Report of the 11th Visit to the land of Juche Korea by Dermot Hudson

                                                     

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 .

                                  

   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

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