Report of Visit to the DPRK for the War Victory Celebrations July 2013

I visited the DPRK from the 23rd of July to July 30th, at the invitation of the DPRK Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, to participate in the grand celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the victory in the great Fatherland Liberation War and to participate in the international march for peace and reunification of Korea.

                                               I arrived in Pyongyang on July 23rd and was greeted at the airport by Mrs Kim Un OK secretary general of the Korean Committee for Friendship with the British People and desk officer of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. This time  I was accommodated in the majestic Yanggakaddo hotel  which has 43 floors and is situated on an island on the River Taedong. The rooms command a birds eye of Pyongyang city and there is an excellent revolving restaurant which serves the most delicious food.

Pyongyang was literally a buzz with excitement. Many delegations from different parties , societies and groups from the 4 corners of the earth. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet old friends such as Alejandro Cao De Benos President of KFA  and also Martin Lotscher  as well getting acquainted with people such as Raymond Ferguson of the Australia -DPRK society the author of the book " Korea Welfare State ". I also met many old Korean friends such as the section chief of the Korean Association of Social Scientists and comrade Zo Il Min head of the Pyongyang Mission of the AINDF.

The situation in the DPRK is extremely good. Pyongyang is alive with massive construction work everywhere including many new apartment blocks. On our way to Kaesong and Sinchon we could see crops growing in the fields well . There were maize plants as tall as  a person . Basic products are very cheap I was able to buy DPRK made batteries "My Home Town " for 0.10p ,1 tenth of the minimum price of the cheapest batteries in the UK. A demonstration of the superiority of the DPRK's Juche based socialist planned economy !

                   There were plenty of new play parks for kids by blocks of flats in well the well laid out streets of Pyongyang. Childcare is free in the DPRK. My guide Mrs Kim Un Ok told me that her son goes to full time nursery free of charge. In the UK someone like Mrs Kim would not be able to go out to work or would be able to work only part time due to lack of childcare or the high cost of it.

I participated in the international peace March which was joined by high level officials like SPA vice president Yang Hyong Sop .  They also wore the same T-shirts as the marchers. The march was accompanied by the excellent woman’s band of the Ministry of People's Security who were dressed in attractive outfits. The banner of the UK Korean Friendship Association was proudly carried by Korean friends !

                  I spoke at the mass rally against US hostile policy in the beautiful City of Kaesong . This was a great honour for me. At Panmunjom I witnessed the crime of Korea's division . One could see that there was no geographical or physical logic to Korea's division , it was the artificial creation of the US imperialists . The Yanks and south Korean puppets appeared to be hiding out of view.

We witnessed the heinous mass slaughter carried out by the US imperialists at Sinchon Ri  . Here the US imperialists murdered 35383 people . Particularly sickening and horrific was the murder of mothers and children in the Chestnut valley . It not just the US imperialists that carried out the massacre but also class enemies such as overthrown landlords, former capitalists and exploiters. We must never forgot the crimes carried out by the US imperialists and class enemies. An indignation meeting was held addressed by veteran peace campaigner Ramsey Clark who is a former attorney general of the

US no less.

There were many colourful, exciting and dynamic events that took place. Undoubtedly the high point of these, the pinnacle was the giant July 27th war victory parade and mass demonstration. I have seen nothing like it. It surpassed the excellent April 15th Military parade of 2012. It put the military parades of the former socialist countries such as the USSR and East Germany. There was an amazing array of firepower demonstrating

the massive Juche-orientated military might of Songun Korea led by dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un.  Helicopter pilots daringly buzzed the parade and the DPRK ,s long range bomber aircraft roared above Kim Il Sung square for the first ever time. At the end of the parade dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un waved cheerfully to the audience. Watching the parade I was even more firmly convinced of the final victory of the Korean people over US imperialism.

           (this report is brief and short report which will be expanded in more

detail and depth later)

International Peace March in North Korea

Statement by the KFA Ireland and the Ireland Juche-Songun Ideas Study Group. 29/07/2013

The Korean Friendship Association in Ireland pays tribute to the DPRK, 

her Army and her people on the 60th anniversary of her victory over 

imperialist invasion.

Statement by the KFA Ireland and the Ireland Juche-Songun Ideas Study 
Group. 29/07/2013

Scenes of triumph and hope were in abundant supply in recent days in 
Pyongyang and throughout the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. 
Proud people, young and old alike, took to the streets, stadiums and 
squares to pay tribute to their proud nation and its heroic 
contribution to the defeat of imperialist invaders.

It was 60 years ago when the Korean Peoples Army, under the command of 
the Great Leader comrade Kim Il-Sung, fought to end the imperialist 
occupation of the Korean peninsula and unify a divided people. The US 
and UN imperialists, working with their fascist puppets in the South, 
did what they could to prevent the Korean people from achieving the 
unity they so desperately desired. The legacy of the brave men and 
women who gave lives and limbs for the fatherland will live on 
forever. The innocent women and children who were massacred by an 
invading force will never be forgotten.

In Kim il-Sung Square this week the people, the workers, the KPA and 
the leadership of the DPRK came together to show just how bright the 
legacy of the brave martyrs still shines. Thousands of soldiers from 
the Army, Navy and Air Force all gathered to pay tribute to the great 
generation who fought off the invading imperialists and fascists. The 
Dear Leader Marshall Kim Jong-Un took the tribune of honor along with 
other senior members of the Workers Party of Korea and international 
guests. The parade was followed by a firework display.

The KFA in Ireland looked at the events in Pyongyang this week with 
great pride and enthusiasm. The glorious displays of celebration and 
remembrance strengthened the resolve not only of the KFA Ireland, but 
that too of all anti-imperialists movements throughout the world, to 
work for the re-unification of the Korean peninsula and the end of 
Yankee occupation. This must be a priority for all those who stand by 
the DPRK, her people and her party. Support too for unification must 
be matched with an equal struggle for the protection of the Juche 
system that has fed and protected the Korean people for decades.

It is hoped that by the 61st anniversary of victory in the Great 
Fatherland Liberation War great efforts will be made to bring the 
Korean people a year closer to unity and liberation. It is times like 
this, when we see such beautiful triumph in the DPRK, that we must 
offer a thought for the unfortunate souls living in the capitalist 
puppet state. Their future is not found in occupation or mindless 
subservience to the United States. Their future is as a free people in 
a united Korea. It is the duty of all those who stand against 
imperialism and capitalism to support this dream for a strong and 
united Korea.

At this important time of the year KFA Ireland would like to renew a 
call we made at the US Embassy in Dublin earlier this year. We call 
now, as we have done so on many occasions in the past, for the 
immediate and complete removal of all foreign troops from the Korean 
peninsula. There can be no shared future or lasting peace in Korea for 
as long as the destiny of half the Korean peninsula is in the hands of 
a foreign power. Our call is a simple one but it is one we will 
continue to make until the end of US occupation in Korea.

On a final note the KFA Ireland, along with the Ireland Juche-Songun 
Ideas Study Group, would like to pay a personal tribute to the dead 
heroes who gave their lives in the defense of the DPRK and in the war 
against imperialism. Their bravery will not soon be forgotten, nor 
will their immense contribution to their country. We pay tribute to 
them and commemorate what they have done for all freedom loving 
people. At this time of year our thoughts must too be with their 
families. They have endured tragic loss in the struggle against 
invasion and must be proud of what their brave relatives achieved

UK KFA statement on the 60th anniversary of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War

UK KOREAN FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION

 London July 19th 2013

The UK Korean Friendship Association today issued the following statement on the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Korean people's great victory in the Fatherland Liberation War against the US imperialists.

