A
delegation of the Association For the Study of Songun Politics UK
Juche Idea Study Group of England and UK KFA the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea , the land of Songun . Our delegation arrived on the 7th of April
and left on the 19th of April . We were there at the kind invitation of
the Korean Association of Social Scientists . We were greatly impressed
by the generous and lavish hospitality of the KASS.
Our delegation consisted of myself and two young members of our organisation . It was their first time in People's Korea but
my 11th visit since 1992.
We arrived at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport on the afternoon of
the 7th of April. We had a relatively trouble free transit through
revisionist China (which had recently voted on the UNSC in favour of
sanctions against the DPRK for exercising its independent right to
launch a satellite ) but nevertheless it was a long journey crossing
time zone after time zone with a one night stopover in Beijing .
Arriving at Pyongyang my friend David remarked that there was no
capitalist advertising at the Airport and how different this was to both
revisionist China and the capitalist UK( at Beijing airport one of the
first things David noticed was the US imperialist
capitalist monopoly KFC and other imperialists multi-nationals such as
Pizza Hut, McDonalds , Burger King , Starbucks and HSBC were not far
behind , how can such a place be a socialist country ?) . The DPRK had
the definite look of a socialist country . Pyongyang Airport
We were met and civilly greeted at the Airport by Mr Kim Sok Ho head of
the European Section of the KASS and Madame Choi translator and
guide. As we drove into the centre of Pyongyang I was told that the
construction of a new street Ryomyong
street had began . The DPRK plans to build one new street per year in
Pyongyang . Later during the visit I was able to see with my own eyes
the magnificent Mirae Scientists Street . This had multi-storied
buildings with flats equipped with all mod cons and there was even a big
hospital and a clinic in Mirae Scientists Street. Pyongyang gets even more
beautiful each time I visit. The DPRK is totally undeterred by the
massive packages of sanctions that have been piled up on the DPRK by the
UN Security Council , US , Japan, EU and some so-called "friends" and "
allies" of the DPRK( these traitors need to hang their heads in shame).
The criminal sanctions have been imposed not because of any wrongdoing
by the DPRK but are really aimed at crippling the building of socialism
in the DPRK Mr Kim explained to our delegation that because of the
independent national economy and self-reliance , the sanctions cannot
defeat the DPRK . Later in the visit we saw the vitality of
self-reliance at the Phyongchon
Revolutionary Site. The Korean people are waging a 70 speed battle to
greet the 7th congress of the Workers' Party of Korea which will be held on the 7th of May. We saw the 70 day campaign in progress with agitation teams encouraging workers and a lot of construction traffic on the streets. People were also getting ready for the Party Congress in May.
Mr Kim Sok Ho
explained that in the past the DPRK had advanced at the speed of
Chollima , a legendary horse said to cover 400km a day but now people
advance at the speed of Mallima , a horse that can travel 10,000 km in a
day !
We went to our accommodation at the splendid Pyongyang Koryo Hotel.
My young friends were extremely impressed by the standard of the hotel
saying that it is was unbelievable and they did not expect such a big
hotel room . The rooms in the Pyongyang Koryo Hotel are actually bigger
than many flats in London ! The food we had was excellent . There were
plenty of fresh
vegetables and salad . We could tell that the vegetables were really
fresh . In the UK the diet is poor because of too
many processed foods often which have a high sugar and high fat
content. Vegetables in the UK are rarely fresh and most people are
disinclined to eat them as they are often presented in an unappetizing
way.
Although our delegation had come to participate in the celebrations of
the Day of the Sun , the 104th birth anniversary of the great leader
President KIM IL SUNG , for me a central part of the visit was to give a deliberation on my Doctorate and receive
the diploma. It was an incredible honour . Years ago I had studied
History with English at the then King Alfred’s College, Winchester (now
the University of Winchester ) . I had dreams of an academic career ,
of studying for an MA and Phd and
becoming a University or college lecturer. I graduated with a 2.2
degree and embarked on study for a Master of Arts degree in
Historiography and Historical Methods but no financial support was
given to me by the state so I had to find the money for the course fees
myself and support myself. Worse still I graduated in the year when
unemployment was at its highest and became a victim of Thatcher. I also
tried to get housing in the area near to the Polytechnic where I was
studying. I tried asking the local authority but was given a stern
rebuke. Thus faced with unemployment and unable to pay the fees plus
travelling long distances I had to leave the course . My hopes and
dreams were destroyed. My aspirations were crushed by the cruel and mean
exploitative capitalist society . My dream of being a
Doctor came true in socialist Korea of Juche . I am very grateful to
KASS and in particular Professor Kim Chang Gyong, for their help in
enabling me to realise a dream .
