforts of the working people to attain the ten long-term objectives of socialist economic construction put forward by our Party at its Sixth Congress. All the working people are work­ing hard to reclaim 300,000 hectares of tideland, construct the Nampho Barrage (now the West Sea Barrage—Tr.) and complete other challenging nature-harnessing projects to renew the nation’s look; in all the spheres of the national economy they are undertaking large-scale construction works to expand production capacity on a huge scale and conducting a powerful mass campaign to increase output radically.

In full support of the decision of the historic Hamhung Plenary Meeting of the Party Central Committee, the builders of Komdok, displaying boundless loyalty to the Party and the revolution, miracu­lously completed in only one year the enormous project to create an ore-dressing capacity of 10 million tons. With the construction of the huge ore-dressing plant at the Komdok General Mining Enterprise, one of the nation’s leading centres for producing nonferrous minerals, a breakthrough was made for hitting the production target of 1.5 mil­lion tons of nonferrous metals and radical changes were brought about in many fields of economic construction.

Thanks to the correct leadership of our Party and the Government of the Republic and the heroic struggle of the working people, the “speed of the 80s”, an amazing new speed of socialist construction, is being created everywhere in the country and clear prospects have been opened up before us now for the successful achievement of the ten long-term goals of socialist economic construction.

On this auspicious national holiday, I would like to extend my warm thanks to the heroic builders of Komdok who were forerunners in the effort to create the “speed of the 80s” and to all the rest of the working people throughout the country who are performing brilliant labour feats on every front of socialist construction.

We should continue to accelerate socialist construction without ever slackening our present high rate and so increase the might of the Republic and achieve the eternal prosperity of the nation.

The Government of the Republic should hold the Juche idea as its invariable guiding principle and firmly adhere to independent and creative stands in state activities; it should also dynamically conduct the ideological, technical and cultural revolutions to hasten the com­plete victory of socialism and accomplish the historic cause of mod­elling the whole society on the Juche idea.

The most important task facing us for the present in socialist eco­nomic construction to model the whole society on the Juche idea is to fulfil the Second Seven-Year Plan and reach the ten long-term objec­tives of socialist economic construction for the 1980s.

It is only when these objectives, proposed at the Sixth Party Congress, have been attained that we will be able to consolidate the material and technical foundations of the country and radically improve the people’s material and cultural standards, and thus open up a broad avenue for the complete victory of socialism.

In reaching these ten long-term objectives we should give priority to the efforts to provide enough food and clothing, the most important and urgent problems in the life of the people.

Our Party and the Government of the Republic are strongly resolved to enforce a communist policy first with regard to these matters. We should forcefully push ahead with the magnificent projects to transform nature, including the reclamation of 300,000 hectares of tideland, implement the decision of the Seventh Plenary Meeting of the Sixth Party Central Committee to attain the annual production goals of 15 million tons of grain and 1,500 million metres of fabrics ahead of schedule, and exert great efforts to develop the fishing industry to hit the target of 5 million tons of marine products annual­ly.

By doing so we will be able to meet in full the people’s great demands for food and clothing at the earliest possible date.

In order decisively to reinforce the material and technical founda­tions of socialism and rapidly to develop all the branches of the national economy, fresh innovations should be made in the key indus­tries.

The key industries, such as the mining, power and metal indus­tries, must significantly increase production capacity at existing fac­tories and enterprises, modernize equipment and build many more factories and enterprises, so as to reach the production goals set for coal, electric power, steel, nonferrous metals, cement and chemical fertilizers.

The effort to reach the ten long-term objectives of socialist eco­nomic construction is an honourable and worthwhile struggle to reach new heights of socialist construction by stepping up economic con­struction at an extremely high speed.

All Party members and working people should arm themselves with the Juche idea and give full play to the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and strenuous effort, continue the vigorous struggle to create the “speed of the 80s”, and so bring about a fresh upswing on all fronts of socialist construction.

To match the high spirits of the working people, all leading offi­cials should be bold in planning operations for economic construction and command them skilfully, and meticulously organize economic work so that the tremendous tasks of economic construction can be carried out satisfactorily.

Strengthening the state power of the Republic, a powerful weapon of the revolution and construction, and enhancing its function and role is an important guarantee for the accomplishment of the cause of modelling the whole society on the Juche idea.