                  The Fatherland Liberation War (Korean War) was provoked by the US imperialist aggressors on the 25th of June 1950 but ended in a great victory for the Korean people led by the great leader generalissimo Kim Il Sung, the all triumphant and incomparable brilliant commander .
                                                                                       The US imperialists went to great lengths to crush a small nation in east Asia, to crush a successful people's revolution. They mobilised not only the miserable south Korean Syngham Rhee south Korean fascist  puppets but also the troops of 15 satellite countries including the UK (to our shame and dishonour). The US imperialists used the most barbarous methods to try and beat the Korean people into submission so they could colonise all of Korea and turn into a strategic base against the USSR and People's China. They heavily bombed the DPRK , massacred civilians indiscriminately , and used germ and chemical weapons . However neither barbarity nor overwhelming military might nor superior technology could bring the heroic Korean people to their knees as they were led by the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung and had the Juche idea as their guide.
                   The US imperialists were forced to conclude an armistice on the 27th of July 1953 without succeeding in their aim of destroying the DPRK . As the US general Clark who signed the armistice concluded it was an armistice without  a victory. The US imperialists had over 400,000 troops killed , wounded or captured in the Fatherland Liberation. Even their own doctored casualty figures showed that the US imperialists lost 6 times as many troops in the 3 years of the Korean War then they did in the 12 years of the so-called "War of Terror". Thus it was a truly massive defeat for US imperialism , the ripple effect of which  was to create a big upsurge in the anti-imperialist national liberation movement throughout the world.
                                         The DPRK though much smaller in size than the US won a great victory due to the Juche-orientated military tactics of the great leader generalissimo Kim Il Sung. It was an example of a small country defeating a big power.
         UK KFA congratulates the Korean people and their supreme leader Marshal Kim Jong Un  on the 60th anniversary of their great victory , long may it shine.
                  Furthermore although it has been 60 years since the guns fell silent  no permanent peace treaty has been concluded between the US and the DPRK and US troops still occupy south Korea. Moreover there are ill-intentioned attempts to revive the ghost UN Command in south Korea.  We , UK KFA , calls for the withdrawal of US troops from south Korea, the dissolution of the UNC in south  Korea and the conclusion of a peace treaty between the DPRK and US.
UK KFA

DPRK Jurists Society Disclose U.S. Wartime Crimes

    Pyongyang, July 19 (KCNA) -- The Jurists Society of the DPRK issued a memorandum disclosing crimes committed by the U.S. imperialists during the Korean war.
    The memorandum released Friday cited facts to prove that the U.S., chief culprit of aggression and war, moved to cover up its nature as the provoker of the war and draw its aggression troops and armies of its satellite countries into the war.
    The UN Security Council's "resolution" on the Korean war was illegal as it was not based on investigation into truth about the disputes, the memorandum said, and went on:
    The "resolution" was adopted in contravention of article 32 of the UN Charter which calls for having parties to the disputes present in discussing problems and paragraph 3 of article 27 of UN Charter which provides that a UNSC resolution shall be valid by approval votes of members of the council (there were seven at that time) including approval by all permanent members.
    The U.S. committed atrocities in breach of war legislation and custom.
    During the war the U.S. dropped 428 000 plus bombs over Pyongyang on 1 400 occasions, destroying industrial establishments, education, health and public service facilities and dwelling houses and killing peaceable citizens.
    100 bombers of the U.S. army that flew into the sky above Sinuiju on November 8, 1950 dropped bombs, leveling 8 900 houses, killing over 9 000 and wounding 3 155.
    On September 16, 1950 when the U.S. forces landed on Inchon, they killed more than 1 300 civilians and arrested or killed over 75 000 patriots in Seoul alone.
    Little over one year into the war, the U.S. massacred one million civilians in south Korea.
    In areas in the northern half of Korea which were put under its temporary control the U.S. buried alive, burned to death or buried at rivers and seas a broad segment of innocent people including officials of party and power organs and working people's organizations, workers, farmers, office workers, youth and students and even religionists regardless of their sex and age. The U.S. troops even used wood-cuter as a killing tool and skinned or dismembered them to death.
    The U.S. raised A-bomb scare to carry people to south Korea but on the way killed over 4 000 in the makeshift bridge over ther River Taedong and on the frozen River Taedong and more than 30 000 in Sariwon-Haeju road.
    When retreating from the northern areas which were under their temporary control from the end of 1950, the U.S. imperialist aggressors spread all kinds of infectious viruses including smallpox, making the areas plagued with infectious diseases. The number of cases who contracted infectious diseases rapidly increased to reach 3 500 in April 1951 10 percent out of whom ended up in death.
    From early January to March 1952, the U.S. dropped all kinds of germ bombs on 169 areas in the northern half of Korea including highlands, coastal areas and mountainous areas a total of 804 times.
    In May 1952, the U.S. flew hundreds of planes to sky over the DPRK every day and a quarter of them dropped germ bombs. The highest number of flights reached over 480 a day.
    The use of poisonous gas by the U.S. began with its indiscriminate bombing on Nampho on May 6, 1951.
    1 379 people died due to the poisonous gas in Nampho.
    There are other examples proving the atrocities committed by the U.S. imperialists in wanton violation of war legislation and custom during the Korean war. They were not accidental ones by individual American soldiers but hideous and huge crimes committed in an organized and planned way under the U.S. government policy. -0-

60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VICTORY IN THE FATHERLAND LIBERATION WAR AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE -special article by ASSPUK and JISGE

60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VICTORY IN THE FATHERLAND LIBERATION WAR AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

by Dermot Hudson chairman of JISGE and President ASSPUK

On July 27th it will be a most significant and momentous occasion the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Korean people ,l ed by the great leader generalissimo Kim Il Sung , in the great Fatherland Liberation war of the Korean people (known as the Korean War in the West) against the US imperialist aggressors . The DPRK will splendidly mark the event as they regard it as their second day of liberation (the first being August 15 the day of liberation from Japan) with grand and majestic events. Juche idea and Songun idea followers will also mark it in different ways in their own countries.

        The Fatherland Liberation War referred as the Korean War in the imperialist countries was provoked by the US imperialists on June 25th 1950 and lasted 3 years. It was a most intense war, one of the most fiercest wars of the 20th century , in which the US imperialists along with troops from 15 of their vassal states attempted to destroy the young Democratic People's Republic of Korea in its cradle, an obscene and barbarous war in which a big power and its minions tried to pulverise into a submission a small country. The US failed to do this and on the 27th of July 1953 signed the armistice agreement . The heroic Korean people had won victory over the US imperialists.

                                                                   What is the significance of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War ?  Its significance is manifold.  It was the first war that the US lost ,General Clark wearily concluded that he was the first US commander to sign an armistice without a victory. The infamous anti communist reactionary senator J R McCarthy said that the US was defeated in Korea and US military historian Bevin Alexander (no friend of the DPRK )admitted that it was "the first war we lost". It was the first war between socialism and imperialism, it was the “cold war “ becoming a hot war . It was a war that proved the superiority of thesocialist system over imperialism. It was an example of a small country , a  former colony defeating a big power.