My paper was on the subject of defending the Songun idea and
incorporated the text of my book " In Defence of Songun " as well as
materials about the reality of People's Korea today . I had resolved to
write a book defending the Songun idea when I read about the attacks on
the Songun idea by revisionists and dogmatists. I had to give a short
deliberation to 15 professors at the new Sci-Tech complex and answer
questions . It was very interesting for me. I liked when one of the
professors remarked that the dictatorship of the proletariat must be
continually strengthened . A decision was taken to award me the degree
of
Doctor and was I was duly awarded the degree along with Mr Kulikov of
Russia and the Mongolian Enkhbadralt Dagandava at the Mansudae Assembly
Hall by the vice premier of the DPRK
Kim Yong Jin . Little did I imagine such an honour! Frankly it was
difficult to complete the paper , because of pressure of work and also
trying to settle the estate of my late mother as well as coping with the
effects of the bereavement.
Our delegation paid respects to the great leader President KIM IL SUNG
at the Mansu Hill , on the 14th of April and also at the Kumsusan Palace
of the Sun on the 15th of April. President KIM IL SUNG is the father of
modern Korea and founder of socialist Korea. President KIM IL SUNG was a
gifted ideologist and theoretician, the outstanding leader of the
international communist movement and world, an gifted military
strategist, an exemplar of leadership and a benevolent father of the
people, Today the Juche revolutionary cause and Songun revolutionary
cause is carried forward by the respected Marshal KIM JONG UN, supreme
leader of the WPK and DPRK and its revolutionary armed forces. Marshal
KIM JONG UN is the great successor to the cause of the great leader
comrade KIM IL SUNG and he is sure to ensure that there is no deviation
from the proud Juche path travelled by the DPRK.
During the visit my conviction that the DPRK is totally self-reliant ,
Juche-based and Songun-based was greatly reaffirmed. Some people slander
the Korean revolution and Juche by saying that the DPRK a creation of
either the Soviet Union or China or both or that socialism in the DPRK
is the gift of another country. Nothing could be further from the truth
! Visiting the the
Phyongchon Revolutionary Site for the first ever time I could see that
the DPRK was always self-reliant and independent right from day one
after liberation in 1945. The Phyongchon Revolutionary site consists of
the original arms workshop, the testing ground and a revolutionary
museum. It is the home of the Songun based armaments industry of the
DPRK. .
Phyongchon is the place where the great leader President KIM IL SUNG
together with the anti-Japanese war heroine KIM JONG SUK and the young general KIM
JONG IL witnessed the first test fire of the first Korean made tommy gun
on the 12 of December 1948 . It was at this place where dear respected
Marshal KIM JONG UN announced on the 6th of December 2015 that the DPRK
would test its first self-reliant Hydrogen bomb. It
was at Pyongchon that the new Juche Korea under the leadership of the
great leader President KIM IL SUNG established its independent munitions
industry . At first some great power chauvinists in a certain country
told Korea that they should not establish its own armed forces nor have
its own munitions industry. President KIM IL SUNG also insisted that the
DPRK should not simply assemble weapons made by another country but
should produce its own
weapons . This idea goes right back to the days of the anti-Japanese
armed struggle when the Korean guerrillas made the Yongil bomb. It had
been hoped that the USSR would supply a hand grenade factory but for
whatever reason this did not materialise. President KIM IL SUNG himself
worked on the design of the Yongil bomb. There are actual Yongil bombs
in the Revolutionary Museum. Now the DPRK has its own nuclear 'Yongil
bomb' . Looking around the Museum we could see the development of the
DPRK arms industry, By the later 1940s the DPRK was not only producing
rifles and sub-machine guns but also mortars. During the Fatherland
Liberation War President KIM IL SUNG took the measure of moving the
complex and its personnel to the safety of Kunja-ri so the daft Yankees
ended up bombing an empty factory thinking they had scored a great
victory !