The Government of the Republic should apply the Juche idea to the letter in state activities, properly implement democracy, continue to improve the work method and style of government officials, and so fulfil its mission and role as a weapon of the revolution and the ser­vant of the people. All the people should ardently love and positively defend the state power of the Republic and fight devotedly to strengthen and develop it.

Comrades,

The DPRK was founded by the general will of the north and south Korean people; it is a political power that fights for the interests of the entire Korean nation.

In the 35 years since its foundation, our Republic has struggled energetically for the prosperity and progress of the nation and the reunification of the country. But we have as yet failed to achieve reunification, the long-cherished desire of the nation, because of the colonial enslavement policy of the US imperialists occupying south Korea and their manoeuvres to divide the nation. The US imperialists have trampled upon the sacred right of our people to self-determina­tion and made south Korea their colony and a military base of aggres­sion. They persist in their scheme to perpetuate the division of our country by fabricating “two Koreas”.

Preventing the permanent partition of the nation and reunifying the country is the most urgent, the noble and the supreme task facing the Government of our Republic and all the Korean people.

Our country must be reunified on the three principles of indepen­dence, peaceful reunification and great national unity set out in the historic North-South Joint Statement, principles which reflect the unanimous will and desire of the Korean people.

In order to achieve national reunification in an independent and peaceful way, it is necessary to put an end to the military occupation of south Korea by US imperialism and its colonial rule, realize the independence of Korean nation and ease the tension being created in our country by the activities of the US imperialists and their stooges to unleash another war. It is also necessary to end the fascist policy of repressing the south Korean people and the anti-communist rackets aimed at antagonizing people of the same blood, and to make south Korean society democratic, so that practical conditions will be creat­ed for national reconciliation and unity.

The most reasonable way to reunify the country on the three prin­ciples of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity is to form a federation of the north and south.

At its Sixth Congress the Workers’ Party of Korea made the his­toric proposal to reunify the country by establishing the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo, a federal state covering the whole territory of Korea. This proposal envisages the north and south retain­ing their ideologies and systems as they are and, on this basis, establishing a supreme national federal assembly and a federal standing committee, its permanent body, in which both sides are rep­resented on an equal footing and under which they exercise regional autonomy.

It would be reasonable that, as the unified government of the con-federal state, the supreme national Federal assembly and the con-federal standing committee elect their respective co-chairmen, one from the north and one from the south, who will run these bodies alternately.

We firmly believe that the proposal to establish the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo is a most fair and realistic one which can bring about national reunification in an independent and peaceful way in the present situation in our country and, therefore, we main­tain that Korea must be reunified according to this proposal as early as practicable.

If national reunification is achieved through the establishment of the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo, our people will real­ize their earnest desire for national reunion, achieve the coordinated development of the country and the prosperity of the nation, and demonstrate externally their dignity and grandeur as a single, unified nation.

All the Korean people aspire for reunification and the DPRK Gov­ernment will do all it can to achieve the genuine unity of the entire Korean nation and set up the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo.

Comrades,

The DPRK is an independent and peace-loving non-aligned coun­try.

The DPRK Government has invariably pursued an independent and peace-loving foreign policy and has striven to strengthen friend­ship and solidarity among the world’s progressive people who advo­cate independence. Today our Republic, as a dignified, independent and sovereign state, is making an active contribution in the interna­tional arena to humanity’s noble common cause of making the whole world independent and has numerous supporters and close friends in every continent and all parts of the world. Never, indeed, in our nation’s history of 5,000 years has our country exalted the dignity and honour of the Korean nation before the whole world, enjoying such high international authority and great influence, as today. This is a source of great pride and honour for our people.

Our people’s revolutionary cause is advancing with the active sup­port and encouragement of the world’s progressive people. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my warm thanks and greetings to the governments, political parties and social organizations of the socialist, non-aligned and many other countries, and to the interna­tional democratic organizations, world organizations and the progres­sive people throughout the world that actively support and encourage our people in their struggle for socialist construction and national reunification.

A fierce struggle is now going on in the international arena between the anti-imperialist forces of independence and the forces of imperialism and domination, and in this struggle the desire of the world’s people to advance along the road to independence is growing with each passing day. The situation in the world is extremely strained and complicated due to the US and other imperialists’ moves for aggression and war, but the march of history is continuing vigor­ously towards independence.