In his speech to the Officers and Men of Unit No. 256 of the Korean People’s Army on October 23 1953 the great leader President Kim Il Sung said

“we defeated the huge armed forces of US imperialism, the ringleader of world imperialism,

and its 15 satellite countries, and forced them to sign the Armistice Agreement as we demanded. This is a great victory for us.

What are the victories we achieved in the arduous three-year war?

First, the Korean people and the People’s Army, through their heroic struggle, repulsed the enemy’s invasion and defended the democratic base in the northern half of Korea

with honour.

…........The Korean war laid bare the brutal nature of imperialism to the world, and shattered the myth of the “might” of US imperialism to pieces.

In fact, earlier some people had an illusion about the “might” and “humanitarianism” of US imperialism. Through the Korean war, however, the people of the world not only realized clearlythat the US imperialists were the most heinous savages but also came to believe more firmly that if a people fought to the last bravely, arms in hands, they would be able to defeat them.

It was widely known to the world for long that US imperialism was the most vicious aggressor and biggest robber in the world .”

This very  succinctly sums up the significance of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War . The DPRK a state which had only been founded 2 years before and which had a land area which was less than one tenth of that of the USA beat the US which had been undefeated in well over a hundred wars. It was a miraculous victory of a small country against an imperialist titan armed with the all the latest weapons including an atomic arsenal. War-maniac MacArthur the commander of the US imperialist forces in the Korean War had threatened the use of nuclearweapons but the Korean people led by the the great leader generalissimo Kim Il Sung were unbowed by such threats and fought on like tigers avenging the deaths of their beloved compatriots.

           The war shattered deep illusions about US imperialism which had become widespread during the period of the second world war. The US imperialists were exposed as genocidal maniacs before the world , they were the murderers of woman and children , they were the ones who used germ warfare which is illegal. The world revolutionary people came to know that it was no use trying to peacefully co-exist with US imperialism , that the only way to deal with it was by

force, Indeed the Fatherland Liberation War showed the basic truth of Songun that the revolutionis defended and advanced by means of arms.

                    The victory in the Fatherland Liberation War commanded by the great leader generalissimo Kim Il Sung smashed the myth of the invincibly of US power. It showed thatthe US could be beaten . As the executive secretariat of the the Organisation of Solidarity ofthe Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America (Tricontinental ) said on June 19th 1968 “This historic victory of the Korean people has shown that no force on earth can bring to theirknees a people who fight for the independence and liberty of their country “.  Gaston Soumialot President of the supreme council of the revolution of the Congo also wrote in 1968 "Marshal Kim Il Sung is widely known to the whole world as a gifted military strategist ....The US imperialist aggressors who hadbeen bragging about their so-called 'mightiness' in Korea scored a failure in Korea for the first time in their 114 wars of aggression ."

 The message sent to the peoples of the world from the Korean people's victory in the Fatherland liberation war was that US imperialism can be taken on and beaten. This resulted in the opening up of a whole new era of anti-imperialist independence struggles throughout the world against colonialism and imperialism. Anti-imperialist victories occurred in Cuba, Vietnam and many countries.  As generalissimo Kim Il Sung aptly explained
The heroic struggle of the Korean people against US imperialism has become the banner and model of the oppressed people all over the world in their national-liberation struggle.
We proved to the people of the world that if they fight valiantly
like Koreans they can beat back the aggression of any imperialists and free themselves from their yoke.
After the Korean war, the struggle against the colonial rule of the US-led imperialists has gained in scope in many Southeast Asian countries, including Malaya, Indonesia and Viet Nam, and the rest of the world, and the colonial system is crumbling beyond retrieve.

What was the primary factor that propelled the Korean people to such a great victory admired by the peoples of the world ? It was the Juche idea and the Songun idea. As the great leader generalissimo Kim Il Sung wrote on the occasion of the 1st anniversary ofthe death of Che Guevara

“ Even a small country can defeat a powerful country if it establishes Juche,unites themasses of people and valiantly wages battle ,regardless of sacrifice . This is a very plain truth ofa our time which has been borne out in real life. The experience of the Korean war proved this truth “
        Juche-based tactics which had been evolved during the anti-Japanese armed struggle were fully applied during the Fatherland Liberation War. Indeed new forms of warfare such as tunnel warfare were created . Of course internationalist support was important but it was the self-reliant efforts of the
KPA and Korean people that were the main thing as the great leader generalissimo Kim Il Sung said
"We must solve our problems no matter who is helping us and what help we get......Victory must be won by our strength".

                              The Korean people’s great victory in the Fatherland Liberation War was a brilliant victory of the Juche-oriented, Songun -based revolutionary military strategy of President Kim II Sung, the ever-victorious, iron-willed brilliant commander and gifted military strategist, who been steeled in the pro­tracted arduous anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle and combined a great rev­olutionary idea, the Juche idea with outstanding leadership ability and brilliant military art. By leading the Korean people to victory in the Fatherland Liberation War the great leader generalissimo Kim Il Sung made a great contribution to the world revolutionary movement that will shine down the ages.

LONG LIVE THE 60TH ANNIVERARY OF THE VICTORY IN THE GREAT FATHERLAND LIBERATION WAR !

GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF THE GREAT LEADER GENERALISSIMO KIM IL SUNG EVER-VICTORIOUS IRON-WILLED BRILLIANT COMMANDER!

Release the Chongchongang and its crews - ASSPUK, JISGE and UK KFA

ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF SONGUN POLITICS UK
London 18th of July Juche 102(2013)
                    The Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK , Juche Idea Study Group of England  and the UK Korean Friendship Association issued the following joint statement in connection with the incident of the DPRK trading vessel  the Chongchongang;
                                                                                    We are deeply shocked that a civilian trading vessel of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , the  Chongchongang, has been seized by the reactionary and pro-imperialist authorities of Panama. The  Chongchongang was engaged in lawful trading activities so the Panamanian authorities had no reason to stop the ship. What is worse is that they did violence to the crew of the ship and are now holding them as well as the ship itself.
                                             The action by the Panamanian authorities amounts to piracy , hijacking and kidnapping  as well an attempt to interfere in the legitimate trading activities of the DPRK. It is obvious the Panamanian regime serves the interests of US imperialism. This whole affair is yet another provocation by US imperialism and its puppets against the DPRK.

Our organisations, the ASSPUK, JISGE and UK KFA , urge that Panama releases
the Chongchongang and its crew straight away.

ASSPUK
JISGE
UK KFA

DPRK FM Spokesman Urges Panamanian Authorities Let Apprehended Crewmen, Ship of DPRK Leave

  Pyongyang, July 17 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA on Wednesday as regards the case of the DPRK trading ship Chongchongang apprehended in Panama:
     There occurred an abnormal case in which the DPRK trading ship Chongchongang was apprehended by the Panamanian investigation authorities on suspicion of "drug transport," a fiction, before passing through Panama canal after leaving Havana Port recently.
     The Panamanian investigation authorities rashly attacked and detained the captain and crewmen of the ship on the plea of "drug investigation" and searched its cargo but did not discover any drug. Yet, they are justifying their violent action, taking issue with other kind of cargo aboard the ship.
     This cargo is nothing but aging weapons which are to send back to Cuba after overhauling them according to a legitimate contract.
     The Panamanian authorities should take a step to let the apprehended crewmen and ship leave without delay. -0-

Brief Commentary on alleged ship seizure-ASSPUK , JISGE and UK KFA

                  There is no commentary or statement as yet concerning the allegations around the DPRK freighter ship . However if this incident has really happened it is outrageous that the ship has been seized and the crew detained. The Panamanian authorities are lackeys and puppets of the US who were put into power when the US invaded Panama in 1989. 
 The seizure is probably a planned provocation by the CIA and the reactionary puppet regime in Panama (which has just signed a trade agreement with south Korea ) to stoke up tension. Clearly the US would like to see the same sort of tension that was witnessed in March and April and this is a way of provoking the DPRK. As usual some of the reporting is sketchy and vague even though the actual seizure of the ship occurred 4 days ago.