Visiting the Pyongchon revolutionary site I reflected on how correct
President KIM IL SUNG was to take the path of self-reliance ,the path of Juche
and Songun . Both the anti-Japanese armed struggle and the Fatherland
Liberation War taught that it is unwise to rely on other countries .
Moreover the Caribbean crisis of 1962 proved that a small country cannot
rely on a big country for its defence; the revisionist USSR under the
coward and buffoon Khruschov did a deal with US imperialism and stabbed
Cuba in the back.
In his New Year address Marshal KIM JONG UN emphasised the
self-development idea . Self-reliance and self-development are the key
to victory .Self
reliance means rejecting imperialist slavery.Looking around the streets
of the DPRK we could see self-reliance powering ahead the rapid
construction of socialism. There were many new buildings. Although the
road from Pyongyang to the northern mountains I saw many new power
stations on the river. In the shops most goods were DPRK made.Many of
the cars on the road were also DPRK made . I found a bottle of DPRK
made Cola in the hotel shop , I called it Juche Cola ! , this could
become an anti-imperialist and socialist alternative to Coca Cola. It is
the conviction of our organisations , the ASSPUK and JISGE , that Juche
Idea and Songun Idea followers should boycott all US made products as a
protest against US and UNSC sanctions against the DPRK.
The performance at the Mangyondae Schoolchildrens Palace contained a
story by the children about self-reliance. It begins with a lazy bear
sleeping snoring away loudly.The squirrels say that they will build
Hydroelectric power stations by themselves with their own efforts . The
bears say that it is all very well for the squirrels to do this but they
the bears believe in importing them . In the end a bear returns from
the elephants village dispirited and distraught because the elephants
demanded more fruit than they the bears had to offer as the price for the
power station , whereas the squirrels hydro electric power station goes
online . A simple story demonstrating the great vitality of
self-reliance !
Of course self-reliance does not mean that the DPRK turns it back on
other countries. Juche is profoundly internationalist . Some
revisionists , Trotskyites and imperialists have slandered Juche saying
that it is 'nationalism' and that the DPRK does not care about other
countries . Nothing could be further from the truth .Visiting the newly
rebuilt and expanded Fatherland Liberation War Museum on the Potong
River we saw a new section about the heroes of the Korean People's Army
who fought in the Vietnam war against the US imperialists . President KIM
IL SUNG dispatched KPA volunteers to Vietnam including pilots to assist
the Vietnamese people. Indeed actions speak louder than words. This was
a sublime example
of the lofty proletarian internationalism of the DPRK which is second
to none in the world . The revisionists of various kinds refused to
support anti-imperialist struggles or downgraded them but the DPRK
upheld the banner of anti-imperialist struggle. We also saw in the
International Friendship Exhibition gifts from many parties and fighting organisations which reflects the big role that the DPRK plays in the world revolution .
The Fatherland Liberation War Museum graphically shows the defeat of the US imperialists
in the Korean War . It is not just a museum but a centre for education
in the Songun idea and in anti-imperialist class education. This time I
was able to see the new hall about the Songun revolutionary leadership
and the victory in the DPRK-US stand-off. The guide told us that the museum is so big that it would take 3 days to see everything properly .
We saw for the first time the Jongsung Revolutionary Museum where President
KIM
IL SUNG worked during the Fatherland Liberation War guiding it to
victory . It was here ,underground, that the Cabinet of the DPRK and
Military Commission of the DPRK were situated . It was here that
President KIM IL SUNG worked out people-orientated policies and implemented them . I was astonished to learn that prices
were reduced by 20 per cent on average and 50 per cent at maximum
during the war ! This is incredible , even in peacetime in the UK a
price reduction is unthinkable and prices just go up and up. It was here in November 1952 that President KIM IL SUNG took the decision to implement universal free medical care
and this went into effect on the 1st of January 1953 . The world people
said that this was a bomb against the US imperialists !
The people orientated policies of Marshal KIM JONG UN were very much in
evidence everywhere . We saw good quality housing which is distributed
free of charge to the people . At the Monument to the Foundation of the
Party we were told that chairman KIM JONG IL said that the flats near
to the Monument should be given to ordinary working people. Visiting the
Pyongyang Metro which is positively palatial we learnt how the fares
are very low and free for honoured war veterans. The DPRK has a flat
rate fare policy for tube, bus, tram and trolleybus so all the fares are
the same.
