I visited the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea from the 6th of September to the 13th of
September to participate in the International Seminar on the Juche Idea for
Anti-Imperialism , Independence and Solidarity which was organised by the Korean Association of Social Scientists
and the International Institute of the Juche Idea and also the celebrations of the 68th anniversary of the foundation of the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea the sacred homeland of Juche !
I made the long
journey from London to the DPRK travelling via Beijing . After a 10 hour flight
from London I spent one night in Beijing and then proceeded to Pyongyang on Air
Koryo. I was able to meet at Beijing Airport
comrade Mikel Vivanko of the Juche Idea Study Group of Spain and KFA
Official Delegate for Spain , also some Juche Idea followers recognised me from
Facebook . I boarded the excellent Air
Koryo plane . Air Koryo is a most revolutionary airline not like capitalist
airlines . The video screens said it was the "flight of Songun Korea ". When we
flew over the Amnokgang river the stewardess announced we were flying over the
sites of the anti-Japanese revolutionary battlefields where the anti -Japanese
guerrillas lie buried . Our plane glided into Pyongyang . I was met at the Airport by the
vice-director of KASS and my guide for the visit Ms Ri
from the Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies who had
been my guide in October 2015 and have
proven to be a most helpful and kind guide who made me feel at home. I also met the chairman of the Writers Union of Korea at the
Airport .
Although some
parts of Korea had been affected by floods the situation in Pyongyang was quite normal .Looking out of the window of the bus I
could see abundant and lush crops of rice and maize growing well in the fields. Later on
on the road to the Pyongyang golf course I also saw fine crops that were
beautiful to look at .There was no sign of crop failure or famine that the
lying imperialist media continually claim exist in the DPRK . Indeed living standards in the DPRK are continuously
improving .The DPRK is pushing ahead with massive construction
projects such as Ryomyong street .When I
visited the DPRK in April Ryomyong Street had simply been flat ground with many construction lorries running up and down . However this
time I saw futuristic buildings towering high into the sky , they looked totally
out of this world . When the DPRK build streets , these are as big as small cities which house up to
20,000 people. The streets have not only apartments but also shops, service
facilities and even hospitals . The flats are given to people free of charge
. Something that Londoners could only dream of . Housing construction was also
evident in the rural areas . Pyongyang is
a city of construction and People's Korea is a country of construction.
Whilst I was
staying in People's Korea the Workers' Party took the decision to prioritise
flood recovery stating that " In this connection our Party took an
important measure of rapidly dispatching the main units active in the major
sites of the 200-day campaign including the construction of Ryomyong Street to
the sites for the recovery from the flood damage and letting the whole Party
and army and all people focus all their efforts on the rehabilitation
operation" . The statement concluded that " Neither disaster nor
difficulties can deter the army and people of the DPRK dashing forward like the
wind toward the final victory under the banner of the self-development-first
principle, rallied close around the Party."
What is amazing is
that the DPRK is able such large scale construction. In London it is said it costs £150,000 to build one flat(which are
then sold for up to £500,000) so the cost of building 20,000 flats would be £3 billion ! This shows a number of things ,firstly that
the DPRK is putting the people first and investing huge amounts of funds in
raising living standards. Secondly, the DPRK is also carrying out
massive defence construction including the bolstering of the nuclear deterrent
, this is the dual line of building up the economy and nuclear force in
parallel . Only Juche Korea can carry out such a line . In the past the
revisionist USSR put emphasis on defence build up but was unable to maintain a
high level of economic growth, It was asserted that it was impossible to
develop the economy and defence in parallel. Of course this is not true as the
experience of the DPRK proves . The USSR was unable to maintain the building of both the
economy and defence due to the malady of modern revisionism and lack of
militant anti-imperialist spirit .
The massive
construction is also being carried out in the face of sanctions by the US
imperialists and their executive enforcement agency the UN Security
Council as well as other imperialists and
big power chauvinists . The great self-development first idea and the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance enable the Korean
people to carry out a high level of construction despite the sanctions. Dear respected
Marshal KIM JONG UN said that the construction of Ryomyong Street would deal a
blow against the sanctions and blockade of the imperialist reactionaries ! The self-development first idea is a
contemporary application of the great Juche idea and the revolutionary spirit
of self-reliance . Some reactionaries and class enemies maintain that People's
Korea should abandon Juche and adopt
" reform " and " opening up " , such a course would be
worse than death ! Those countries that adopted "reform " and
"opening up " have suffered disaster , despair, crisis and conflict .