The allegations seem to signal the start of another massive anti DPRK propaganda campaign.

 

ONE COREA NETWORK: Safeguarding national sovereignty and dignity

ONE COREA NETWORK: Safeguarding national sovereignty and dignity: The DPRK is the country dignified with Songun politics. The Songun is precisely means independence, dignity and lifeline of the Korean n...

DPRK Permanent Representative Refers to Necessity of Dismantlement of "UN Command

    Pyongyang, July 14 (KCNA) -- The DPRK permanent representative at the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva was interviewed by reporters at the DPRK permanent mission on Wednesday.
    Present there were reporters of China, UK, France, U.S., Japan and other countries and relevant officials.
    The permanent representative said that to dismantle the illegal and ghost-like "UN Command" is a prerequisite to defusing tensions and ensuring peace and security in the Korean Peninsula and the Asia-Pacific region.
    Explaining why the DPRK is again underlining the need to dismantle the "UN Command", he said:
    First, it is because the danger of war on the Korean Peninsula is increasing for the reason related to the structure of the "UN Command".
    Looking back and analyzing the situation that prevailed on the peninsula in March and April, we reached at an important conclusion that the Command is a major factor creating the danger of war.
    If the U.S. stages joint military exercises in August, the Korean Peninsula will again plunge into an unpredictable catastrophic phase.
    The DPRK once again strongly calls for the dismantlement of the "UN Command" with July 27, the 60th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement, as a momentum.
    Second, it is because the "UN Command" is inciting military confrontation among big powers in the Asia-Pacific region.
    The U.S. forces in south Korea, the main forces of the "UN Command", have already been granted "strategic flexibility" which enables them to intervene in other regions in the event of crisis, and the U.S. is attempting to turn the "UN Command" into a multi-national coalition body with operational function in order to keep hold on south Korea militarily even after the transfer of the right to command the wartime operation.
    Those concerned with the operations of member states of the "UN Command" have already been well versed in combined operations under the U.S. command through joint military exercises.
    Third, it is because the dismantlement of the "UN Command" is an action step which can prove that the U.S. has no hostility toward the DPRK as always claimed by it.
    The dismantlement of the "UN Command" is an issue which can be easily settled if the U.S. has determination.
    To look back on the past, resolution No. 84 which was illegally adopted at the UN Security Council on July 7, 1950 says the "Combined Forces Command", not the "UN Command", shall be formed, and entrusted the U.S. with the right to command the "Combined Forces Command".
    If the U.S. makes a bold decision on dismantling the "UN Command", the DPRK will respond to this and this will help build confidence between the two countries.
    The DPRK will closely follow the future action of the U.S.
    The permanent representative stressed that if the UN member nations truly want peace on the Korean Peninsula and are to keep the authority and fairness of the UN, they should express due support to the DPRK's efforts to dismantle the "UN Command" and establish peace mechanism. -0-

[English Subtitles] Case Closed - DPRK (North Korea) Film

UK KFA slams "Forgotten War " Commemorations in UK

UK KOREAN FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION 

 

             12th July 2013

                                    The UK Korean Friendship Association strongly denounces the so-called commemoration of British participation in the Korean War or Fatherland Liberation War as it is known in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The reactionary authorities led by the Cameron government organised a parade and a "thanksgiving service" with the participation of the south Korean puppet embassy.

                                                         Rather than being a matter to celebrate and commemorate Britain's participation in the Korean War brought extreme shame and dishonour on the UK. It was an act of criminal subservience to the US which saw British young men sacrificed in order to satisfy the the interest of the Wall Street monopolies who had ignited the Korean War . Rather than fighting for "freedom " and "democracy " as is claimed they fought for US imperialism against national liberation, against the liberation of Korea , they fought to prop up the reactionary fascist Syngham Rhee puppet regime . As one former British soldier in the Korean war admitted openly " If the United Nations hadn't intervened, the chances are there would just be one Korea." This statement speaks volumes. It shows the the US imperialists and the troops from their satellite states such as the UK prevented the reunification of Korea the cherished desire of the Korean people. Indeed there could (and should) have been only one Korea in which the Korean nation lived in peace and harmony.  The statement betrays the fact the British troops acted as mercenaries for US imperialism.
                         The British forces suffered massive losses .  The 27th Brigade  and the 29th Brigade of Britain, which were the first to come to the Korean front, were torn to shreds, hit hard by the Korean People's Army on the front of the Raktong River. When U.S. troops were surrounded on the bank of the Chongchon River, the 27th Brigade was driven out as bullet shields and suffered a heavy loss.
                                                          One of the regiments sent to fight in Korea by the reactionary  authorities of the UK was the so-called Royal Irish Rifles   a regiment which had been involved in the repression of the nationalist people of northern Ireland and which later became the notorious "Ulster Defence Regiment" responsible for many atrocities during the northern Irish troubles,
                                Thus the participation of Britain in the Korean War was totally reactionary and unjust . An act of participating a war waged by a big power against a small country,
                                 Yesterday's  "commemoration " was not really to remember a "forgotten war" but to justify the UK's participation in US imperialist war exercises against the DPRK and the revival of the so -called UN Command in order to create a "international coalition"  against the DPRK.

UK KFA says no to participation of British forces in a second Korean War. No to the revival of the UN Command , US out of Korea !

UK KFA

60th anniversary of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War-ASSPUK and JISGE

 ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF SONGUN POLITICS UK
London 12th July Juche 102(2013)
                            
                                               

                                

Today the ASSPUK and JISGE issued a joint statement on the 60th anniversary of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation war of the Korean people against the US imperialist aggressors.;
                        It is 60 years since the US imperialists were defeated by the heroic Korean People's Army commanded by the ever-victorious iron-willed brilliant commander Marshal Kim Il Sung. July 27th is the second day of liberation for the Korean people .  It inspires the Juche idea and Songun idea followers of the world as well the oppressed peoples of the world from the ghettoes of Brixton, to the streets of Belfast ,to the foothills of Bogota.
                                    The US imperialists lost over : 1,567,128 men including 405,498 US soldiers, 1,130,965 south Korean puppet troops, and 30,665 soldiers of their satellite states were killed, wounded or captured; 12,224 airplanes includ­ing "air fortress B-29" were downed, damaged or captured, 7,695 guns, 3,255 233 tanks and armoured cars were lost; and 564 warships and vessels including the heavy cruiser Baltimore and the flagship of the Seventh Fleet Missouri were sunk or damaged. The loss suffered by the US imperialists was nearly 2.3 times greater than what they had suffered in the four years of the Pacific War during World War II.