Realizing global independence is the common aspiration and noble fighting task of the world’s progressive people.

The peoples of all countries should join the powerful stream of the times towards independence and against imperialism, strongly com­bat imperialism and domination, reject all forms of foreign interfer­ence, and hold fast to their independence. In this way they will realize independence throughout the world.

An important task at the moment in the struggle for global inde­pendence is for the non-aligned and all other developing countries to effect South-South cooperation to achieve their economic self-reliance and consolidate their national independence.

The developing countries can completely throw off the shackles of neocolonialism and consolidate their national independence only when they have built strong independent national economies. In order to build such economies they should conduct exchange and cooperate with each other on the principle of collective self-reliance.

The imperialists and the developed Western countries will not present them with a new international economic order or self-reliant economies on a plate. The developing countries should not expect favours of others and pin their hopes on the so-called “South-North cooperation”; they should believe in their own strength and strive to realize South-South cooperation. If they realize South-South cooperation successfully in accordance with the noble idea of independence and the principle of mutual aid, they will be able to build independent national economies by their own efforts, become rich, strong and developed and bring prosperity to their peoples.

As in the past, so also in the future, the DPRK will, under the ban­ner of independence, friendship and peace, strive to oppose imperial­ism, defend world peace and security and promote friendly and cooperative relations among the peoples of the socialist, non-aligned and all other countries in the world.

The Government of the Republic strongly supports the Asian, African, Latin-American and all other peoples who fight against the imperialists’ aggressive and war-like actions and for peace, national independence and the building of new societies, and expresses its firm solidarity with the working classes and peoples in the capitalist countries battling against oppression and exploitation by capital.

The Government of the Republic and the Korean people will con­tinue to fight staunchly for global independence in close unity with the people of the world who advocate independence.

The 35 years of the DPRK is a history of great change and cre­ation, a proud history of victory.

Our Republic has a brighter future before it, and all our people are alive with renewed fighting spirit and firm confidence. Our people will always be victorious in their struggle for a just cause under the correct leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

Let all of us march forward boldly towards the prosperity and development of the DPRK and the final triumph of our revolution, under the unfurled revolutionary banner of the Juche idea, closely united behind the Party Central Committee and the Government of the Republic.

Comrades and friends,

Availing myself of the opportunity presented by this significant occasion when the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the DPRK is being celebrated, I propose a toast:

To the independent and peaceful reunification of the country and the lasting prosperity of our Republic,

To the health of the esteemed high-ranking leaders, the members of party and government delegations and all the guests from various countries visiting us to congratulate us on our national holiday, as well as the diplomatic envoys here,

To the health of our revolutionary veterans and leading officials who have fought with complete devotion for the independence and sovereignty of the country and the happiness of the people,

To the health of our heroic working class, cooperative farmers and working intellectuals, who are distinguishing themselves on all fronts of socialist construction,

To the health of the valiant officers and men of our People’s Army and People’s Security Forces and the public security personnel, who are firmly safeguarding the security of the Republic and our revolu­tionary achievements,

To the health of the members of the congratulatory group from the Revolutionary Party for Reunification who are with us here now to celebrate our national holiday, and of all other south Korean revolu­tionaries and patriots,

To the health of the members of the congratulatory group of the Koreans in Japan and many other congratulatory groups of overseas Koreans who are on a visit to their socialist homeland, and of all our fellow countrymen abroad, and

To the health of all our comrades and friends present here.

Thursday 4 September 2008

Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the DPRK!

Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the DPRK!

You are warmly invited to a meeting and social to mark this important anniversary, and to celebrate the achievements of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The 60th anniversary, on September 9, is a significant landmark for the progressive forces worldwide. All welcome to attend.

Lucas Arms, 245a Gray’s Inn Road, WC1X

(Just a few minutes’ walk from London King’s Cross)

Sunday, 7 September 2008, 3.00pm - 6.00pm

Speakers: Michael Chant and John McLeod from Friends of Korea.
Guest speaker: Jang Song Chol, 3rd Secretary, DPRK Embassy, London.
Followed by buffet and live cultural programme.