During the period of
my visit Juche Korea carried out its 5th
nuclear test, on the 9th of September ,
fully displaying the spirit of Juche and self-reliance . It was an act
of militant anti-imperialism that defied the sanctions, blockades and threats of the US imperialists and their
followers as well as the big power chauvinists , revisionists and class enemies
. I saw on tv the veteran DPRK news announcer Ri Chun Hee announce the nuclear
test . Earlier on the 6th of September
the DPRK had conducted most impressive
test of a road launched ICBM . Both the ICBM test and nuclear test dealt heavy
blows against US imperialism. I feel excited to be in the DPRK at a time when
the DPRK conducted its5th nuclear test and the ICBM test.
Anti-Imperialism,
Independence and Solidarity was the
theme of International Seminar
on the Juche Idea . The seminar was attended by delegates
from Spain, Germany , UK, Russia, Italy, Sri-Lanka, Nepal, India, Pakistan ,
Nigeria , Uganda , Democratic Congo and Japan . The seminar was presided over by Dr Harish Gupta
of the IIJI and was held in the presence of comrade Kim Ki Nam vice-chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea
. The speeches were very lively and militant with diverse opinions given on the
situations in various countries but with overall unity around the Juche Idea
and Songun Idea . Of particular note were the speeches by Dmitri Kostenko of
Russia, by Mikel Vivanko of Spain , Mr Jain of India and one of the Nepalese
delegates.
Dmitri Kostenko
stated " I want to especially emphasize that we should not compromise in
the confrontation with the imperialists and that we should never trust the
enemies’ promise and peaceful gestures. One of the main reasons the USSR
collapsed is the policy the revisionists executed for years, that is, the
so-called appeasement policy, the “policy of coexistence with the imperialism”
and the policy of patience to the imperialists’ propaganda. It is a dangerous
illusion to think that we can peacefully coexist and cooperate with the
imperialists"
We also heard excellent video lectures on human
rights , the dual line of building the economy and defence in parallel and
Korean folk traditions that have been prepared by KASS . These lectures proved
very useful and increased my
understanding of the DPRK a lot . We will share them amongst our members.
We were also
given an excellent lecture by Professor Mun Jong Suk on the 7th Congress of the Workers Party of Korea . This lecture was
packed full of information . I learnt a lot about the self-development first
idea of the DPRK for example that the DPRK even produces its own sugar Okdang from maize . Truly
the DPRK is the most self-reliant country in the world that can stand on its own
two feet.
I had the honour of
meeting with vice-chairman Kim Ki Nam of the Workers Party of Korea twice
during my visit . I was also happy to pay a visit to my old friends at the Pyongyang Mission of the Anti-Imperialist National
Democratic front of south Korea which is
headed by veteran south Korean revolutionary comrade Zo Il Min . We had excellent discussions and my hosts showed me 2 excellent videos which I
enjoyed. We had detailed discussions on the struggle I also met the
comrades from the Korean Committee For Cultural Relations and had cordial discussions.
The KASS organised
a wonderful Joint Friendship Gathering for us at the Pyongyang
Golf Course . This consisted of some sports games , then a barbecue and picnic lunch rounded off by
a singing performance. Sports are a big challenge for me as I have never played
any sports since I was at 6th form college 36 years ago. For singing I chose to sing the song
the "Red Flag " which is common to both Korea and Britain. However the Korean version is much faster and differently
paced to the British version which is slow and a bit sombre. In Britain the "Red
Flag " used to sung at Labour party conferences until arch-traitor Tony Blair banned them from
singing it . I think my rendition of the Red Flag was appreciated by the
audience. All the foreigners sang thesong " We will go to Mt Paektu "
but this was a challenge to me as I
think it would take several months for me to learn properly to do the song
justice .All Korean people are like professional singers and seem very
talented.
On this visit I was
able to see the newly constructed Pyongyang Orphans Secondary School on the
outskirts of Pyongyang. This has 21 classrooms including an
anti-imperialist class education room .
It has all the latest facilities and equipment. The school has a massive
swimming pool as well as a multi- use sports hall and a splendiddining room . In fact the dinning room did not look like a
school dining room at all butlike a hotel or a restaurant . On display in the
anti-imperialist class education room werepictures showing the history of US imperialist aggression on
Korea. By carrying out
anti-imperialist class education makes sure that the US
imperialists and capitalists do not
sneak their ideology into People's Korea. Bourgeois ideology
is highly corrosive and poisonous , it can spread like HIV/AIDS unless resolute and decisive preventive measures are
taken.
