A JOURNEY TO THE COUNTRY OF THE SUN
by Shaun Pickford (part 3)
Without any exaggeration I would say that the highpoint of my 2012
trip was being present at the military parade on Kim II Sung square. I
have in the past watched DPRK military parades on DVD and on you tube,
but nothing could have prepared me for this spectacular event. I was
lucky to have a grandstand view of the march past by the Korean Peoples
Army and the Worker-Peasant Red Guards, along with the other invited
guests.
At 10.00am the parade started with the flags of the Immortal
President and of the Eternal General Secretary being carried aloft on
two limousines. Marching past the tribune in absolute order were columns
representing the fighters from the periods of the Anti-Japanese armed
struggle and of the Fatherland Liberation War ( the Korean war 1950-53).
I was informed that there were columns from the Kim II Sung Military
University, the Kim II Sung Political University, the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su
105 Tank Division and other Korean Peoples Army divisions and
institutes.
Demonstrating that the defence of the Korean revolution is the duty
of the working masses, the Worker-Peasant Red Guards and the Young Red
Guards went past the podium. The Worker-Peasant Red Guards are a
voluntary militia force made up of the working class, the peasantry and
the intelligentsia of the DPRK. It was reassuring to see that the
working class of Korea was fully armed and ready to uphold the
revolutionary gains of Juche-based socialism.
The second half of the parade consisted of armoured columns. Kim II
Sung Square was shaken by the weight of the tanks and armoured
vehicles. Viewing the missiles of various types, particularly the
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, was an extremely awesome sight
indeed. The Korean Revolution which began with two pistols, has due to
the Songun Political Leadership, now possesses state of the art weaponry
such as nuclear weapons and precision guided missiles. US imperialism's
bellicose behaviour will no longer work with the Democratic Peoples
Republic of Korea. The Korean Peoples Army has both the means and the
will to deliver devastating blows to the centres of aggression and of
oppression on the planet, if the DPRK is attacked by the imperialists.
Two novel features of the parade was the cavalry section, with the
horse riders dressed in winter combat uniforms. The other aspect to the
parade which was special, was the three MIG 29s of the Korean Peoples
Air Force, performing daring manoeuvres over the Kim II Sung Square. The
KPA aircrafts' feats over the skies of Pyongyang on the morning of
April 15th, were on a par with the professionalism with the fame British
aerobatic display team "The Red Arrows" and in many ways exceeded their
UK counterparts in their ability.
Like a bolt from the blue, KIM JONG UN, who was there at the
military parade, gave a speech to mark the Day of the Sun. The moment
KIM JONG UN spoke to the assembled guests and participants, his voice
displayed a great deal of maturity and strength. KIM JONG UN stated in
his April 15th speech "The military and technical superiority is no
longer a monopoly of the imperialists and gone are the days when the
enemies could threaten and blackmail the DPRK with atom bombs". The
Supreme Leader of the DPRK stressed "The final victory of the Korean
revolution lie in advancing straight along the road of independence, the
road of Songun and the path of socialism indicted by KIM IL SUNG and
KIM JONG IL". The April 15th speech of KIM JONG UN was the ultimate
tribute to the exploits of KIM IL SUNG and of KIM JONG IL.
After the parade was over, KIM JONG UN came over to the spectators.
There was a flurry of immense excitement, when the Leader came to the
balcony of the reviewing platform, and waved in the direction of the
foreign guests were standing. I would say that it was very much the
pinnacle of my visit to the DPRK was to have seen KIM JONG UN so close
up. KIM JONG UN carried himself with so much grace and dignity. I will
always remember the sparkling smile of KIM JONG UN, it was like the
midday sun.
KIM JONG UN comes across as a leader very much in touch with the
aspirations of the Korean people. KIM JONG UN is constantly delivering
on the spot guidance to various sectors up and down the DPRK. I recall
seeing KIM JONG UN four times at different state celebrations. While I
was in the DPRK, KIM JONG UN was elected the First Secretary of the
Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea at the 4th Conference
of the WPK and was made the First Chairman of the National Defence
Commission of the DPRK at the April 2012 session of the Supreme Peoples
Assembly of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. KIM JONG UN is an
dynamic young leader who is defending and advancing the revolutionary
legacy of KIM IL SUNG and of KIM JONG IL, and who will bring socialist
prosperity to the DPRK.
In Britain we have fireworks' displays on November 5th every year
to mark Guy Fawkes Night, but on the Taedong River on the evening of the
April 15th 2012 I was thrilled to see an extravaganza beyond my
imagination. The night sky of Pyongyang was turned into daylight with
the massive firework display. Central Pyongyang became the backdrop to a
fireworks show which excellently coordinated music with kaleidoscopic
colourful images. The firework display on the evening of April
15th entitled "Sun's Korea Will Prosper Forever!" was a festival of
sensations, particularly for the eye.
Another evening function was the grand soiree of the youth and
students on Kim II Sung Square. Pyongyang's main square was transformed
into a gigantic ballroom for the night. Thousands of Kim II Sung
Socialist Youth League members were gathered for the evening gala and
performance in celebration of the centenary of the President. When the
musical presentation was over, I was ushered over to take part in the
mass dancing of the Korean young people to the tunes of the popular DPRK
music groups, Pochonbo and Wangdaesan. I was able to dance the night
away with a Korean girl dressed in national costume. Korean dancing
appears to be of a synchronized nature, people danced as a collective
unit and not as isolated individuals. In the DPRK this method of dancing
is known as dance notation. Admittedly I found alot of the dance moves
very complex and fasting moving for me to keep up with my dancing
partner and with the main body of dancers. I definitely
would not qualify for the DPRK version of the TV programme "Strictly
Come Dancing". Having said that, I felt that I had a very pleasurable
experience dancing outdoors, while the nocturnal sky of Pyongyang was
lit up by thousands of fireworks.
