August 15th this year marks 75 years since the liberation of Korea from Japanese colonialism. Korea ceased to exist from the world map from 1910 to 1945. The Ulsa Protection Treaty began the history of ordeals under the heel of Japanese Imperialism. The Korean people lost all their liberties, including the right to speak Korean and to have Korean surnames during the period of Japanese rule. Between 1910 and 1918 the Japanese Imperialists extorted over a million hectares of land. The Japanese controlled the factories, mines and fishing grounds of Korea and owned all the natural resources of Korea such as coal, gold and other rare minerals. Most Korean workers had to work 14 to 16 hours a day for starvation wages for the Japanese overlords. During the Japanese wars of aggression in China, South East Asia and the Pacific, thousands of Korean youth were dragged into the service of the Japanese Imperial Army as cannon fodder. The foulest deed committed by the Japanese Imperialists was the issue of the 200,000 Korean women rounded up into sexual slavery as so-called "comfort women" by the Japanese Army. Regrettably, Britain played a shameful role in the colonization of Korea by affirming Japan's control over Korea in treaties concluded in 1902.
After a 15-year long national liberation struggle, Korea was freed from the nightmare of Japanese occupation. The victory gained in the epic Anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle was possible due to the leadership of the Great Kim IL Sung, the Hero of the Korean nation. With the forces of the Korean Peoples Revolutionary Army, Peoples Committees were set up throughout the country, from Sinuiju to Pusan. A new promising age awaited for a unified, Independent and Democratic Korea. These aspirations were cut short by the pen of the likes of Dean Rusk at the US War Department who put the 38 parallel line through the heart of Korea in August 1945. The Korean people were never consulted over the division of their country by the outside forces.
The 75th anniversary of the national liberation of Korea brings to mind the urgent task of bringing about the peaceful and independent reunification of Korea. Significant progress has been made in the cause of reunification since the Summitt Meeting of June 15th, 2000 between the leaders of the north and south Korea. The hopes of the Korean people for reunification were raised by the north-south summit meetings of April and September 2018 and by the Panmunjom and Pyongyang Declarations. Peace and reunification can only be achieved by the efforts of the Korean people themselves, whether they be in the north, in the south or overseas. The issue of Korean reunification can be resolved by the Our Nation Itself method without the interference of the major powers. Indeed the reunification of Korea would be the second liberation of the Korean people.
The Staffordshire Korean Friendship Association greets the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Korea. Our branch demands that the Japanese Government makes amends for its crimes against the Korean people committed during the occupation and express true regret and payout adequate compensation to the Korean nation. We call upon all peace-loving and progressive people to campaign for reunification in Korea and for peace on the Korean peninsula, for solidarity with the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and for an end to all sanctions against the DPRK!
KOREA IS ONE! PEACE IN KOREA!
LONG LIVE THE 75th ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL LIBERATION OF THE KOREAN PEOPLE!
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