The Pyongyang
Orphans School was a good example of the people-orientated policies of the WPK
and the dear respected leader Marshal KIM JONG UN . In capitalist societies
orphans are regarded as rejects and outcasts. Children's homes exist in
capitalist countries but are fearful places where abuse , physical and sexual ,
of the children takes place. Usually in my country children who are raised in
children's homes become unemployed when they grow up or drift into crime.
The DPRK attaches
great importance to youth . Recently the 9th Congress of theKim Il Sung Socialist Youth League (now renamed the
Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist YouthLeague) was held in the presence of the dear respected
leader Marshal KIM JONG UN. On the tv I
saw the massive torchlight parade of youth. My guide Ms Ri told me that she had participated in it. A splendid Museum of Youth Movement History has beenbuilt in Kwangbok street . Here we could see the history of
the Korean youth movement under the guidance of President KIM IL SUNG ,
Chairman KIM JONG IL and MarshalKIM JONG UN . There were also pictures and relics showing
the contribution ofanti-Japanese revolutionary heroine Madame KIM JONG SUK to
the youth movement . Ms Ri asked me if we have a youth league in the UK , of
course the answer isno . Some political parties maintain small youth leagues and
there are organisations such as the Boy Scouts which are seen as a joke (in the
case of the scouts highly discredited because their founder's support for
fascism and numerous paedophilescandals ) . Only People's Korea has their own mass youth
league . The DPRK trusts young people and puts them forward as one of the
pillars of society.
We also visited
the Kumususan Palace of the Sun, Mangyondae, the FatherlandLiberation War Museum,
the Sci-Tech Complex and the Circus .We enjoyed an excellent art
performance at the splendid Pyongwha Art Theatre which I had never been to
before. The performance was based on the legendary Korean song "Aririang
" .I likedthe "Songun
Aririang " and the piece about generalissimo KIM JONG IL ascending thesteep Chol pass.
The DPRK is
developing excellent cultural facilities
for people. I had visited the
Pyongyang Zoo 4 years in 2012 but was surprised by the
change this time. I did not recognise the entrance to the Zoo which had totally
changed . The Zoo has beenreconstructed and expanded. It is very modern with a nature
museum. Visitors can also observe fish at close quarters as you can actually walk
through a transparent passage that is under water. There are electric cars to ferry
visitors around the zoothus affording great convenience to people. Ms Ri told me that the Pyongyang Zoo isnearly free of charge so that working people may visit it .
However the LondonZoo at Regents Park charges £25 for an adult to visit and even £29 for a fast trackticket ! A ticket for a child costs £17. In People's
Korea of Juche , recreationaland cultural facilities are not a means of money making for
capitalist parasites but a means of enriching the cultural and emotional lives of the
people. The DPRK is pursuing a genuine people-orientated policy thanks to the
Juche Idea and the leadership of the dear respected leader Marshal KIM JONG UN
.
I was deeply
impressed by the hospitality shown by the Korean people . I was given
a big hotel room that
seemed bigger than my residence (which is 50 square metres) and had a balcony
from which I could see Mirae Scientists Street and even glimpse the River
Taedong . My guide Ms Ri was very helpful, always working hard to arrange my
schedule and did everything to make my stay convenient as well as providing
some short but good explanations of the
Juche Idea. . Everyone was very friendly
to me even though I had come from a hostile imperialist country , a country
which to my eternal shame even sent troops to fight against People's Korea and
to prevent reunification.
Although I have
visited the DPRK 12 times each time I
learn something new .
Being in the DPRK
is like being in a dream . A country where there are no homeless or beggars
sleeping in shop doorways or in pedestrian subways . A country without internal conflict or contradictions. A society based on
single-hearted unity ! I think if I
lived in the DPRK I would only miss a cup of British tea and fish and chips as
well asmy family and relations.
I was sad to leave
People's Korea and return to London . Visiting the DPRK for the 12th time I
became convinced that the road I had taken was and is the correct one and that
I should not deviate from it . I pledged myself to study the Juche Idea and
Songun Idea even more intensely and carry out our work better.
Dr Dermot Hudson, BA(hons)
President Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK
Chairman Juche Idea Study Group of England
Chairman UK Korean Friendship Association
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