 The Fatherland Liberation War of the Korean was an unequal battle as the US imperialists threw in huge armed forces plus the troops of 15 of their satellite countries as well the Japanese militarists not too mention the south Korean puppets. The US imperialists used barbaric methods of warfare exceeding those of the Hitlerlite nazis. They used germ and chemical warfare and carried out horrendous massacres. All these failed to subdue the Korean people who under the wise leadership of the great revolutionary leader Marshal Kim Il Sung achieved a great victory. The forces of the heroic KPA defeated the so called "Invincible US 24th Divsion", taking its commander General Dean prisoner. Dean was the first US general to be captured by an opposing side. The KPA turned Height 1211 into a hill of heartbreak for the US imperialist aggressors.

 The KPA and Korean people fought in the revolutionary spirit of self reliance.
The great revolutionary leader Marshal Kim IL Sung stated“We must solve our problems no matter who is helping us and what help we get......Victory must be won by our strength” " It was their efforts that were primary in defeating the US imperialist aggressors.
    In the Fatherland Liberation War commanded by the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung ,the reactionary bourgeois military theory was smashed by the Juche- orientated revolutionary military strategy and theory. Generalissimo Kim Il Sung continually stressed that the outcome of war is not determined by weapons or technology but by those who wield the weapons. The Fatherland Liberation War was a burning crucible of Songun. The Korean People's Army commanded by the great leader generalissimo Kim Il Sung was a true people's army, an army of justice and liberation. It helped the people . A strong spirit of Army-People unity prevailed throughout  society. Summing up the significance of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War The great revolutionary leader Marshal  Kim Il Sung said
"In this great struggle our people fought determinedly as one in mind under the correct leadership of the party and government and thereby withstood the harsh trials of war honourably and won a historic victory inflicting an ignominious defeat on US imperialism and its running dogs" 
The great leader comrade Kim Jong Il said
 "It was a great revolutionary war of worldwide significance, a war in which our people defended their motherland and inflicted the first-ever defeat on US imperialism, the ringleader of world imperialism, by waging a national, heroic struggle. It was, indeed, a miracle that our newly-liberated people could defeat the powerful US imperialists in this war. At the time the enemy forces were incomparably superior to ours both numerically and technologically. The US imperialists mobilized for the Korean war their vast army, navy and air force armed with modern weapons and the latest equipment as well as the armies of their 15 satellites, and conducted the most cruel and brutal warfare. The young People's Army and our people were able to defeat these enemies because they fought heroically, displaying the indomitable fighting spirit of their anti-Japanese revolutionary forerunners and trusted and united closely behind the great leader, the legendary hero of the anti-Japanese war and the ever-victorious, iron-willed, brilliant commander"

 The Fatherland Liberation War ended in victory due to the Juche orientated military tactics, Juche-orientaed military thought and Songun revolutionary leadership of the great leader supreme commander Marshal Kim Il Sung and the sublime heroism of the KPA. The victory inspired national liberation and revolutionary movements all over the world to struggle against the colonial system of the US-led imperialists bringing about an era of decline for  US imperialism  an era of anti -imperialism . US imperialism's defeat in Korea preceded its defeat in Vietnam and elsewhere
                                  Today the viscous US imperialists and south Korean puppets are running wild to ignite a second Korean war . As dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un says " Counter a provocation with a prompt counterattack and a war of aggression with a great, just war for national reunification " . If a war is provoked the  Songun revolutionary armed forces of the Korean people will wage a sacred war of national reunification to liberate south Korea and win final victory turning the armstice into a document of surrender.
                              We stand foursquare with the DPRK the anti-imperialist bastion ,deeply  inspired by the Korean people's victory against US imperialism .

ASSPUK
 JISGE

Respected Marshal Kim Jong Un iron-willed brilliant commander of Juche-special article on the 1st anniversary of the award of the title of Marshal .

 ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF SONGUN POLITICS UK

                                

                                          July 10th Juche 102(2013)

    On July 18th it is 1 year since the dear respected leader comrade Kim Jong Un  was awarded the title of Marshal to the joy and acclaim of the entire Korean people as well good wishes of progressives around the world.
                  During the past year dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un has proved himself to be a great military leader and strategist ,another great general of Mt Paektu in the mould of generalissimo's Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
                                                 In August 2012 the US imperialists  carried out the  "Ulji Freedom Guardian " exercises against the DPRK with the aim of invading the DPRK , they involved not only the south Korean puppets but various forces of their satellite states . Dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un did not flinch in the face of adversity but instead ordered the KPA not only to be ready to smash the invaders at a stroke but to fight a war of reunification if the US imperialists were so foolish as to provoke a war. He said
"'Counter a provocation with a prompt counterattack and a war of aggression with a great, just war for national reunification!' This is our principled stand and steadfast will.

We will not remain an onlooker to the enemies' frantic moves for aggression but make every possible effort to protect the destiny of the country and the nation.
It is the truth proved by history that no force on earth can overpower the people who are all out for the cause of justice.
If another war breaks out on this land due to the U.S. and the south Korean puppet forces' intolerable actions, though we does not want it, the war will only bring a shameless doom to them and our great nation will greet a new bright day of national reunification."           
             This inspiring speech struck terror into the hearts of the US imperialists . It expressed the unshakeable will of the Korean people to accomplish the cause of reunification , to build an independent reunified Korea where no longer is heard the drawl of Yankee troops but the laughter of Korean children reverberating the whole length of the land from Mt Paektu to Mt Halla.
                          It was during the past year that the DPRK faced its greatest ever  challenge from US and world imperialism. It was not the DPRK's choice to pick a confrontation with the US, the goal and desire of the DPRK was and indeed is to develop science and technology and improve living standards. No one should take issue with this ,moreover this is the independent and sovereign right of the DPRK which no-one should interfere in. When the DPRK launched , under the command of the dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un, the satellite Kwangmysong3-2 the US imperialists and other reactionary imperialists instead of congratulating the DPRK on a great scientific achievement got their marionette body the so-called UN Security Council(in these days of outsourcing etc  it looks as if the UNSC is an executive agency of the US State Dept doing their work on the cheap) to slap severe and draconian sanctions on the DPRK. This was not only a profoundly hostile act and a direct challenge to the DPRK, an attempt to impede its onward march  to a thriving socialist country ,  but basically a declaration of war against the DPRK.
                                           Dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un responded with   the toughest measures,. The National Defence Commission issued a statement declaring all-out action against the US imperialists the sworn enemy of the Korean people and sworn enemy of progressive humankind . Dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un ensured that the DPRK take a number of hard-line measures in rapid succession ; the 12th of February nuclear test , the nullification of the Korean Armistice Agreement  and the switching over to a state of war with the south Korean puppets.
                       

