Our delegation along with delegations from Austria , Bangladesh, Bulgaria , Czechoslovakia , Ethiopia ,Guinea India, Japan, Mongolia, Nepal , Russia , Sri Lanka , Sweden,Uganda and Ukraine ,participated in the seminar of the Juche Idea ,organised by the Korean Association of Social Scientists on the occasion of the 107th anniversary of the birth of the great leader comrade KIM IL SUNG .It was held in the conference hall of the majestic and splendid People's Palace of Culture in the centre of Pyongyang .
The seminar was presided over by Comrade Ri Hye Jong first vice-chairwoman of the Korean Association of Social Scientists and president of the Academy of Social Sciences and also by Professor Dr Harish Gupta ,vice director general of the International Institute of the Juche Idea Professor Alhassan Mamman Muhammad and Takao Kamakura, director sof the International Institute of the Juche Idea.The delegations were mostly Juche Idea and Songun idea study organisations but also national liberation movements.
The seminar congratulated the dear respected leader Marshal KIM JONG UN on his re-election as Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and Professor Harish Gupta read out a congratulatory letter which was adopted by the seminar . There was also a congratulatory address to the seminar by comrade Ri Hye Jong .
In the morning session DPRK professors and academics delivered papers with titles such as "Self-reliance Is the Mode of Our People's Struggle to defend and realise independence ' , Realising Worldwide Independence is a Major requirement of the Juche idea " and "DPRK is a Juche-orientated socialist state with Invincible Might ". I think all the papers delivered by DPRK academics were very good and very pleasing . The "Self-reliance Is the Mode of Our People's Struggle to defend and realise independence ' was a paper that caught my attention for a number of reasons . Firstly ,because some reactionary imperialist media outlets and so-called 'experts ' had spread an ugly rumour that the DPRK was abandoning self-reliance as a result of the DPRK-US summit and inter-Korean summit , of course such an idea is complete nonsense but it was great to hear a DPRK professor speak about self-reliance. Secondly, self-reliance is a very powerful weapon , a weapon that the imperialists fear more than 10,000 nuclear tests . So I listened with great interest to the translation of the paper. The speaker said that "Our republic (the DPRK) is an independent socialist state whose life and soul is independence and its people the dignified people who are invariably applying the mode of self-reliance to defend and realise the independence of the country and nation.
Self reliance is the revolutionary spirit ,fighting spirit and mode of the struggle to solve all problems arising in carving out the destiny of the country and nation with one's own efforts without depending on others '. The speaker told the story of the Yongil bomb. During the anti-Japanese armed struggle , some anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters hoped that the USSR , the first workers and peasants state in the world , would build a hand grenade factory for the anti-Japanese guerrillas but it never materialised so the anti-Japanese guerrillas created the Yongil bomb in the spirit of self-reliance. The speaker also said that "today many countries in the world are turned into commodity and weapon market of the big powers our people have high pride and self-confidence in attaining self-sufficiency in manufacturing not only conventional weapons but strategic ones on the basis of self-supporting economy " . This made me think . These days some countries are depending on big powers for their defence and also for supplies of weapons but the DPRK has self-reliant defence with its own nuclear deterrent. Some people say that if Venezuela had its own ICBMs it would not be facing regime change actions and threats from the US .
The paper on " Realising Worldwide Independence is a Major requirement of the Juche idea" pointed out that 'Making the world independent is the original idea put forward by President KIM IL SUNG and leader KIM JONG IL , the great sun of the era of independence in reflection of the the aspiration of mankind and the the requirements of the Juche idea , and the great idea developed in depth by Supreme leader KIM JONG UN " . Furthermore the speaker declared that "The people in the DPRK , the homeland of the Juche idea will advance straight along the road of independence and socialism no how the situation and the surrounding circumstances may change and play the vanguard role in the struggle for realizing worldwide independence as the guardians of independence and justice ". This was a powerful reaffirmation of the anti-imperialist independent line of the DPRK which has not changed.
My friend Professor Kim Chang Gyong spoke on " DPRK is a Juche-orientated socialist state with Invincible Might" which is also the title of a work by the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL that was published in September 2008. Professor Kim in a very lucid and forthright style explained how the DPRK's inviniciblity and might basically rests on four pillars , firstly that is a dignified country of the people , secondly , it is a country of single-hearted unity ,thirdly the DPRK is a mircalous country with an independent national economy and and self-reliant defence capablities , fourthly it is a country where the countinuity of leadership has been maintained . Professor Kim in his conclusion said that "Thorougoing fidelity to the people , monolithic ideology , steadfast independence and consistent continuity are the characteristics peculiar to the DPRK .This is the secret of the mightiness of the DPRK .
Cherishing deep the pride and self-confidence of that their country ,their motherland is the best in the world , the Korean people will strive harder to hasten the victory in the cause of building a powerful socialist country ".
A speech of Dr Ogami Ken-chi secretary general of the International Institute of the Juche Idea was read out by Professor Takao Kamakura in his absence . It was titled "Great leader Possessed of People-First principle Opens Up Brilliant Future " this speech focussed on the energetic diplomatic activities of respected Marshal KIM JONG UN and his people-orientated policies . It also referred to the work of juch Juche idea followers and outlined successful Juche idea study activities in Mexico . Prof Dr Harish Gupta vice director general of the IJJI spoke on "Kim Il Sung -the Champion of Global Independence and Peace " . He concluded with the words "I firmly believe that Korea will emerge victorious as a strong Juche socialist state under the dynamic leadership of Marshal KIM JONG UN . I wish him a long healthy and fruiful life ".
We were shown two videos both very informative . One was about the history of the study of the Juche idea from the early days right up to the present .it featured many international and regional seminars on the Juche idea as well the World Juche Idea Congress and Juche Idea seminars in Pyongyang .I briefly saw myself speaking at a seminar in Pyongyang in the video. Then there was video about education , health and housing in the DPRK .
In the afternoon , some Juche idea followers were awarded medals and orders . During the afternoon session a number of delegates took the floor and spoke including myself . I said that "
I became a Juche idea follower in the 1980s
but first visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in May 1992 and
have visited the DPRK over 16 times.
Sometimes it seems only like yesterday when I first stepped off the plane and
placed my foot on the soil of the Juche socialist motherland for the first time.
Each time I visit the DPRK I learn something new.
After a few
days in the DPRK I became more certain of the superiority of the Juche idea and
Juche-based socialism. As a Korean comrade said to me “As you can see socialism
is victorious in our country “.One night I lay awake in my comfortable
apartment and reflected on how solid and durable the DPRK,was, that it would
last for eternity that it could never collapse. I recalled visiting revisionist
Hungary in the 1980s, where bourgeois ideology and culture had infiltrated
deeply. Hungarian people had negative attitude to socialism. "Comrade Lukas Vrobel of Vice-Chairman of Paektusan Czech-Korean Association said that "
Korean socialism must not be just an unattainable ideal for us at the other end of the world. It is our duty not only to defend it and take lessons and inspiration from it, but above all to achieve the victory of socialism around the world, in accordance with the Juche idea, with an emphasis on national independence.
Let me wish the heroic Korean people much success in building and defending socialism, in efforts for lasting and rightful peace and for an independent reunification of the country.".
Uganda and Mongolian delegates spoke about the close relations between their countries and the DPRK. .The Ugandan delegate warmly referred to the assistance given to Uganda by the DPRK in the past . A Swedish student of KIM IL SUNG University spoke about his experience of studying Korean in the DPRK .
At the end of the seminar there was a multi-media presentation by Japanese Juche idea followers.
It was a productive and fruitful seminar that I was glad to attend.
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
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