One tune which I danced to, was the song "Footsteps". "Footsteps"
has become the most well liked song recently in the DPRK. It is a song
which is intimately associated with the leadership of KIM JONG UN, who
is faithfully following the footsteps of the preceding revolutionary
generations on the road to triumph. This song ,has without a doubt,a
memorable melody and lyrics.
I was glad that the Kimilsungia exhibition centre was included on
the itinerary. The two storey exhibition hall was ab-lazed with the
colour of the Kimilsungia flowers. The Kimilsungia flower was cultivated
by an Indonesian botanist and was given to KIM IL SUNG and the Korean
people as a token of the highest esteem of the people of Indonesia in
1964. The Kimilsungias were arranged alongside of models and
reconstructions of revolutionary sites and socialist construction
projects such as Mangyongdae and the DPRK made satellite
"Kwangmyongsong". These models were very detailed and aesthetically
pleasing. Strolling among the exhibits of the Kimilsungia flower show, I
saw hundreds of Korean and foreign visitors, including large groups of
the Korean Peoples Army servicemen and servicewomen. The flowers
Kimilsungia and Kimjongilia are loved by the Korean people because they
symbolized the two great leaders of all ages and nations with their
radiant
colours.
To round off the series of commemorative events, the delegation
went to see the gala performance "We will live Forever, Holding the
Leader in High Esteem",held at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on April
16th. I had the impression that the performance was a joint one, by the
re-owned Manusdae Art Troupe and the Korean Peoples Army Merited Chorus.
As Well as famous Korean artistes performing, there were guest stars
from the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army,
the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory and the Cuban female
musicians' group Anakona. Stirring renditions of the Korean songs
"Nostalgia", "General KIM IL SUNG Is Our Sun" and "Long Live The Juche
Idea" were given during the performance, among many other beautiful
numbers. The contribution of all these famous musical art troupes helped
to create an atmosphere within the confines of the Pyongyang Indoor
Stadium similar to a melodic and visual paradise. This gala
performance chronicled brilliantly the biographies and revolutionary
activities of KIM IL SUNG and of KIM JONG IL, using synchronization
between images and music. Juche Art can be considered the summit of
human creative abilities.
Our delegation was proud to had the Chairman of the Group of the
Juche Idea of Britain awarded the DPRK Order of Friendship by Kim Yong
Nam, the President of the Presidium of the Supreme Peoples Assembly of
the DPRK at the Mansudae Assembly Hall. I saw the conferring of this
order to the Study Group's Chairman as a recognition of the
accomplishments of the group's membership to advance the Juche Idea in
the tough conditions of a imperialist society such as Britain. I shall
treasure the moment when I received the portrait badge with the
beaming depiction of KIM JONG IL. I shall cherish the portrait badge as
one of my precious objects.
The April 2012 trip to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea was
made possible due to the endeavours of the Korean Association of Social
Scientists and of the DPRK Embassy in London and of course to the
Beijing representative of the Korea Publications Export and Import
corporation, to which I am indebted. I would also like to express my
appreciation to the hard work by Professor Li who acted as our guide.
During the World Juche Congress, the young women students of Kim Il Sung
University provided an invaluable service as translators and
assistants.
I will along with my fellow study group and UK KFA members, will
work to encourage a better understanding of the DPRK among the British
public opinion, overcoming the distortions and prejudice perpetrated by
the bourgeois media. Every person who defines themselves as a socialist,
an anti-imperialist and a peace campaigner should rally around Juche
Korea as a beacon of peace and social justice, and support the Korean
people's struggle for independent reunification.
In April 2012 I was able to witness the Korean people constructing a
society in conformity with their independent desires. The DPRK is a
nation which is not enslaved to the multi-national corporations, the IMF
and the Word Bank. Everything in the DPRK, social relations and social
wealth, is run for and by the Korean people for their own
benefit. Peoples Korea is an example of self-reliant development to the
rest of the global south and is an model of authentic socialism to the
working people of all lands.I would say that the DPRK is the world's
foremost anti-imperialist nation.
The sad demise of the Great Leader Comrade KIM JONG IL left the
Korean people in deep anguish and the world progressives in shock. Under
the leadership of KIM JONG UN, the people of Songun Korea have turned
sorrow and pain into great resolve and determination. The socialist
cause of Juche will not be diluted with calls for "opening", "reforms"
and "market economics". The April 2012 celebrations for the centenary of
President KIM IL SUNG has gone down in human history as a landmark
event. With the guidance of the Dear Respected Comrade KIM JONG UN, I am
convinced that the heroic and revolutionary Korean people will achieve
absolute victory in the building of socialism and communism, and that
Korea will be reunified independently.
(Shaun Pickford is the Secretary General of the Group For The
Study of the Juche Idea of Britain, he is currently head of the Stoke On
Trent Branch of the Study Group & of the Staffordshire Branch of
UKKFA; Shaun Pickford has visited the DPRK fives times)
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