                                         As the situation went from bad to worse dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un  took strong decisive measures to protect the sovereignty of the country . On March 26th the supreme command of the Korean People's Army  issued its historic statement "DPRK Will Show Its Will for Counteraction with Military Action" which said "From this moment the KPA Supreme Command will put on the highest alert all the field artillery units including strategic rocket units and long-range artillery units which are assigned to strike bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor troops in the U.S. mainland and on Hawaii and Guam and other operational zone in the Pacific as well as all the enemy targets in south Korea and its vicinity."    On March 29th at half past 12 in the morning dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un convened a meeting of the Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army , He finally signed the plan on technical preparations of strategic rockets of the KPA, ordering them to be standby to fire so that they may strike any time the U.S. mainland, its military bases in the operational theatres in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and those in south Korea.
                                    These measures shocked the US imperialists and the other imperialist states  who trembled with fear at the prospect of a second Korean war which would result of the US being driven out of south Korea, the destruction of the south Korean puppet regime and the reunification of Korea. Panic gripped the imperialists and reactionaries , a number of countries such
as Australia and the Philippines made contingency plans to pull their nationals out of south Korea. In south Korea itself people stocked up with reserve food and bottled water.
                    The militant and unswerving anti-imperialist stance in defence of the DPRK's sovereignty taken by dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un contrasted starkly with the selling out of Cuba by the modern revisionist Khruschov who  withdrew the missiles from Cuba after only 6 days after .
                                               Dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un continued the  tradition of the Korean People's Army founded by the great leader generalissimo Kim Il Sung and consolidated as a Juche-orientated  revolutionary armed force under the leadership of generalissimo Kim Jong Il . The KPA proudly bears the slogan "Let Us Wipe Out the US imperialist aggressors the sworn enemy of the Korean people " on its tanks. It was the KPA that smited the US imperialist aggressors in the great Fatherland Liberation War 60 years. It was the KPA that defeated the various US provocations such as the "Pueblo " incident and the Panmunjom incident.
                               

                                      Dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un carried, the original independent line of the DPRK of build the economy and defences in parallel ,which was set down by the great leader President Kim Il Sung in 1962 ,to a   new higher level by announcing the new strategy of the WPK to build up both the economy and the nuclear forces of the DPRK . This line will make it possible to both build a people's paradise and counter the US imperialist threat.
                  Dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un is truly worthy of the venerable title of Marshal of the DPRK . We salute him on the first anniversary of its  award.
ASSPUK
JISGE
                 

Historical Fact can Never be Covered Up

IMPORTANT QUOTE FROM THE GREAT LEADER PRESIDENT KIM IL SUNG -'THE AMERICANS HAVE FAR EXCEEDED THE HITLERITES"

"Engels once called the British army the most brutal army. During the Second World War, the German fascist army surpassed the barbarism of the British army. No human brain could ever imagine more diabolic and terrible cruelty than those done by the Hitler gangsters at that time. But in Korea, the Americans have far exceeded the Hitlerites!"
 

KIM IL SUNG

Peoples Korea Today out now

                               

http://www.lulu.com/shop/damien-biggs/peoples-korea-today-issue-8/ebook/product-21089573.html?showPreview=true           
                           
   

           

UK KFA statement on the 19th anniversary of the passing away of the great leader President Kim Il Sung

UK KOREAN FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION
London 7th of July Juche 102(2013)
The UK Korean Friendship Association today issued a the following statement of remembrance of the great leader President Kim Il Sung who passed away 19 years ago on 8th of July 1994.
The great leader comrade Kim Il Sung authored the immortal Juche idea which is the torch of human liberation . The Juche idea is based on the philosophical principle that the people are the masters and decide everything.Great president Kim Il Sung led two severe revolutionary wars to victory . He established an advanced socialist system of a Korean style in which the masses of the people are the masters of everything and everything serves them .
                         President Kim Il Sung proclaimed that the "people are my god " and made sure all policies were truly people-orientated . The great leader comrade Kim Il Sung introduced free education , free medical care and virtually free housing and food . Taxation was abolished , this is a  miracle of modern history. He always mixed with the people continuously giving on the spot guidance . Throughout his leadership of the DPRK , as chairman , premier and President the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung always mixed with the people . During the Korean War he said that if people eat millet , then he too would eat millet. In the early years of the construction of the new democratic Korea , great comrade Kim Il Sung personally participated in the Potong river improvement project and  transplanted rice seedlings on the Mirim plain . The great leader comrade Kim Il Sung devised the method of on the spot guidance and gave guidance to ordinary units thousands of times travelling thousands of miles the length and breadth of Korea. President Kim Il Sung continued to give on the spot guidance right up to the very end of his life.

 

                            The great leader President Kim Il Sung was an able theorist and philosopher  who authored over a 1,000 books . His works were translated into many languages . He fought for the advancement of independence all over the world and against imperialism, headed by US imperialism . The great leader President Kim Il Sung made a great contribution to peace in Asia and the world . He visited over 80 different countries and was awarded 180 medals of different countries including the Order of Lenin. He worked tirelessly for the reunification of Korea laying down the three cardinal principles of reunification .

The great leader comrade Kim Il Sung was truly a great man . He will be alive forever in our hearts and the hearts of the world people.  

 

UK KFA

41st anniversary of historic north-south joint statement-ASSPUK, JISGE and UK KFA

 ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF SONGUN POLITICS UK

                                 5th July  Juche 102 (2013)

 The Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK , the Juche Idea Study Group of England and the  UK Korean Friendship Association today issued the following  joint statement on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the July 4th north-south joint statement between the DPRK and south Korea.

            Over forty years have passed since the joint statement between the north and south of Korea was signed. It was the shining fruition of the ideas of the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung.
The great leader  President Kim Il Sung put forward the proposal for north-south negotiations in which he said he was ready to meet any time with all political parties and public organizations and individuals of south Korea in order to normalize the north-south relations and discuss the issue of national reunification . This showed his great magnanimity and earnest patriotism 

The north-south high-level political talks were opened in May 1972 and the joint statement was published on July 4, 1972 entirely thanks to the efforts of the great leader President Kim Il Sung who worked tirelessly for the reunification of Korea

The fascist puppet  regime of dictator Pak Chung Hee  overturned the July 4 Joint Statement  just after it had been signed . This was done at the behest of the U.S. imperialists who did not want to see a reunified Korea at any cost. The Park fascist regime arrested many people and incited confrontation with the the DPRK.

Now the Park Geun Hye is also obstructing reunfication and souring inter-Korean relations as well repressing pro reunification patriots and progressives in south Korea.

The core principles of national reunification put forward by the great leader President Kim Il Sung on the 4th of July 1972 were fully embodied in the June 15 joint declaration and the October 4th declaration.

We believe that the Korean people under the leadership of dear respected Marshal  Kim Jong Un will achieve reunification on the basis of independence.

ASSPUK
JISGE

UK KFA

Fruition of Self-Reliance

Fruition of Self-Reliance

Some days ago, Marshal Kim Jong Un visited the vegetable hothouse of the Songhak Co-op Farm in Anju City.

The hothouse is located in a secluded place, but it elicits the admiration of visitors.

3 years ago many people thought that they could not build a hothouse by themselves because it would need a large quantity of materials.

The farm management board chairman toured many places of the farm to choose a place suitable to hothouse.

He paid attention to a place below a hillock of the third work-team village.

It was a barren land forsaken for a long time.

Before deciding he consulted with farm officials who were deeply learned in construction.

He called for striving hard to enhance the fertility of sterile soil.

At this the officials said the place is suitable for the site of hothouse because it is sunny and enclosed by low hills and suggested building a hothouse there with locally available materials in accordance with the real conditions of the farm.

Encouraged by their proposal, the chairman decided to build a vegetable hothouse by the farm's own efforts.

The farm set up a bold target to build 3 hothouses in the fall of that year.

While engaging in farming in the daytime, the farmers carried on the foundation work and made mud-blocks and roof tiles in the evening.

They finished the building of a vegetable hothouse that uses solar heat by January next year and planted seeds of vegetables including lettuce and crown daisy. They tended the vegetables as required by technology and thus began to harvest freshly green vegetables in February.