Just a sketchy comparison of prices etc. Tube, bus ,trollybus tram
fare 5 won which is about 2p to 3p whereas the minimum cash fare on the
London underground is £4.90 or £2.40 with oyster card . A litre bottle
of DPRK is 60 won orabout
48p whereas the cheapest own brand Cola is about £1. A hair cut at the
Munsu Water Park is only about £1.50 compared to £7 for the cheapest
hair cut in London.
We also saw leisure and cultural facilities such as the Munsu Water Park , the Mangyondae Schoolchildrens Palace and the Pyongyang Circus.We could see no 'human rights' problem , only ordinary Korean people enjoyinga good life .
We also saw leisure and cultural facilities such as the Munsu Water Park , the Mangyondae Schoolchildrens Palace and the Pyongyang Circus.We could see no 'human rights' problem , only ordinary Korean people enjoyinga good life .
The sanctions appear to have no effect
as the DPRK is self-reliant . No one is talking about a 'new arduous
march' or " famine" . It was a falsification by the reactionaries that there that the DPRK said it would experience a "famine " because of the sanctions. I was told that no such article appeared in "Rodong Sinmun " or anywhere else in the DPRK. Walking around the streets everyone looked healthy and well-dressed. There was no one begging and no one homeless or sleeping in shop doorways.
The DPRK invests heavily in education and science . I was able to see the new
Sci-Tech
complex on Ssuk Islet . This is massive . It is eco friendly using
geo-thermal power and natural light. I saw rows and rows of DPRK made
computers . It was incredible . It really was "Tomorrow's World " It will only be a matter of time before the DPRK overtakes
the declining and decadent West in terms of technology and science .
Of course the US imperialists and world imperialists are doing
everything to prevent the advance of the DPRK whether it is by military
threat , sanctions or ideological and cultural infiltration . They also block the way of the Korean peopleby keeping Korea divided . President KIM IL SUNG and Chairman KIM JONG IL fought for reunification all their lives and today that fight is continued by dearrespected
Marshal KIM JONG UN . The Korean People's Army has said in the event
of a war it will liberate the south and reunify the country , this is a
no nonsense uncompromising stand . It was our privilege to visit the
Pyongyang
Mission
of the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front of south Korea and
met the courageous vanguard south Korean revolutionary fighters led by
comrade Zo
Il Min. Comrade Zo Il Min gave a detailed account of south Korean
revolutionary history including the formation of the Revolutionary Party
for Reunification (RPR) which is the forerunner of today's AINDF . The Preparatory Committee for Founding the Revolutionary Party for Reunification was set up in 1964 and the party itself formed in 1969. It published the paper "Hyokmong Jonson " (Revolutionary Front ) and had its own radio station. We were shown the images of south Korean
revolutionary martyrs such as comrade Kim Jong Tae , chairman of the
Seoul City Committee of the RPR. Kim Jong Tae was murdered by the south Korean fascist puppets in 1969- Comrade Zo told us how the US
imperialists occupied his village in south Korea when he was a teenager
and also about the uprising against Syngham Rhee.We saw an excellent
video about US war moves against the DPRK which included footage of our picket of the US embassy and a KFA meeting in Spain. We were presented with beautiful gifts by the AINDF Mission. We agreed that we must do more to support the AINDF.
I also had meetings , with the Korean Publications Exchange Association , the
Korean Committee For Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and the
KIM IL SUNG- KIM JONG IL International Foundation.
Our
delegation attended a performance of the April Spring Friendship
Festival where we saw artistes from Russia, Ukraine, Malaysia , Vietnam
and other countries. This proves that the DPRK is not isolated like the
imperialists claim.
We
also visited the splendid and beautiful KIMILSUNGIA -KIMJONGILIA exhibition on the
banks of the River Taedong . We were overjoyed and proud to see our own KIMILSUNGIA exhibited in a prominent position. We never expected such an honour.
It was a great visit . All on our delegation agreed that their
experience was positive. We would have liked to have stayed for a few
more weeks.
(Dr)Dermot Hudson
Head of Delegation
President ASSPUK
Chairman JISGE
Chair UK Preparatory Committee
Chair UK Preparatory Committee
This is a short report and will be expanded in the coming weeks and the other
members of the delegation will issue their own reports
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