Refutation of Daily Telegraph article on the DPRK

                                                              

The reactionary ultra-conservative mouthpiece the "Daily Telegraph" (often known wittily as the "Daily Torygraph")carried a slanderous article saying that the DPRK was the "most miserable place" and making ludicrous claims such as" stagnated under the banner of economic "self-sufficiency" and rigid centralised planning over the last half century." Nothing could be further from the truth! Rather than stagnating the DPRK has advanced at a very fast rate under the banner of Juche and self-reliance  and now the DPRK is entering an unprecedented period of prosperity in which buildings are going up one after the other !
                            

In fact during the late 1950s industrial output growth hit 40% some years.(an even faster rate of growth than the USSR in the 1930s) . In 1957 the workers of the Kangson steel plant (now the Chollima Steel Complex) took the lead by doubling production by producing a 120,000 tons of steel from a mill with a rated capacity of  60,000 tons thus doubling production in one go !. In those days a flat was built every 14 minutes in Pyongyang .During the period 1957-1970 the DPRK's economy grew by 19.1%. In the period 1970-1979 the DPRK's industrial output value grew by 15.9% annually and during the Six Year Plan period (1971-1976) it had grown by 16.3% per annum.`Between 1946 and 1984 industrial output value increased by 431 times and national income increased by 65 times and the annual rate of growth was 14.1% . This figure was nearly double that of the official figure for south Korean economic growth in that period which was 8%(though in reality this figure was probably exaggerated by the south Korean puppet regime).  The DPRK has an independent economy, a diversified economy which can make anything from a wristwatch to a long range missile !
                                 

The "Telegraph " makes various high falutin claims about south Korea  trying to propandaise it as some kind of 'capitalist success story ' . The reality is otherwise.
                                           

Actually the economic structure of south Korea is a case study of dependence upon the USA, Japan and the European Union. South Korea's external debt is $370 billion (or $7,400 per head of population) and its internal debt is $319 billion. The United States concluded a Free Trade Agreement with south Korea, which give the American capitalists unlimited access to this Asian market. Famous south Korean brand names such as "Samsung", are about 82% foreign owned. US companies such Ford, IBM, Coca-Cola, McDonald s, Japanese firms like Mitsubishi and Sony and even British concerns such as Barclay s Bank, ICI, BP and Tesco have a foothold in every city and village of south Korea.

South Korea depends on the import of energy, which is within the region of 96.5 per cent. For import of minerals, it is 95 per cent. South Korea's rate of self sufficiency in grain is 27 per cent. The rate of self sufficiency in wheat, maize and bean is 05, 1.8 and 8.4 per cent. Foreign capital holds 40 per cent of south Korean stock market assets. Apparently, the parent company of Johnny Walker Whiskey, Diageo is a major investor in the south Korean drinks industry.

 As a consequence of the total opening of the south Korean economy, and bankruptcy of the south Korean economic structure, there has been a drastic decrease in the standard of living. In south Korea, there are about 5.7 million people surviving below the poverty line, 10 per cent of the population own 53 per cent of the wealth and property, while the majority have a 1 per cent ownership. The gap between the earnings of the extremely rich and poor has increased 14.5 times, with 1 per cent having a private income of 16 per cent. In south Korea there are eight million unemployed people. Most south Korean educational and health services are privately owned controlled. 
                                         

       

It is also needs to be pointed that in the DPRK the workday is legally limited to 8 hours with 6-7 hours for heavy industries  whereas in south Korea people have to slave for 12-14 hours a day. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reported that south Korea has the longest working hours in the world and the least amount of paid holidays.
                                                 

The "Telegraph" enthuses over the fact that south Korea is a member of the G20. So what , yes south Korea is a member of the G20 but what is the G20 ?  It is a grouping that combines the imperialist countries with some third world countries , basically an instrument of globalisation . It is a group of capitalist countries committed to austerity and cutbacks . Being a member of the G20 is not an achievement. Every G20 summit is met with protests and violent disorder.
South Korea is shackled to US imperialism and world imperialism in several ways , first and foremost by being occupied by US troops and different treaties with the US  and it is also shackled by its membership of imperialist dominated
outfits like the IMF, World Bank , APEC and the G20. The "Telegraph " appears to celebrate south Korea's dependency . However the DPRK guided by the great Juche idea and the spirit of independence and self-reliance which is buttressed by Songun(Army first) politics is well known and respected by all as the most independent state in the world that adheres to the strongest anti American ,anti-imperialist line   !

Rather than the DPRK being the most miserable place on earth as asserted by the reactionary Telegraph , it is a thriving people's paradise where workers do not pay tax but get free housing  .
                                   

 
If the "Telegraph " journalist wants to find the most miserable place on earth we suggest he starts with looking at south Korea where the people are slaves of the Yankee imperialists  or on his own doorstep , the capitalist countries of the West where the homeless slept rough in the streets in all weathers. !

ASSPUK
JISGE
UK KFA