They transplanted different kinds of humus-cake vegetable seedlings including cabbage, tomato, cucumber and pepper.

On the basis of the experiences gained from the hothouse vegetable farming they built more hothouses to produce fresh vegetables all the year round.

They also built mushroom production bases with locally available materials.

Call for Intensified Class Education

Every year June 25 is marked as the day of struggle against the U.S. imperialism. This year mass rallies were held in Pyongyang and provincial capitals all around the country and the Unhasu Orchestra gave a concert to greet the occasion. These functions helped enhance the class-consciousness of our people and made firmer their will to take vengeance on the U.S. aggressors for the barbarous atrocities they committed against them.

Today, our revolutionary ranks are built up with the new generation that has not experienced exploitation and oppression, and not gone through rigors of war trials.

Therefore, the main point in the class struggle today must be to make the Party members and working people fully aware of the aggressive and predatory nature of the U.S. imperialism and hold on to their class and revolutionary principles.

So long as the U.S. troops stay on in this land, peace and security will not settle down in this Peninsula.

Another important thing in the class education is to make the people assured that our cause is just and we are sure to win.

What is of particular importance in class education in the present time is class education against imperialism, the U.S. imperialism in particular.

Class-consciousness is not something hereditary.

From childhood, our younger generation must be educated in the hated for the exploiter classes and love for their parents and brothers and sisters, their schools and villages.

It is our Party's invariable will to bring our younger generation into staunch revolutionaries and vanguard fighters of the working class.

Then, we will be stronger and more confident in our struggle against the U.S. and other imperialists, and in our endeavors to build a thriving socialist country, demonstrating the great politico-military might of Songun Korea.

ASSPUK and and JISGE saluate the 1st anniversary of the award of the title of Marshal to dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un

                      ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF SONGUN POLITICS UK                                   

London 4th of July Juche 102(2013)
          The Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK and the Juche Idea Study Group of England issued the following joint statement on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the award of the title of Marshal to dear respected  comrade Kim Jong Un which falls on the 18th of July;
                    The award of the title of Marshal of DPRK ,the top military post of the DPRK fully reflected the support and confidence in dear respected Marshal Kim Jong  Un. It was  a full recognition of his leadership abilities and brilliant commanding art.
                       Dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un has proved his great military abilities during the past few months in the bitter face-off between the DPRK and US imperialism which so arrogantly boasts of being the sole superpower in the world . Dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un declared all out action against US imperialism the sworn enemy of the Korean people. When the US threatened the DPRK with vast military forces and nuclear bombers in March this year after imposing gangster like sanctions , dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un was steadfast and announced that if attacked the DPRK would strike back at US targets including the US mainland. This saw off the US imperialists and stoutly defended the dignity of Korean-style socialism and the independence of the DPRK.
               Dear respected  Marshal Kim Jong Un is an , invincible and iron-willed commander who follows in the footsteps of the great generalissimo's Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
Our organisations are fully convinced that under the wise leadership of dear
respected Marshal Kim Jong Un the Korean people will win final victory in the Songun revolutionary cause and achieve national reunification.


LONG LIVE RESPECTED SUPREME COMMANDER KIM JONG UN MARSHAL OF THE DPRK !

ASSPUK
JISGE

LETS US SHATTER IMPERIALIST MOVES TOWARDS AGGRESSION AND WAR AND SAFEGUARD PEACE AND INDEPENDENCE

www.uk-songun.com/index.php?p=1_141_LETS-US-SHATTER-IMPERIALIST-MOVES-TOWARDS-AGGRESSION-AND-WAR-AND-SAFEGUARD-PEACE-AND-INDEPENDENCE

LETS US SHATTER IMPERIALIST MOVES TOWARDS AGGRESSION AND WAR AND SAFEGUARD PEACE AND INDEPENDENCE

KIM IL SUNG

LET US SHATTER IMPERIALIST MOVES TOWARDS AGGRESSION AND WAR

AND SAFEGUARD PEACE AND INDEPENDENCE

A Speech at a Banquet in Honour of Delegates to the World Conference of Journalists against

Imperialism and for Friendship and Peace

July 3, 1983

Esteemed Delegates,

Comrades and Friends,

The World Conference of Journalists against Imperialism and for Friendship and Peace which opened amid great expectations and intense interest from progressive journalists and people the world over, is working successfully thanks to the exalted spirit of coopera­tion and sincere efforts of all of you delegates.

Our people are very happy that here in our capital city of Pyong­yang, where the Anti-US World Journalists’ Conference was held 14 years ago, another global meeting of progressive journalists has con­vened to oppose imperialism, safeguard peace and strengthen friend­ship and solidarity among peoples.

Allow me to welcome warmly all of you delegates who have come from the various continents, bringing with you the noble ideas of anti-imperialism, friendship and peace and warm feelings of friendship for our people.

It is highly significant that progressive men and women of the world’s press have gathered together here to promote fraternity, exchange experience and discuss their tasks and action programme.

This world conference of journalists will mark an important stage in destroying imperialist manoeuvres aimed at aggression and war, defending global peace and security and achieving the people’s cause of independence.

All you journalists and people of the press from various countries attending this World Conference of Journalists against Imperialism and for Friendship and Peace, are the close friends and dependable comrades-in-arms of our people. Progressive people of the press throughout the world have stood in the ranks with our people in the fight against imperialism and for independence, and have worked actively in support of our people’s struggle for the independent, peaceful reunification of our country and the building of socialism. During this Month of Joint Struggle against US Imperialism, when our people are marking the 30th anniversary of the historic victory in the Fatherland Liberation War, numerous foreign journalist delegates and people of the press have come to our country to condemn US imperialism and raise the call for justice, peace and independence. This support brings tremendous encouragement to our people.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to the justice- and peace-loving progressive people of the world press for their positive support and encouragement for our people’s revolutionary cause.

Comrades and friends,

The world situation is more complex and tense now than ever before. Owing to the aggressive imperialist move to provoke war peace is being disturbed in many parts of the globe, the danger of a new war has increased and the sovereignty of countries and nations is being violated.

The US imperialists, who seek world hegemony, are openly resorting to “power politics”; they are increasing their armaments and reinforcing their forces of aggression on a large scale, while at the same time scheming to strengthen the aggressive military bloc of NATO, deploy new types of nuclear weapons in Europe and expand their aggressive military bases in many parts of the world, including the Indian Ocean. The US and other imperialists are intensifying their aggressive activities intended to unleash a new war in various areas of the world. In the Middle East and Southern Africa the imperialists are instigating Zionists and South African racists to increased aggres­sion and intervention, and in Central America they are perpetrating heinous armed interventions and subversive activities against coun­tries which have achieved national independence and chosen the road to independence against imperialism.

The US imperialists’ moves to provoke a new war are assuming a very grave and dangerous character in the Far East , which includes our country. In accordance with their aggressive Asian strategy, they are expanding their military bases in and around south Korea and shipping in a huge amount of nuclear weapons and other sophisticat­ed means of war, while accelerating the formation of a US-Japan-south Korea triangular military alliance. The US imperialists, who have stationed armed forces of aggression numbering more than 40,000 men in south Korea and shipped in over 1,000 nuclear weapo­ns and many other weapons of mass destruction, are now staging one large-scale war exercise after another directed against our Republic. Recently they have even been trying to deploy neutron weapons in south Korea , which has provoked the unanimous protest and denunci­ation of the peoples of the world. South Korea has thus now become a most dangerous powder keg and a US nuclear war base. In our country an extremely tense situation has been created which may spark off a war at any moment.

