Juche Korea upholds revolutionary principles ,keeping the Red flag flying in the land of the morning calm

                                     

Visiting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , the land of Juche in April , one could see that the DPRK was holding fast to the Juche idea , to the line of self-reliance and socialism . Last year some sections of the mainstream media and some so-called think tanks and overpaid bourgeois academic 'Korea experts' peddled all kinds of rumours about 'system change' 'end of socialism ' and even said that a McDonalds would be opened in Pyongyang and that the DPRK would join the hated International Monetary Fund . Some progressive people worried and asked 'is this the end of the road for Juche socialism  ?' However one could see no evidence at all to confirm such rumours and speculations of the venal imperialists .Indeed the DPRK is holding higher the red banner of socialism and the banner of self-reliance .
   During the first few days of our visit important events took place including the reelection of respected Marshal KIM JONG UN as Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK . He made the keynote policy speech  "On Socialist Construction and the Internal and External Policies of the Government of the Republic at the Present Stage" on the 12th of April  which strongly stressed self-reliance saying that "Whatever wind may blow and whatever challenges and difficulties may lie ahead, our Republic will, in the future, too, make no concession or compromise over the issues concerning the fundamental interests of our State and people. It will resolve everything on the strength of self-reliance and self-development, stepping up the building of a powerful socialist country in our own way and by our own efforts." .This made it crystal clear that the DPRK would not abandon self-reliance . Basically it dealt a blow to the imperialists and others who hoped to the DPRK abandon self-reliance and take the road of depending on other countries.
Earlier as we were on our way to the DPRK , I learnt that  respected Marshal KIM JONG UN had addressed the 4th Plenary meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea . He  said that 'Self-reliance and self-supporting national economy are the bedrock of the existence of our own style socialism, the motive power of its advance and development and the eternal lifeline essential to the destiny of our revolution' which defined basically defined self-reliance . He also said that 'To thoroughly establish the socialist lifestyle is an important work for maintaining the Juche character and national identity and preserving the true nature of socialism and giving full play to its advantages in the field of cultural life'. This is a militant idea of smashing imperialist ideological and cultural infiltration , of tightening the mosquito net . As President KIM IL SUNG once said 'Careless opening may allow mosquitoes and blowflies to fly in and cause damage. We must conduct exchanges and joint ventures with other countries, but we must pitch mosquito nets to prevent those insects from infiltrating '. Indeed some countries did open the door very wide but did not put up a mosquito net , with the result that when one passes through such countries that neighbour the DPRK , one has to look hard for any sign  that it is a socialist country.
                                     

  Visiting the DPRK for the 17th time  I could see the Red flag was proudly flying on street corners and we saw groups of people carrying red flags and groups of housewives twirling red flags and beating drums ,usually in front of Metro stations or in squares . They were doing this to motivate people to greater feats in socialist construction under the uplifted banner of self-reliance and self-development . What this proves is that in the DPRK today as in the past is giving stress to ideology ahead of other work . This is actually the method of work that is prescribed by the Juche idea which says that stress should be placed on ideology .As the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL wrote in his classic thesis "ON THE JUCHE IDEA " ," The popular masses، consciousness of independence playsa decisive role in the revolutionary movement. Therefore, n the revolution and construction one must place the main stress on ideology and give priority over all work to the remoulding of ideology, the political work, which is aimed at raising the consciousness and activeness of the masses". One could see this concept being put into practice in the DPRK .
                                       

At night from my hotel room I could see in the distance the torch on top of the Juche idea Tower ,lit up with a bright red glow.Symbolically the red rays of the Juche are shining all over the world . Later we were able to visit the Juche Idea Tower and see the numerous inscribed stones sent by Juche Idea study groups, friendship associations and individual Juche idea followers . The Juche Idea Tower is on the banks of the River Taedong , the area around it is incredibly clean , pristine , nothing like the dirty , greasy streets of capitalist countries. Here there is no beggar to be seen , no drunks or drug addicts and no McDonalds or KFC wrappers .You could tell that the Korean people are really proud of the Juche Idea Tower and scrupulously keep the area clean. The Juche Idea Tower symbolises Juche Korea and the Juche idea .It stands tall and proud in the centre of the centre of Pyongyang like a towering giant that is defying imperialism, capitalism and revisionism !
                                               

    The DPRK has no illusions about imperialism whatsoever .Visiting the Fatherland Liberation War
Museum were were taken around the section which details the atrocities committed by the US imperialists during the war .The guide said that 4.2 million Korean people were killed by the US imperialists. We saw pictures of the awful massacres committed by the US imperialists and learnt about their biological and chemical warfare against the Korean people. We also saw the part of the museum that covers the liberation of Seoul. I was impressed to learn that how the Korean People's Army broke open the prisons in south Korea to free south Korean communists , patriots and revolutionaries who had been unjustly imprisoned by the Syngham Rhee puppet fascist regime .
 I was more convinced through my visit to the DPRK that the DPRK is firmly upholding Juche  and the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance more strongly than before under the leadership of dear
respected Marshal KIM JONG UN .
Dr Dermot Hudson
Chairman Juche Idea Study Group of England
President Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK
Chairman UK Korean Friendship Association
Chairman British Solidarity Committee for Peace and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula
secretary general International Central Committee for Songun Study