Because of the US-led imperialists’ activities, the world’s people now stand at the crossroads of war or peace, enslavement or indepen­dence. The most urgent and solemn task now confronting the pro­gressive people throughout the world is to oppose aggression and war and safeguard peace and independence.

It is the unanimous desire of the world’s people to live peacefully in a world free from aggression and war, subjugation and oppression. Only when peace is secured can the peoples of all countries success­fully apply their creative labour to building a new and happy society.

Averting war and safeguarding peace is a particularly urgent problem for the peoples of the newly-emerging countries. The political independence already achieved by these peoples is only the first step towards complete national independence and the building of a new society. Political independence can be securely safeguarded and con­solidated only when it is guaranteed by economic independence. For the newly-emerging peoples to consolidate their national indepen­dence and build a new and happy society, they must eliminate the famine and poverty left behind by the colonialists and build a sound, independent national economy. The people need peace, not war, in building a new society. When a lasting world peace is guaranteed, the newly-emerging peoples will be successful in their struggle for the complete independence of their countries and the building of a new society.

World peace can be ensured and safeguarded only through the struggle against imperialism.

All the peace-loving people of the world should unite closely under the banner of independence against imperialism and wage a resolute struggle against the aggressive imperialist moves aimed at war. They should direct a particularly intense attack against the US imperialists, that main force of aggression and war, and heinous strangler of peace and independence, in order to prevent the US from recklessly invading other countries and sparking off wars. The world’s people should strive to check and frustrate the manoeuvres of the US and other imperialists to expand their stocks of armaments and reinforce their armed forces, and should compel them to with­draw their aggressive military bases and armed forces from the terri­tory of other countries. They should also strive to break up all mili­tary blocs, to establish and expand nuclear-free peace zones in many areas of the world, and achieve general and complete disarmament.

The world’s people should fight vigorously for freedom and inde­pendence, strive to liquidate all forms of colonialism and dominationism, achieve the ultimate and complete liberation of the nations, and cling fast to independence, thus making the whole world indepen­dent. Not until the independence of the whole world is established will the danger of war be completely banished and a durable peace guaranteed throughout the globe, and only then will humanity be able to live in happiness and contentment in a safe and prosperous world.

The progressive people of the press are righteous warriors striving to oppose all social evils and injustices and to realize the people’s aspirations and desires. They should fight determinedly against aggressive imperialist moves aimed at war and in defence of peace and independence, in order to fulfil the lofty mission and role assigned to them by history and the people at the present time.

In the hands of progressive people of the press the pen should be a mighty weapon wielded against the imperialists, and their writings should serve as denunciations of the enemies of peace. Progressive people of the press the world over should sharply expose imperialists’ activities aimed at expanding armaments and reinforcing armed forces and should scathingly condemn the unpardonable crimes of US imperialists who are bent on driving mankind into nuclear holo­caust. They should expose the aggressive nature and crafty neocolonialist methods of imperialism, forcefully oppose its ideological and cultural infiltration and all manner of reactionary propaganda and decisively repel the enemy’s reactionary ideological offensive with a revolutionary counteroffensive.

They should inform the whole world of the just struggles of the peoples fighting against imperialism for peace and independence, they should raise the cry of international solidarity and make every possible effort to render positive support and encouragement to the embattled peoples.

Friendship and solidarity are the common aspirations of the peo­ples who are fighting for peace and independence, and a sure guaran­tee of victory. The progressive people of the world can fully realize their desires and ideals only when they firmly unite politically and develop close economic and technological cooperation by strengthen­ing their bonds of friendship under the banner of anti-imperialism and independence.

Through their activities, the progressive people of the press should create favourable international conditions for the unity and coopera­tion of the world’s progressive peoples and give extensive publicity to the achievements and experiences of the people in the anti-imperi­alist struggle and the building of a new society.

The newly-emerging peoples are now achieving great successes in their endeavours to build a new society and have acquired a lot of experience and many techniques which they can exchange as they cooperate with each other. The progressive men of the press should give wide publicity to the experience gained by the people and their successes in building a new society, and thus contribute actively to the development of economic and technological interchange and cooperation among the newly-emerging nations and the establish­ment of a prosperous new world.

If the progressive men and women of the press in all countries are to discharge their noble mission and responsibility, they should fur­ther increase their unity and cooperation. In line with their lofty ideas of friendship, solidarity and cooperation, they should visit each other, share their experiences, strengthen their solidarity, cooperate closely and keep pace with each other in their professional activities.

It has been the consistent foreign policy of the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to fight against imperialism, safeguard peace and independence and strengthen the ties of friend­ship and solidarity with the peoples of all countries.

As in the past, so in the future, the Korean people will firmly adhere to their steadfast anti-imperialist stand and fight positively to oppose aggressive US imperialist activities aimed at war and to safe­guard world peace and security.

Our people will actively support and encourage all the peoples who are fighting for a common goal on the anti-imperialist front. We strongly support the peoples of all countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, including those in the Middle East, Southern Africa and Central America, who are fighting to oppose imperialism and domi­nation by all forces, to attain national independence and build a new society; we proclaim our firm solidarity with the European peoples in their struggle to ease tension and strengthen peace and security in Europe.

The struggle of the Korean people for the country’s reunification is a major link in the chain of the struggle to check and frustrate aggressive US imperialist manoeuvres aimed at war and to safeguard world peace and security. The withdrawal of US troops from south Korea and the reunification of Korea is the only way to eliminate this source of war and maintain the peace in Korea and the Far East and, in addition, bolster global peace and security.

The main obstacle to Korea ’s independent, peaceful reunification at present is the occupation of south Korea by the US imperialist army of aggression and interference by the US in our internal affairs. If the US imperialists were to pull out of south Korea and stop med­dling in our affairs, the people of north and south Korea would join hands and reunify the country peacefully through their own efforts. With the active support and encouragement of the progressive people of the world, we will drive the US imperialist army of aggression out of south Korea and achieve the independent, peaceful reunification of the country, thus realizing our national aspiration and, at the same time, fulfilling our important duty to the international cause of inde­pendence against imperialism.

The DPRK Government and the Korean people will strive to strengthen their unity with the peoples of the socialist and nonaligned countries and other progressive people of the world and to promote friendly and cooperative relations with all countries which are friend­ly towards our country.

In firm unity with their progressive foreign colleagues, the Korean people of the press will wage a resolute struggle and contribute actively to humanity’s sacred common cause of building a new world, free of imperialism, colonialism, aggression and war.

The progressive people of the press are the proud pioneers of our times, brave public and political figures. The progressive people of the world press should unite firmly under the banner of anti-imperial­ism, friendship and peace and vigorously pursue their revolutionary writing activities, so that the voice of justice may ring out more loud­ly throughout the globe.

My hearty wishes to you delegates and the progressive men and women of the press throughout the world for great success in your work, and here at this gathering overflowing with revolutionary ardour and friendship, allow me to propose a toast:

To the triumph of the cause of independence against imperialism, To the lasting peace and security of the world, To the friendship and solidarity of the world’s peace-lovers, To the health of you delegates and the world’s progressive people of the press, and:

To the health of all comrades and friends present here.